"Jacobite" garb

[dfmacliam]

Excellent post! I am glad you posted these pics.. I look foreward to seeing more historical examples of kilt wear.

[Dall_Piobaire]

Awesome pics Brian, thank you! Another aspect of the shirt is that it is quite long and can be worn pretty comfrotably as a night shirt!

You realize you are single handedly wiping out years of marketing effort don't you!

[Woodsheal]

Awesome pics Brian, thank you! Another aspect of the shirt is that it is quite long and can be worn pretty comfrotably as a night shirt!

You realize you are single handedly wiping out years of marketing effort don't you!

We aim to please! And you're right, the correct length of body shirts of that period is to just above the knees, and they functioned as underwear, night-shirts, etc. There were also over-sized "work shirts" known as smocks worn by laborers, waggoners, farmers, etc. - worn OVER all other clothing to protect from dirt and stains....

[Dall_Piobaire]

When I was doing Rev war reenacting, we had a woman here, somewhere near Snowcamp, who hand stitched some of the most amazing clothing. It was wonderful, accurate, and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I put my stuff through hell, that was over twentyfive years ago, and I still have it! Wish I hadn't donated my shoes though.

I hear Gedney Godwin is still in business though, so maybe....

[thescot]

Brian, it appears in the later costume that you are wearing a modern style kilt as opposed to the great kilt in the earlier style. Is that in fact the case. Is it likely that the Scots of the '45 were wearing a sewn kilt?

And thanks for the photos.

[Woodsheal]

Brian, it appears in the later costume that you are wearing a modern style kilt as opposed to the great kilt in the earlier style. Is that in fact the case. Is it likely that the Scots of the '45 were wearing a sewn kilt?

It's a loosely box-pleated kilt with the pleats tacked into place at the top:



We know that philabegs were being widely worn at the time of the `45. They are mentioned in the Proscription, and appear in period images:





What we don't know is the exact manner of the kilt's construction at the time. Was it hand-pleated and belted every time like a full-sized plaid? Was there a drawstring (also postulated for the big plaid)? Were the pleats sewn into place? No kilts survive from that period, or from the following 5 decades. Utilitarian garments like that were usually worn until they were falling apart, or the fabric used for something else.
The earliest surviving kilts are military examples from 1790s and have stitched in box-pleats. When did that practice begin? No one knows....

[Woodsheal]

...to continue:

According to J. Telfer Dunbar, the earliest definitive image of the "little kilt" is in a portrait of Alasdair Ruadh MacDonnell of Glengarry, dated to the early 1740's. In the painting, Glengarry himself is wearing a belted plaid, but his henchman to the rear has on a philabeg:



It's a bit hard to see, but those who have seen the original describe that kilt as being pleated in its entire circumference, common to the period. Now, that all-round neat pleating would be rather hard to achieve by throwing 4 yards of fabric out on the ground, hand-pleating it, and belting it on - the way modern reenactors don their "great kilts." A drawstring or pleats stitched into place seems more likely.

But, I'm just speculating (gasp!)....

[BobsYourUncle]

A great kick off for the new forum. Cheers!

[dredrush]

Would a "Highland Shirt" from USA Kilts or other retailers be a Jacobite shirt? Or is there a big difference?

[Scotus]

Brian:

Your photos are excellent examples of the historical representation of the kilt! This is what I meant in that other thread about the Jacobites being serious in their reenacting. I hope others will start similar threads in this section. Thanks, Brian!