Etymology of Ghillie Brogue?

**OC Richard** · 25th November 24, 03:01 PM

What a lovely painting of Alexander Hamilton Gordon.

Is this the earliest that Ghillies are seen on the feet of any actual people besides the Allen brothers?

(Not counting the fantasy illustrations done in the 1840s by Robert Jones and the Allen brothers themselves.)

**Wandering Spark** · 26th November 24, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

What a lovely painting of Alexander Hamilton Gordon.

Is this the earliest that Ghillies are seen on the feet of any actual people besides the Allen brothers?

(Not counting the fantasy illustrations done in the 1840s by Robert Jones and the Allen brothers themselves.)

It's the earliest I know of.

Speaking of the Allen brothers, I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of The Costume of the Clans. It's in a library special collection, so I didn't have a lot of time with it, but I didn't see the term 'ghillie brogue' in there either. The Allen brothers referred to the ghillie-brogue-esque footwear in their illustrations as brogues that were 'laced with straps.' They did seem to have multiple sources for their belief in the historicity of brogues laced with straps. I'll have to look and see whether I can confirm the existence of those sources.

(I wish more people realized that the illustrations from The clans of the Scottish Highlands were not credible depictions of historical Scottish dress. I have seen too many people use them on reenactment and historical costuming websites.)

**Wandering Spark** · 29th November 24, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by Wandering Spark

The Allen brothers referred to the ghillie-brogue-esque footwear in their illustrations as brogues that were 'laced with straps.' They did seem to have multiple sources for their belief in the historicity of brogues laced with straps. I'll have to look and see whether I can confirm the existence of those sources.

Update: As I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn, the Allen brothers' "sources" for brogues laced with straps are alleged works of art from the 17th and 18th centuries which no one else has been able to locate. John Telfer Dunbar thinks it's unlikely that these works of art ever existed.