The kilt is a knee-length garment which originates from the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. It is usually fashioned from woollen cloth featuring a tartan pattern and pleats at the rear. It is traditionally worn with a sporran, or purse. The regalia worn today with a kilt, the sporran, belt, knee socks, brogues and a formal Argyll or Prince Charlie jacket is a modernisation of the old Highland great kilt which was a full length garment. The short kilt developed sometime around the beginning of the 18th century. The kilt is now regarded as the formal dress or national dress of Scotsmen. Although essentially a male garment, the
kilt has been developed for women to wear too. A tartan kilt, or skirt, is a popular choice for girls school uniforms and ladies wear kilt-styled skirts and dresses such as those worn by the Highland dance troupes.
After the Jacobite Risings , and as part of a series of draconian measures aimed at suppressing Scottish nationalism, the government of King George II imposed the Dress Act in 1746. The act outlawed all items of Highland dress including kilts in an attempt to destroy highland culture. The penalties of six months in an appalling prison for the first offence, and seven years' transportation for the second made it abundantly clear that the authorities meant business. The ban remained in effect for 35 years. During the period of the ban an exception was made for the army’s Highland Regiments who continued to wear the kilt. Many Scottish regiments are still associated with the kilt and indeed there was a time when they would have gone into battle in the kilt. Many Scottish units wore kilts in active combat during WWI . The Royal Highland Regiment wore them during this conflict and this, combined with their bravery, led to the regiment acquiring the nickname ‘Ladies from Hell’ from the German troops forced to fight them. The kilt was last worn in action near the start of WWII , in May 1940 at the Battle of Dunkirk by Donald Callander of the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders. This was the last time a Highland Battalion fought in the kilt but soldiers still wear kilts today as ceremonial dress. The banning of the kilt in 1746 of course meant it simply became even more associated with Highland pride. The prohibition helped romanticise the kilt and, once the perception of the Highland clans as a threat had gradually subsided, the kilt even gained acceptance in polite society. Without this transformation in the kilt’s reputation it is unlikely a kilt would have become acceptable formal dress at functions such as weddings.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
Brit Quote: |
|
On this day: |