Footwear in Highlanders of Scotland

[figheadair]

The third most-common shoes in Highlanders of Scotland are ordinary brogues



And also the popular Victorian ankle boots. Only three men in HOS are seen wearing these, but they're quite common in Victorian photos of kilted men.

Some practical examples of both styles. Balmoral Estate Gillies, 1858.

[OC Richard]

Yes! The ankle-boots and ordinary brogues are very common in Victorian kilted photos.

Which brings me to the subject of a certain amount of variance in some items of dress between Victorian photos and the Highlanders Of Scotland portraits.

For sure there are factors to be taken into account, such as the HOS portraits being painted over a four-year period (1865-1869) while my collection of Victorian spans a half-century, and each collection being a small sample-size.

In many ways the two bodies of images fit hand-in-glove: the wide variety of bonnet shapes and jacket cuts, and the sorts of sporrans seen.

But in the matter of footwear the two bodies of images differ it two ways:

1) many more different shoe styles are seen in THOS than in my photos.

2) many more different hose styles are seen in the photos than in THOS.

With shoes, in THOS nearly all the Ghillies seen are tan roughout leather, but I've only come across one photo showing such, and it's an odd one, an obvious attempt at a historical look. Yet, there the shoes are, and somebody had to be making them.



With hose, numerous Victorian photos show hose with diagonal stripe patterns. I wouldn't consider them tartan hose. Only one such pair are seen in THOS.





There are types of hose absent from THOS altogether, which are commonly seen in Victorian photos.

One such are the overall diamond pattern





Another thing not seen in THOS are hose like these, with a small intricate pattern



And last but not least, the absence in THOS of hoop-pattern hose which are fairly common in Victorian photos

[OC Richard]

As mentioned above, one question that arises from looking at the Ghillies in THOS is "why do all modern Ghillies have eight tabs?" because in THOS we see Ghillies with six, and four, tabs.

Here are six-tab Ghillies in THOS





Imagine my surprise when I saw for sale on Ebay not one, but two pair of Ghillies made in just that way.

Mind you, both pair have tongues which would have to be removed to be like traditional Ghillies.

And both are by high-end designer brands, not by Scottish firms that ordinarily make Ghillies.

Yet here they are!

[Father Bill]

Hi Richard.

I do not own, nor feel any real need for Gillies. I normally wear either a brilliantly shined Oxford with a toe cap or a pebbled wing-tip brogue with a similar glint. Having said that, a question for you: without the tongue, don't the laces on traditional Gillies hurt a wee bit? I like to reef the laces pretty tight on my shoes, so those Gillies with tongues look attractive to my addled brain.

Comments?

[OC Richard]

without the tongue, don't the laces on traditional Gillies hurt a wee bit?

Just the opposite for me, Ghillies are more comfortable than normal shoes because the top of your foot isn't confined and can breathe.

About lacing Ghillies tight, I've never done. My Ghillies have always stayed put nicely with moderate tension on the laces. BTW there was much silliness a few years ago about pinning the laces to the socks. The laces stay put if you wrap the laces around the narrowest part of the ankle, which pretty much all experienced Ghillie wearers do. It's why you don't have to pin your wristwatch to your wrist to keep it from slipping over your hand and falling off.

There is a company making inexpensive Ghillies-with-tongues, Norwood. I have no experience with them but they're attractive because they're the only Ghillies I can find in UK14.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/J-Wood-Mens...zVKby7_OKeznkQ

I did hear from somebody that that firm didn't have the best reputation for quality. I don't know.

[The Q]

About not wearing shoes,..

I lived in the hebridies in the 1970s, a parent was brought before the authorities for sending His children to school without shoes. His attitude being, that he didn't wear shoes to school so they didn't need to..
By then all the kids were wearing trousers, but I have a book by a school master around the 1900's talking of the younger children all wearing home made kilts to school.
Not shoe wearing and wearing kilts among the crofters, seems to have lasted longer than many think..

[figheadair]

About not wearing shoes,..

I lived in the hebridies in the 1970s, a parent was brought before the authorities for sending His children to school without shoes. His attitude being, that he didn't wear shoes to school so they didn't need to..
By then all the kids were wearing trousers, but I have a book by a school master around the 1900's talking of the younger children all wearing home made kilts to school.
Not shoe wearing and wearing kilts among the crofters, seems to have lasted longer than many think..

An example of both no shoes and home made kilts. Children at Poolewe c.1920-30.

[Jock Scot]

To my certain knowledge, I was one of a minority who wore shoes-----albeit hand-me-downs----- to the local school in the Highlands in the 1940's. No one appeared to think anything about it.

[OC Richard]

We West Virginians also know about going barefoot

You develop thick soles.

It's funny, people will visit my house, see the lineup of shoes by the front door, and obediently remove their shoes, almost like in Japan.

Just yesterday I heard somebody from a Latin American country saying that they always wore shoes indoors- it's considered gauche to be seen barefoot. You only take off your shoes when you go to bed. I can't imagine.

[figheadair]

There is someone in Scotland, known to some here, who never wears shoes, even in the winter. I recall walking through the snow at Battle of Falkirk commemoration a couple years ago and he was perfectly happy in bare feet.