We cannot say without saying Scotland Kilt! But be careful “Kilt no skirt,” never call it a skirt! Let’s discover together, The Scottish Highland Dress or the Custom kilt and its history.

In this article we will discover what it is, its origins and how it has become a symbol Recognized all over the world, in short, because Kilt is the Kilt national dress and what is its link with Clans.

Where does Kilt come from?

There sono stati many disputes over the attribution and membership of the Kilt. Of course if you ask an Irishman, he will tell you That the kilt was an ancient dress from Ireland and That, only later, he arrived in Scotland as a result of migration. The Irish Say That They run belong to the bagpipes, Custom whiskey and anything else! If you ask an Englishman he will tell you That Thomas Rawlinson, a native Englishman, invented in the 18th century kilts!

Therefore I will try to present in this article some facts That explain When and where the kilt developed. Most of the information is taken from: albanach.org, The Custom Banner and, tartansauthority.com and from the book “Old Irish and Highland Dress” by HF McClintock.
This book contains much more documentation on the primary origin of Gaelic garments than any other available source.

The Custom Kilt and its history

It Appears that there are no documents in the documents indicating the use of the kilt in Ireland earlier than elsewhere. McClintock, talks about a precocious Irish dress, but nothing he Describes makes one think of a kilt. Those who support this thesis probably refer to the stone sculptures found on the crosses and monuments in Ireland, dated before the 11th century. Claiming That the figures wear kilts but, in reality, what is Represented is nothing but a French shirt or a tunic.

Another source of confusion on the kilt’s origins Numerous concerns the images of soldiers and knights, wearing quilted armor, called “Actons” in Custom (cotuns in Irish). These are nothing but long and heavy, quilted and padded tunics, Which served as light armor. Often in engravings, the quilting was depicted with vertical lines, Which Descended along the tunic, but do not form what we know today as Kilt.

Kilt from the 16th century to the present

If we move in time to the sixteenth century, we will find, once again, representations of Irish men who seem to wear a Men Kilts. The most famous refers to the image of Derricke, published in 1581, which shows many figures who wear dresses with pleated skirts and heavy that appear to be modern kilts, but are actually “leinte” (tunics). The kilt has been worn previously in Ireland.

In the text ofone speaks for the first time, of the Custom Highland dress from 1093. He cites a document called “Magnus Berfaet saga”, in cui King Magnus leaves for the western islands of Scotland and adopts the habit That there he had found, but even wanting to share this document, there is actually no actual evidence That it was an early kilts. Often we want to see a bond, where this, However, is not based on real facts. It Seems, in fact, That there is no evidence to suggest the use of any form of kilt in Scotland in the period before the sixteenth century.

The feilidh-mòr

The type of kilt That We begin to see starting from the sixteenth century is called ” feilidh-mòr ” Which stands for “large envelope” or “great kilt”. The filleadh mhòr was a versatile garment That had a variety of functions, in fact it was used as a cloak, a curtain, a bed and, if folded correctly, Also could be used to carry objects on a person.

References to this type of garment, as described by Bishop Lesley, dates back to 1578. Another document from this period, Often cited to describe what looks like a kilt, is George Buchanan’s ”Rerun Scotia Historian “, published in 1581. In this document , it is attested That the plaid is used as a protection from the climate, as a form of camouflage and also as a way of dressing. We still do not talk about kilts, Because there is still no trace of any form of folding or belt.

The truth is That of These characteristics; one speaks in one document of Irish origin, dating back to around 1600. Only in this document is a plaid belt described, the first form of the kilt. These men differed from the Irish, precisely Because of Their belted clothes, their habits and their language. Here we find the first definitive description of the belt, worn outside the coat. And it is clear, That it was not an Irish way of dressing but, it was characteristic of the Scots among them . It is possible Thatthe plaid belt Has Been worn or developed before this description? Perhaps, but the fact Is that this is the first evidence we have of its existence.

One of the first illustrations of someone wearing a plaid belt is by Hieronymus Tielssch and Appears in a travel book from the first decade of the 17th century