Red stag handle dirk, and historical question(s)

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

To the best of my knowledge, and certainly within my range of experience, it is extremely unlikely that a Scottish dirk was ever fitted with a lanyard ring and lanyard. There are practical reasons for this; in an all-out combat situation the dirk was held in the hand opposite the sword hand, point down, and in advance of the targe. The presence of a lanyard, draped across the body, would have interfered with one's ability to fully sweep the blade of the dirk in either an attack or perry motion. Further, when moving about with the dirk sheathed, the lanyard would have become caught up in the gorse and bracken which is very much a feature of the Scottish landscape. Finally, in all of the paintings and drawings extant-- at least that I am familiar with-- showing Highlanders with dirks, not a single one shows a dirk with a lanyard; proof again that they most likely didn't exist.

Keepers, the small chains designed to prevent the loss of the by-knife and by-fork, are a later addition to the dirk, and generally date from a period after about 1825, and coincide with the transformation of the dirk from a weapon into a dress accessory-- a transformation that is complete within 75 years.

Historically speaking, the Scottish dirk (as we tend to think of it) really only takes on its characteristic shape in the mid-1600s, and there is little evidence to suggest that a by-knife and by-fork were common before about 1700, although it is likely that they did exist. Indeed, there is one one surviving example of the by-knife and by-fork, in their original scabbard, which is dated to 1600. Originally the property of Sir John Ramsay who used it, to good effect, to foil an attempt to kidnap James VI by killing the would-be kidnappers-- the Master of Ruthven and the Earl of Gowrie. (The dagger was subsequently stolen, and later used to murder Henry IV of France in 1610.) I should point out that the dagger was of the typical ballock shaped hilt and blade of the late 1500s, and has no resemblance to the traditional Scottish dirk.

Far from proving that the bi-knife and other utensils were common, it would seem to suggest (at least as far as Scotland is concerned) that this sort of arrangement was probably limited to the (wealthy) aristocracy of the period.

While I don't doubt that you have come across a dirk with a honing steel in the scabbard, I would have to say that whilst I've encountered numerous continental dirks so equipped, I have yet to personally examine a single Scottish example (although one is illustrated in Forman's book which, judging by its style, might date from c.1850 or later). Perhaps you'd be kind enough to post a few photos?

I hope that answers you questions!