[Sca-cooks] Re: OT- KIlts at war

[Stefan li Rous]

Cassie replied to Wistan with:
>   I have been told by a scottsman who recieved his kilt from his
> grandfather that depending on what shoulder you drapped the end
> indicated your marital status. I just don"t remember which shoulder is
> which though.
Oh? I don't remember hearing that before. In period, it does seem to be 
common that unmarried women wore their hair uncovered, while those who 
were married wore it covered.
> And I Can't assume it would correlate with the modern
> wedding band side for the German wear their rings on the right hand.
Wedding traditions can be tricky. Many traditions are post-medieval and 
many modern ones date from just Victorian times. Check the WEDDINGS 
section of the Florilegium for more details.
> I have also been told a mans kilt is to be twice as long as he is tall
> for it will also serve as his shroud in death.Somewhere I have  an
> article or two on the subject`
I'd be interested in hearing more about this. What I've heard more was 
that it was just a very convenient length for a poor people because it 
could serve many uses. Not having to be cut and sewn it was very 
economical
>   My husband and three year old look fabulous in theirs so  I am 
> allways
> eager to hear peoples opinions on kilts.
You can find a fair amount of material on the kilt in these Florilegium 
files in the CLOTHING section:
cl-Scot-male-art  (18K)  6/20/96    Scottish men's clothing.
cl-Scotland-msg  (114K) 10/31/01    Clothing of Scotland. folding of 
kilts.

One of the things that surprised me was how short the time frame that 
the traditional kilt was actually worn was (I think ~ 150 years) for 
all the hubbub it causes today. I suspect a lot of it is nostalgia and 
a wish for the "good old days" and probably a bit of rebellion, at 
least a century ago. And because it is different.
>
> Brett McNamara <brettmc at gmail.com> wrote:
> You sure that wasn't a girl scout? ;)
>
> It's probably worth mentioning that the kilt we see today, the one
> most often seen on Catholic school girls, is quite OOP. The best
> evidence for the period version has it looking suspiciously like plaid
> togas. I believe the modern variant may have been part of some
> British conspiracy.
>
> Wistan
Considering the lengths the British or I guess more precisely, the 
English, went to to suppress the kilt, I seriously doubt the short 
variant was a Britsh conspiracy.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****