Appropriate Footwear

[DWFII]

Well,

At Culloden and elsewhere I am sure you would have seen many different types of footwear and even barefeet (especially as hardpressed and worn out as the Jacobites were)...just as you might have in 1776 and the Revolutionary War. But buckle shoes were the norm even for poor folk if they had shoes at all.

But Prince Charlie would have been (and is seen in several paintings) wearing them as well as many of the Clan chieftans. A good many of the figures shown on the STA site ...I'm guess from paintings made around 1822...are wearing buckle shoes.

Here are two of probably two dozen images from the Jacobite period of highland soldiers:

The first is a Highland Soldier (might be the title) painted in 1744

.

The second is a Grenadier in the 42nd foot circa 1751



This second one was done by David Morier...if I've got the details correct and it was he who painted the rather famous painting of the Battle of Culloden.

As I say, I have a slew of these images...all pointing to the fact that many highlanders did indeed go into battle in a pair of buckle shoes.

As for the brogans in the drawing...there is an alternative explanation: many times a buckle would break or be lost and rather than go to the expense of replacing it, the latchets would be cut short and holes punched in the ends. A lace was then run through those holes effectively making a shoe that would very much look like a brogan to casual inspection or an untutored eye.

[Glamrockdj]

Well,

At Culloden and elsewhere I am sure you would have seen many different types of footwear and even barefeet (especially as hardpressed and worn out as the Jacobites were)...just as you might have in 1776 and the Revolutionary War. But buckle shoes were the norm even for poor folk if they had shoes at all.

But Prince Charlie would have been (and is seen in several paintings) wearing them as well as many of the Clan chieftans. A good many of the figures shown on the STA site ...I'm guess from paintings made around 1822...are wearing buckle shoes.

Here are two of probably two dozen images from the Jacobite period of highland soldiers:

The first is a Highland Soldier (might be the title) painted in 1744

.

The second is a Grenadier in the 42nd foot circa 1751



This second one was done by David Morier...if I've got the details correct and it was he who painted the rather famous painting of the Battle of Culloden.

As I say, I have a slew of these images...all pointing to the fact that many highlanders did indeed go into battle in a pair of buckle shoes.

As for the brogans in the drawing...there is an alternative explanation: many times a buckle would break or be lost and rather than go to the expense of replacing it, the latchets would be cut short and holes punched in the ends. A lace was then run through those holes effectively making a shoe that would very much look like a brogan to casual inspection or an untutored eye.

I'm not doubting your historical acumen, when I said I don't think I'd be wearing those shoes into battle, I meant me present day!!

Your explanation about the brogan style mix up makes interesting reading too, thanks for that.