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1715 JACOBITE RISINGFollowing the death of James VII & I in 1701, the claim to the British throne was taken up by his son, Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, who became known as “The Old Pretender”. With the death of Queen Anne in 1701, and the British throne passing to the Elector of Hanover, who became George I, there was widespread disaffection. The Old Pretender had been in corresponde...

Highland mercenaries in the service of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden during the 30 years war.   by Brian Wilton, Director, Scottish Tartans Authority. Copyright © 2023 Scots Connection Kiltmakers, Huntly. “The garb is certainly very loose and fits men inured to it to go through great marches, to bear out against the inclemency of the weather, to wade through rivers, to shelte...

Highlander wearing the Philamhor belted plaid. Only in the last few years has written evidence come to light to prove what historians suspected had to be the case, and that is that loops were sewn into the philamhor through which the belt (or if they were on the inside, a cord) would be threaded and the philamhor hung on a peg for the night. Donning the garment was then no problem and ...

Reports abound of Highlanders in battle throwing off their philamhors prior to a Highland charge and presenting the enemy with a truly frightening spectacle — a horde of semi-naked ‘savages’ roaring and screaming like banshees with studded shields to the fore and broadswords held aloft. A sight and sound that would chill all but the bravest of adversaries.Plotting a timeline for the philamhor t...

The preservation of the kilt - and indeed the tartans from which it is fashioned - can be laid at the door of a series of lucky happenstances: historical coincidences that have preserved, promoted and embellished a way of life and a mode of dress that caught - and still catches - the imagination of the world. Even during the 1747 - 1782 ban on the wearing of ‘Highland garb’ - which only applied...

by Scots Connection, Specialists in Scottish tartans. Copyright © 2023 F SCOTLAND'S MANY ICONS, tartan is the most instantly recognisable. From the Highland Games circuits of North America and Europe to the fashion catwalks of Milan, its provenance is unmistakable. It is Scotland's very own international brand identity, and what makes this all the more remarkable is that no other country lays ...

Portion from 'An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745', David Morier, 1746 During the Highland Uprisings of 1715 and 1745, clansmen fighting on both sides were identified not by their tartan, but by their cap badges - the white cockade of a Jacobite supporter or the red or yellow crosses of ribbon worn by their opponents. The most recognisable tartans from this era were therefore military...

Over the subsequent thirty six years only a few minor infringements of the rule occurred. The Highlands were exhausted; the Chiefs who had been “out in the '45” were in exile. All that the inhabitants of the far flung glens really wanted was a return to peaceful normality, even if it meant being in denial of their cultural identity. Or perhaps they knew that common sense would ultimately preva...

Sinclair Clanswoman, Robert Ronald McIan, 1845 Over the 19th century, the wearing of Highland dress on both formal and informal occasions, accelerated. With the British Royal Family annually in residence in Aberdeenshire, Scottish Highland dress acquired an unexpected sophistication. Consider, for example, R.R. McIan's fanciful series of the costumes of the clans drawn for the Highland...

How to measure for a Balmoral Bonnet or Glengarry Cap Place a cloth measuring tape just above your eyebrows and loosely measure round the circumference of your head. To ensure that the measurement is absolutely correct carefully repeat this procedure two or three times. If your measurement falls between sizes, select the next largest size. Refer to the guide below for measurements in centimet...

Scotch Whisky - Scots Connection   OF all the products associated with Scotland, Scotch Whisky reigns supreme. To anyone, anywhere in the world, Scotch can only mean one thing –Scotch whisky. The romance associated with its origins combined with its pleasurable reputation and acknowledged health-giving properties have given it a worldwide and iconic status. Strathisla...