The other pairt [of Scotland] northerne, ar full of montaines, and verie rud and homlie kynd of people doeth inhabite, which is called the Reidschankis, or wyld Scottis. They be cloathed with ane mantle, with ane schirt fachioned (or saffroned) after the Irisch maner, going bair legged to the knie. Thair weapones ar bowis and dartes, with ane verie broad sword and ane dagger scharp onlie at the on syd.[18]
But the most detailed notice of the dress worn by the inhabitants of the Highlands and Islands in the sixteenth century is to be found in a work by John Leslie, Bishop of Ross, the devoted adherent of Mary Queen of Scots, originally published in Rome in 1578. From his conspicuous position, alike as historian and as statesman, his notes on the apparel of the men and women of his age are highly important. It appears that the belted plaid had become the wear of both rich and poor, through the extended manufacture of woollen fabrics and the increased prosperity of the people. He writes:—
In weiris quhen thay yokit the aduersar, thay invadet athir with ane arrow or a lance. Thay vsed ane twa edged sword lykwyse; the futmen a lang sword, the horsmen a schort sword bot baith vset a verie braid sword, with a scheiring sharpe edge that at the first straik, with little force, it walde scheir a man in twa in the waste or midle. Thay war harnest with Jacks al wouen throuch with yrne huikes, quhilkes habbirgeounis thay cal: This vpon, or as we say, abone a lathir cote, quhilke was na les stark than it was elegant, thay put on. Al thair harnesse was lycht, that gif thay fel in ony danger, the lychtlier thay mycht slip out of the handes of thair ennimies: for in swiftnes of fute, in quhilke thay walde ouirrin the swoftest horse, quhither the way war lang and plane, or gif it war cumirsum throuch hilis or hopes, in sik swoftnes, I say, thay obteined gret prais, athir quhen the ennimie flies to follow, or quhen the ennimie persues to flie, and gif mister be to declyne from perrel.... Thair cleithing was til necessitie, and nocht till decore, maist conuenient ay to the weiris; for thay al vset mantilis of ane forme, baith the Nobilitie and the commone people, excepte that the Nobilitie delyted mair in coloured claith and sindrie hewis, and thir mantilis war baith wyd and lang, notwithstandeng about the bosum, quhair thay walde decentlie losin. I can weil think thir same to be the kynd of cleithing quhilke in ald times in latin war called Brachæ. In thir only mantilis in the nyt seasone, thay rowit thame selfes, and in thame sleipit sound: this was thair maner, and this day the hilande men, and thay of Irland weiris even siklyke, bot now thay use ruch couirings, ane sorte to thair bed, another sorte to the Jornay conuenient. The rest of thair claithis, was a schorte cote of woll, with wyde and apne sleiues that the radier quhen thay walde thay myt schote or caste a darte, or ane arrow, breickis thay had verie slichte, and indeid mair to hyd thair memberis than for ony pompe or pryd, or to defend thame frome the calde was meit. Of linnine lykwyse thay maid wyd sarkis, with mony bosumis, and wide sleifes of negligence hinging doune evin to thair knies. Thir sarkis the mair potent amang thame vset to smeir with saffronne, bot vthiris with a certane fatnes, and this thay did to keip thame cleine frome al filthines. Nathing thay thocht worthier of counsel than to exercise thame selfes continuallie in the sueit of the Barresse, or in siklyke ane exercise. In makeng thame, appeirit na kair or trauel neglected athir in arte or decore: as with threid of silke, cheiflie greine, or rid, al the partes of the sarke maist artificiouslie thay sewit.
Bot the cleithing of the women with thame was maist decent. For thair cotes war syd evin to the hanckleth, wyd mantilis abone, or playdes all embroudiret artificiouslie; bracelets about thair armes, iewalis about thair neck, broches hinging at thair halse, baith cumlie and decent, and mekle to thair decore and outsett.[19]
The editor in his notes to Book I. observes:—
The Latin braccæ is generally understood to be equivalent to our breeks. There are, however, traces of the Latin word being used in a wider sense to mean a loose flowing garment. Bishop Leslie here applies it to the plaid or tartan, and, as it would seem, on the ground of the variegated colours expressed by the Gaelic breac. This is felt even in the use of the Latin word. We find braccæ described as pictæ and virgatæ, coloured and striped. Perhaps the original braccæ, which so took the attention of the Romans when they met the Gauls, were striped and parti-coloured, and so gave rise to the name. In Irish breacan still means a plaid. It would seem, then, that the Latin word is borrowed from Celtic. The modern word breeks or breeches is a double plural, and stands for brec, plural of Anglo-Saxon broc. This last reminds us of Celtic brog, a shoe. Broc can hardly be derived from either breac or brog, for we find corresponding forms in all the Teutonic dialects. Neither can broc mean speckled, for we have freck, freckle, to represent breac. The Teutonic words, together with brog, may thus be cognate terms expressing the sense of cover or protect, perhaps allied to Anglo-Saxon beorgan. Comp. bark, the covering of a tree. Brock in modern English and Scots means a badger; but this is clearly the Gaelic broc. The animal was so named from its colour—pie or speckle.[20]
It has been held that this particular account, while establishing the use of tartans by the chiefs or nobles, proves them to have been by no means common wear. But, taken in conjunction with the writings of Buchanan, a few years later, the interpretation seems to be that, while the leaders preferred the more brilliantly coloured patterns, the rank and file had quieter designs, at once more economical and more serviceable.
George Buchanan in his History, published in 1582, furnishes a detailed account of the dress and arms of the Highlanders. He writes:—
They delight in variegated garments, especially stripped, and their favourite colours are purple and blue. Their ancestors wore plaids of many different colours, and numbers still retain this custom, but the majority, now, in their dress, prefer a dark brown, imitating nearly the leaves of the heather, that when lying upon the heath in the day, they may not be discovered by the appearance of their clothes; in these, wrapped rather than covered, they brave the severest storms in the open air, and sometimes lay themselves down to sleep even in the midst of snow. In their houses, also, they lie upon the ground; strewing fern, or heath, on the floor, with the roots downward and the leaves turned up. In this manner they form a bed so pleasant, that it may vie in softness with the finest down, while in salubrity it far exceeds it; for heath, naturally possessing the power of absorption, drinks up the superfluous moisture, and restores strength to the fatigued nerves, so that those who lie down languid and weary in the evening, arise in the morning vigorous and sprightly. They have all, not only the greatest contempt for pillows, or blankets, but, in general, an affectation of uncultivated roughness, and hardihood, so that when choice, or necessity induces them to travel in other countries, they throw aside the pillows, and blankets of their hosts, and wrapping themselves round with their own plaids, thus go to sleep, afraid lest these barbarian luxuries, as they term them, should contaminate their native simple hardiness. Their defensive armour consists of an iron headpiece and a coat of mail, formed of small iron rings, and frequently reaching to the heels. Their weapons are, for the most part, a bow, and arrows barbed with iron, which cannot be extracted without widely enlarging the orifice of the wound; but a few carry swords or Lochaber axes. Instead of a trumpet they use a bagpipe. They are exceedingly fond of music, and employ harps of a peculiar kind, some of which are strung with brass, and some with catgut. In playing they strike the wires either with a quill, or with their nails, suffered to grow long for the purpose; but their grand ambition is to adorn their harps with great quantities of silver and gems, those who are too poor to afford jewels substituting crystals in their stead. Their songs are not inelegant, and, in general, celebrate the praises of brave men; their bards seldom choosing any other subject.[21]
In the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland for the year 1575 the following ordinance against the use of sumptuous clothing by Ministers and Readers of the Church is recorded:—