[Closed] An Englishman and his kilts

I am aware that they may have some value

Nah, the second hand kilt market is all plaid out.

Perchy - you are a well that never runs dry 😀

despite having no Scottish heritage whatsoever

Are you talking about your dad or kilts?

c'mon perchy, he's pleating for help here

Nah, the second hand kilt market is all plaid out.

Not convinced. I'll have to check...

Nicely plaid perchy.

Did your dad look a right Charlie?

Either way, your now dicing up the collection.

@josh - judging by the number of books on Scottish tartans he has, I recon it's him rather than the kilts

See what you can selvedge from the collection.

Think I've opened a right clan of worms with this one, is there ever a sensible hour on STW?

Sounds like an interesting fellow, did he carry them off well?

If any of the kilts are proper “clans” then why not approach the “clans” and offer them to them?

If they’re more generic tartan, I’d be off to Movie Clothing suppliers or bespoke fancy dress/outfitters.

I’ve never understood this tenuous link with English people wearing kilts, but if it made him happy I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with it.

A letter written by Ivan Baillie in 1768 and published in the Edinburgh Magazine in March 1785 states that the garment people would recognize as a kilt today was invented in the 1720s by Thomas Rawlinson, a Quaker from Lancashire. After the Jacobite campaign of 1715 the government opened the Highlands to outside exploitation, and Rawlinson went into partnership with Ian MacDonnell, chief of the MacDonnells of Glengarry to manufacture charcoal from the forests near Inverness and smelt iron ore there. The belted plaid worn by the Highlanders he employed was too "cumbrous and unwieldy" for this work, so, together with the tailor of the regiment stationed at Inverness, Rawlinson produced a kilt which consisted of the lower half of the belted plaid worn as a "distinct garment with pleats already sewn". He wore it himself, as did his business partner, whose clansmen then followed suit

If they are genuine kilts made for him, that's a fair chunk of your inheritance squandered (moot point - it was his money to do with what he wanted obvs) in that wardrobe.

You might find some wedding outfitters north of the boarder would take some of them off your hands. Or try contacting one of the bigger online suppliers like ministry of tartan who sell secondhand kilts too.

@bikeboy - well enough to have duped a boatload of tourists to photograph him as he fished from a pier on Skye many years ago 😀 lord knows what the locals thought of him

@convert - the kilt obsession was the least of it, I'm finding out what sums of money he must have spent on his various hobbies when we were kids whilst my mum was having to scrimp and save to feed and clothe us kids but that's another story altogether.

Edit - I'll give ministry of tartan a call, thanks.

That is possibly the origin of the tailored kilt, and much of the current kilt paraphernalia owes its origin to regimental dress.

Pre-dating the tailored kilt there are pictures of Highlanders in the little kilt, so it wasn't an invention, just an evolution. However before the 1745 rebellion the main kilt was the full kilt.

It does appear to be its military use that popularised it.

After the 1745 rebellion, civilian use of tartan incurred a death penalty, so kilts were only worn by the British military. By the time the prohibition had passed and we were allowed to wear tartan again, the only kilt was the military kilt, and as there had been a generation or so of Highlanders by then who had served in the various Highland regiments, that's the kilt they wore.

Have you considered becoming an eccentric yourself?

If you have an emotional attachment pick the one you like the most and fit. And keep it.

If he was a fanatic they're likely to be full length heavy weight kilts made to measure. They're not cheap and still have some value. Ebay?

They’re not cheap and still have some value.

iirc I paid £650 for mine around 5 years ago - so that collection certainly has value, especially if they came from a decent maker

if they are proper weight - rather than lightweight - they'll be well made and great quality. Don't know though - charity shops would find a use for them, maybe theatre outlets, armed forces maybe if they're regiment ish tartans.

I know on the hobbies - I'm just glad for our children sake that my dad died before the internet and online shopping really took off or caught up with him -- he was a fall guy for 'special' letter offers of collectible tat. And holiday souvenirs. And train sets, and camera stuff, and and and..

Have you considered becoming an eccentric yourself?

If you have an emotional attachment pick the one you like the most and fit. And keep it.

Owning and wearing one kilt isn't really eccentric, though wearing it every day definitely is, particularly in Buckinghamshire. I think it has to be the full 30 kilt collection.

Kilts seem to be particularly popular at weddings and for ex-pat finance types in Hong Kong. I'm not sure how you'd target them for marketing purposes.

Nico

Agreed what i was trying to suggest was keep them all as an eccentric or keep one.

There's a fine line between eccentric and embarrassing and I'm not sure that many children of eccentrics turn out that way themselves 🤔

Any idea what Tartans you have and an idea of size?

(Also in Buckinghamshire and could be interested in one)

I am drawn to the kilt (despite also having no Scottish ancestry), the reason I like shorts is the, ahem, 'freedom' afforded down below. I can only imagine a kilt is even better.

Can anyone report regards their practicality regards cycling though? I can foresee a few issues.

Not a fan of tartan to be honest.

@sturdylad - 6ft about 14 or 15st - no idea on tartans myself but you'll find plenty of books on the subject in Aylesbury branch of Oxfam 😉

701

Kilts are the danglies. Warm yet airy, incredibly wear resistant.

Cycling would be fine as the pleating would prevent the front riding up and the wait would preven accidental flappage.

Too late STW. It's already a niche.

https://thekiltedwriter.blog/2017/12/22/biking-in-a-kilt

England is full of Caledonian Societies. A quick Google shows five within 30 mins drive of here.
We are coming up to Burns Night at the end of January when all the Scottish hangers on appear out of the woodwork.
Now would appear to be an excellent time to get in touch with these societies and offer your kilts for sale to their members.

Rod Stewart is dead?

Rod Stewart is dead?

If you want his body.......come on sugar, let him know.

701 arvn
Can anyone report regards their practicality regards cycling though? I can foresee a few issues.

No problem. Just slip your sporran to one side.

If you're being regimental, then a dress guard on the rear mudguard is a good idea to prevent entanglement of your gentleman's accessories (I'm assuming you have Highland heritage). 🙂

After that video, I off to eBay to check out what I can get one for.

I asked the wife what her response would be if I bought a kilt - “i’d make sure to mention it in the divorce papers”

PP’s on a roll at the moment!

Not a fan of tartan to be honest.

Tartan is a relatively modern affectation, traditional kilt material was woven by a local weaver, which would be something like a Harris tweed, with a large check, or a plain colour. The wool would be dyed using all natural materials, so the colours would be from whatever is available at different times of the year, and locally, there wouldn’t be the clan tartans like we understand them today.

Remember that a proper kilt is just 8 yards of material folded so as long as one is the correct length to the knee you can have it remade to your waist ad-infinitum. They are truly heirlooms so if you are a similar height keep one and get the rest on th'ebay.

Love mine. It's been remade twice as I expanded from my 20's and 30's... Think it was £90 a couple years back to have it remade for me and relined by a lovely lady in Edinburgh.

CountZero
Tartan is a relatively modern affectation, traditional kilt material was woven by a local weaver...

We don't really know that. Virtually no original tartans have survived because very few people would have been willing to risk the consequences of possessing it after the Act of Prohibition.

...no man or boy within that part of Britain called Scotland, other than such as shall be employed as Officers and Soldiers in His Majesty's Forces, shall, on any pretext whatever, wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland clothes (that is to say) the Plaid, Philabeg, or little Kilt, Trowse, Shoulder-belts, or any part whatever of what peculiarly belongs to the Highland Garb; and that no tartan or party-coloured plaid of stuff shall be used for Great Coats or upper coats, and if any such person shall presume after the said first day of August, to wear or put on the aforesaid garment or any part of them, every such person so offending ... For the first offence,shall be liable to be imprisoned for 6 months, and on the second offence, to be transported to any of His Majesty's plantations beyond the seas, there to remain for the space of seven years.

After Culloden it was very high risk to wear Highland dress, you were more likely to be shot on sight than apprehended.

Previously though it was recorded that there were complex patterns. Whether a few weavers 40 years later resurrected them after the lifting of the oppressive Acts is unknown. There are claims that they did, but it was not the sort of thing that was recorded officially so we have only the oral record to go on.

As for the clan patterns, what we don't know is how much knowledge of the previous sett of the tartan the clan person doing the approval had, but they have been accepted as being correct by the respective clans, as is their right.

But then we can counter some of that with places like the House Of Trousers: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/the-tigh-an-truish-inn-1-1413946