kilts in Scotland

[Sean_the_Kilted]

Where I do raise a quiet eyebrow,and I think I can speak for many other Scots too,is the wearing of differant tartans(not the same clan).I really cannot get my head around that.However, each to their own and I for one will quietly enjoy seeing a well worn kilt "swishing" its way around the Highlands without saying a word; as is the Highland way.

I know there are no rules, but what are the tartan choice traditions of people in scotland in general? Do people only wear their surname and/or other names they are related to (ie Campbell since its Mothers maiden name, Macdonald since it was Grandmothers maiden name, etc...) If they wear tartans of their ancestry, how far do people go back? Grandparents? Great Grandparents? Great Great Grandparents? What about district tartans? For the average scottish guy if you wear a tartan that you have no connection to, is that looked down upon? Do people even ask? Or is it one of those things where if your best friend or uncle sees you in a Campbell tartan and you are a Brown that you are looked down upon. I know its alot of questions. Just curious.

[Phil]

I know there are no rules, but what are the tartan choice traditions of people in scotland in general? Do people only wear their surname and/or other names they are related to (ie Campbell since its Mothers maiden name, Macdonald since it was Grandmothers maiden name, etc...) If they wear tartans of their ancestry, how far do people go back? Grandparents? Great Grandparents? Great Great Grandparents? What about district tartans? For the average scottish guy if you wear a tartan that you have no connection to, is that looked down upon? Do people even ask? Or is it one of those things where if your best friend or uncle sees you in a Campbell tartan and you are a Brown that you are looked down upon. I know its alot of questions. Just curious.

It depends whether you own a kilt or just hire it. If you are hiring it you will have a limited selection and probably go for one you like the look of unless they actually have one in your tartan. If you are buying your own you are most likely to choose a tartan with which you have a family or marriage connection (in my case my mother's family). Sadly some tartans like the Buchanan and Stewart have become icons of the carpet and upholstery industry or appear as rugs or scarves and in such a case it is likely that another more suitable one will be chosen. I have friends whom I know don't wear their family tartans for just this reason but it is not something for disapproval. For some unknown reason women sometimes seem to consider themselves arbiters of fashion where men are concerned and have been known to express an opinion but men, never.

[bjproc]

as said above, most of us will hire one, i do, the last one was a dress gordon, 1, beacuse i liked the colour (i like a green tartan), 2, my grandfather fought with them in WW1, the other choice they had, Ranger FC, Celtic FC (my team), flower of scotland and another 2 that i cant remember, so the choice was limited.

my surname is linked to the angus district tartan (not long found out about it), no clan for me from there, but my paternal grt, grt gran was a mcnicol, my mothers name is a sept of fraser of lovat, i'm sure my brother was married in that, a bit bright for me, which was also hired & her mum was a bell.

my dad has his own kilt, which is a mcbeth (i think), i think he got that because he liked the colours

[Jock Scot]

I know there are no rules, but what are the tartan choice traditions of people in scotland in general? Do people only wear their surname and/or other names they are related to (ie Campbell since its Mothers maiden name, Macdonald since it was Grandmothers maiden name, etc...) If they wear tartans of their ancestry, how far do people go back? Grandparents? Great Grandparents? Great Great Grandparents? What about district tartans? For the average scottish guy if you wear a tartan that you have no connection to, is that looked down upon? Do people even ask? Or is it one of those things where if your best friend or uncle sees you in a Campbell tartan and you are a Brown that you are looked down upon. I know its alot of questions. Just curious.

Good questions Sean.I will try to answer them,but to start with you need to think of the word "convention" rather than rules, at all times.I think we all would like to wear a clan tartan of our father's surname,but of course we all don't manage that, so we wear,if we can, a tartan with a familly connection,or regimental one ,and that is that.No one asks why we are wearing such and such a tartan,BUT we would only wear the one tartan.

I rather suspect that this convention started in the 1850's.Certainly, I vividly recall my grandfather giving my brother a major dressing down for suggesting that it would be a nice change to wear another tartan and that was in the 1940's.

Don't forget that the cost of a handmade kilt(that is all that most Scots know about)does not allow us to have too many.I have three---two are handmedowns and one I bought,all of the same clan tartan.

District tartans are not seen much apart from perhaps a local pipe band.

Please also don't forget that most Scots hire a kilt if they need one and in that case there is very little choice of tartan.

[Tartan Hiker]

Jock, If I ever get back to the Highlands your first pint's on me.

[Jock Scot]

Jock, If I ever get back to the Highlands your first pint's on me.

Good lord!Delighted my dear chap.Just name the time and place!

[BoldHighlander]

Started reading this thread when I got off work (& home) around 2:30am this morn'. Very interesting and wish to contribute a little something, but was much too tired then to dig for my source material & all... well it's 11:02am and my cat wouldn't let me sleep, so here I am

Reading about the wearing of the kilt amongst the Lowland regiments earlier reminded me of a book I've had for sometime. It's entitled "The Scottish Regiments" (2nd Edition 1996: HarperCollins Publishers; Glasgow) by Dr. Diana M. Henderson (Territorial Army); with forward by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh K.G K.T.
It details the Scottish regiments at the time (1996) incl. their individual regimental histories, badge & motto, tartans & clan affiliations, battle honours, music & toasts, and allied & affiliated regiments.
Anyhow, I wish to include a few snippets from the introduction and the section on tartans from the chapter of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, I thought it might be of interest to some.

from the introduction:
"...for many people, the bagpipes, the tartan and the glengarries can seem outmoded and contrived, and it is not difficult to find evidence to support this belief. For example, historically, the use of the highland bagpipe is not strictly correct in the context of Lowland regiments who originally used a specifically lowland form of the instrument. The ubiquitous glengarry was only introduced in the 1840s when LtCol. The Hon. Lauderdale Maule of the 79th Cameron Highlanders adapted the old 'humle' bonnet from which the present cap is derived. In addition, it was as late as 1881 before tartan was adopted by the Lowland regiments, at a time when the 'Highland' image and the cloth itself had become widely popular throughout Scotland."

from 'Tartans of the Royal Highland Fusiliers':
"The Royal Scots Fusiliers did not wear tartan until 1881, a factor which makes them no less Scottish. By 1881, however, the wearing of tartan was so popular all over Scotland, not just in the Highlands, that the major army reorganisations in that year were used to introduce tartan into Lowland regiments.
In addition, both the Scots Guards and the Royal Scots Fusiliers were offered the opportunity to wear Government tartan trews. The Royal Scots Fusiliers objected strongly to this without success, but after 1901 they adopted their own tartan, the Government or Black Watch sett with a blue line added."

"For many years the Highland Light Infantry laid claim to the kilt and tried to have it restored to the regiment. Although trews had originally been just as much the mark of a Highlander as the kilt, the adoption of trews by Lowland regiments in 1881 was considered by many to have devalued the trews as Highland garb."

[Monkey@Arms]

When I wear the kilt,I don't think about comfort,am I going to be asked the question,am I going to get comments,am I going to be the centre of attention,am I going to be ridiculed? No I D*** well don't!I wear it-----well----because I always have.

Forgive me if you answered this before, JS, but as a resident of the Highlands, on what type of occasions do you personally choose to wear your kilt?

Best regards,

Jake

[Jock Scot]

Forgive me if you answered this before, JS, but as a resident of the Highlands, on what type of occasions do you personally choose to wear your kilt?

Best regards,

Jake

Hello Jake,I don't think I have answered that specific question before so let me try to.Most weddings,most funerals,dinners,lunches,some business meetings,grouse shooting in August provided the midges are not too bad,Just popping out to town or going to see some one,fishing sometimes,going for a walk to see the farm,school functions,and whenever the mood and practicality suits.I would be one of the more regular kilt wearers around here I should say.Does this answer your question?

[bjproc]

Hello Jake,I don't think I have answered that specific question before so let me try to.Most weddings,most funerals,dinners,lunches,some business meetings,grouse shooting in August provided the midges are not too bad,Just popping out to town or going to see some one,fishing sometimes,going for a walk to see the farm,school functions,and whenever the mood and practicality suits.I would be one of the more regular kilt wearers around here I should say.Does this answere your question?

if you stayed down here, you'd be the most regular kilt wearer around, welldone