Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive noticesStewart, Donald William
History
Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive notices
Stewart, Donald William
Tartans -- Scotland
This second sort of dress, namely, a short woollen jacket, with
plaited skirts, and long trowsers, made tight to the body, and
chequered with various colours, was precisely that of a Highland
gentleman, the plaid coming in place of the mantle.[25]
Of the dress and arms of the Highlanders at the close of the sixteenth
century some details are furnished by M. Nicolay d’Arfeville,
Cosmographer to the King of France, in an account of a visit to
Scotland, published at Paris in 1583. The following is a translation of
a portion of his description:—
Those who inhabit Scotland to the south of the Grampian chain, are
tolerably civilized and obedient to the laws, and speak the English
language; but those who inhabit the north are more rude, homely, and
unruly, and for this reason are called savages [or Wild Scots.] They
wear, like the Irish, a large and full shirt, coloured with saffron,
and over this a garment hanging to the knee, of thick wool, after the
manner of a cassock. They go with bare heads, and allow their hair to
grow very long, and they wear neither stockings nor shoes, except some
who have buskins made in a very old fashion, which come as high as
their knees.
Their arms are the bow and arrow, and some darts, which they throw
with great dexterity, and a large sword, with a single-edged dagger.
They are very swift of foot, and there is no horse so swift as to
outstrip them, as I have seen proved several times, both in England
and Scotland.[26]
One of the most striking and specific references to tartan is to
be found in the year 1587, and it occurs in connection with the
lands of Norraboll, in the island of Islay. In the Crown charter of
Novodamus, dated 19th March 1587-8, granted to Hector Makclene, son and
heir-apparent of Lauchlan Makclene of Dowart, the feu-duty for these
lands is specified as:-
Pro Nerrabollsadh 60 ulnas panni, albi, nigri, et grosei coloris
respective, et ulnam panni in augmentationem rentalis (vel 8 den pro
qualibet ulna).[27]
John Sobieski Stuart, who first drew attention to this entry,[28]
quotes the word “grosei” as “grisei,” and adds “in this enumeration
there appears a slight error, from a presumption that the third colour
should have been green. The word undoubtedly in each case is “grosei,”
and is so printed in the Record Issue. What was meant by “grosei”
we learn from two sources. In the signature upon which the Crown
charter above quoted proceeds, the lands and the feu-duty exigible are
thus described:—
All and haill the foirnamit fyve merk landis of Nerrabolsadh with
the pertinentis the sowme of lx ellis claith quhite blak and grene
cullouris respective or viii^d vsuall money of this realme for ilk ell
at the optioun of the said Hector and his foirsaidis at the termes
foirsaidis be equal portiounis and ane el claith or viii^d for the
price thereof in augmentation of the rentale mair nor euir the same
payit of befor.[29]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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