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
Moreover, wherfor they call us in Scotland Reddshanckes, and in
your Graces dominion of England roghefootide Scottis, Pleas it your
Maiestie to understande, that we of all people can tolleratt, suffir,
and away best with colde, for boithe somer and wyntir, (excepte
whene the froest is mooste vehement,) goynge alwaies bair leggide
and bair footide, our delite and pleasure is not onely in huntynge
of redd deir, wolfes, foxes, and graies, wherof we abounde, and have
greate plentie, but also in rynninge, leapinge, swymynge, shootynge,
and thrawinge of dartis: therfor, in so moche as we use and delite
so to go alwaies, the tendir delicatt gentillmen of Scotland call
us Reddshanckes. And agayne in wyntir, whene the froest is mooste
vehement (as I have saide) which we can not suffir bair footide,
so weill as snow, whiche can never hurt us whene it cummes to our
girdills, we go a huntynge, and after that we have slayne redd deir,
we flaye of the skyne, bey and bey, and settinge of our bair foote
on the insyde therof, for neide of cunnynge shoemakers, by your
Graces pardon, we play the sutters; compasinge and mesuringe so moche
therof, as shall retche up to our ancklers, pryckynge the upper part
therof also with holis, that the water may repas wher it entris, and
stretchide up with a stronge thwange of the same, meitand above our
saide ancklers, so, and pleas your noble Grace, we make our schoois:
Therfor, we usinge suche maner of shoois, the roghe hairie syde
outwart, in your Graces dominion of England we be callit roghefootide
Scottis; which maner of schoois (and pleas your Highnes) in Latyne
be callid perones, wherof the poete Virgill makis mencioun, sayinge,
That the olde auncient Latyns in tyme of warrs uside suche maner of
schoos. And althoughe a greate sorte of us Reddshanckes go after this
maner in our countrethe, yeit never the les, and pleas your Grace,
whene we come to the courte (the Kinges grace our great master beinge
alyve) waitinge on our Lordes and maisters, who also, for velvettis
and silkis be right well araide, we have as good garmentis as some of
our fellowis whiche gyve attendaunce in the court every daye.[15]
That the clothing of the Highlanders at this period was parti-coloured,
or tartan, is evident from a foreign traveller’s record almost
contemporaneous with John Elder’s epistle. Jean de Beaugué, who
accompanied the expedition sent in 1548 by Henry II. of France under
Montalembert, Sieur d’Essé, to aid the Scots against the English,
wrote an account of his observations, printed in Paris in 1556. Of
the appearance of certain Islanders among the troops at the siege of
Haddington in the latter year he observes:—
Several Highlanders [or Wild Scots] followed them [the Scottish
army] and they were naked except their stained shirts, and a certain
light covering made of wool of various colours; carrying large
bows, and similar swords and bucklers to the others, _i.e._ to the
Lowlanders.[16]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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