Love they way you put ii, " he loved his homeland, he wanted to explore it, bottle it and give it to the world." Fortunately he did and we got back a lot of what was lost in the clearances and the probations especially after 1745. Keep up the great work, thanks.
When I was stationed at the US Navy base in Holy Loch in the mid 1970s, a shipmate of mine was getting married to a lass from Gourock. I was invited to the wedding and when the bride to be's family found out that a McCoy was going to be there as a friend of the groom, they decided that I should wear a kilt and loaned me one for the occasion. Thus my only time to have worn a kilt.
I think Walter Scott would be very pleased with your work. You speak like a poet and charm an audience better than any I've seen. Such a joy to listen and learn about Scotland.
Good morning, Bruce, from Tampa, Florida! The only time I ever wore a kilt was in November 1990. I had returned to my Metro Detroit stomping grounds earlier in the summer, after a 6-year hitch in the US Navy. My local local pub in Westland, Michigan, was giving away bottles of Bass to anyone that showed up in a kilt on then Prince Charles' birthday - guess who was the only git in the boozer in a kilt? Borrowed, btw, from a friend's then husband hehehe But the free beers were MOST appreciated!
I wear a kilt every day. Done for the last 11 yrs...Do like your videos, quite interesting information .....The kilt is very pactical and versital, being a retired blacksmith, I still work with livestock and live above 6500ft sea level in America. So we get a wee bit of snow and some cool temps, but it is no bother when wearing a kilt ! Can go on for a while so I'll cut this short...... but I do thank ya for videos !
I wear a kilt quite bit. I wear it like I would a pair of shorts, The kilt is even more comfortable than shorts. I wear the Kilt for honoring my heritage and also for comfort. I know, back to another of Bruce's videos, that many people don't appreciate when Americans say that they have Scottish Heritage but I love learning about where my family has come from. My fascination with Scotland has grown since my trip to Scotland when I was in high school. I am really enjoying Bruce's videos and learning more about Scotland's history, people, and culture.
I wear a kilt and the gear at Cèilidhs, weddings, special church events, other special evets, and any times I want to feel tickety boo when going out. It is my favourite form of dress.
It is funny that I mainly know Scott as the writer of Ivanhoe, a novel about a medieval Saxon knight in Norman England. Like many of his historical fiction works on Scottish history it was about an outsider and a bit of a rebel. Only instead of resisting greater English influence, it was of a Saxon noble resisting influence from the dominance of Norman nobility. I didn't know about how the man and his works had an affect on how Scottish culture mores were viewed in Scotland, and the rest of the world. Once again Bruce you have shown that what I think I know doesn't scratch the surface of what there is to know. I knew many of the titles of his Scottish works and maybe a quote or two from some of them but I'd never actually read them. In some cases I'd never heard of them, or couldn't have told you who had authored the work. So like Scott you are changing my perceptions about stuff I thought I knew, and my view of Scotland it's history and culture.
Bought my first ever non-traditional kilt and looked up info about how to wear it properly (as to not offend) and facts about it’s history. Came across this vid…. Love your entire approach. Great simple video production and presenting history with the kind of curious wonder and awe that started most people’s love of history. Great work✊🏾👏🏾
Wore one to my graduation ceremony after finishing my Master's in Dundee. I'm not even remotely Scottish but I lived there for about 2 years and that was probably the proudest day of my life. I was born and raised Egyptian but home's where the heart is and Scotland definitely feels like hame tae me!
I’m American of Scottish ancestry, and feel immensely connected to my forebears when I dress in a kilt. I was married in a kilt, I wear them for festivals and special events. Hearing a band of pipers will choke me up sometimes. Scotland has more allies in USA than you might imagine. Every video of yours I watch deepens my reverence and pride for Scotland. Cheers!
Great lesson sir. Wore my first kilt at 15 for a New Year party at Castle Forbes in 1978. I do not recall the tartan. Born and bred a Texan, but having lived 4 years in Scotland, I have worn the occasional kilt since my 30s. Parties, highland games, etc. A few times I have even combined my traditional Texan fashion of boots & hat & vest (waistcoat) with my kilt. Traced my Dad's family back directly to the Clan Buchanan's main line. I am 41% Scottish by a combination of paternal & maternal DNA. Thanks again.
Enjoyed learning about the kilt. My name is keith cooper. We were the cooper family of the clan McDuff my son looked up our history we let Brick and Georgia in the United States for 300 years and I know it came from the Scotts English border but I would sure love to trace my family down and find out where we originated. We must’ve laid Brick in Scotland for a long time too before we came to America and the 1600s.
Like my husband wears a kilt when hiking or at home after work. Where I live, people wear a kilt visiting the markets or walking their dogs. No sentiments.:-)
Always thought it looks a bit silly to be honest, also subject to perves. Most real Scots have never worn one in their entire life, the Scots never historically wore one either. Although there was an attire that the real Scots did wear but it was geared more for outdoor wear and was worn more like an overcoat cloak that could double up as camping equipment - hence why the 'sporran' part of it came to be. But there has been modern foreign variations of it since, like the modern equivalent that is worn more like a waste wrap garment is actually an English invented garment, invented by Englishman Thomas Rawlinson, who designed the English version to be more for indoor wear. And then there is the fully foreign modern Yankee American version which actually culturally appropriates the English version, only it's in plain beige colour and uses pockets and the yank foreigners call it 'utilikilts'. So the Yankee version and the English version have their own distinctions seperate from the original traditional Scottish version. The aforementioned have always been silly looking to me, look like grown men dressing up like schoolgirls, not a look cool at all, and moreover, it serves no practical benefit - other than just being some showcase for the perves into softcover kilt porn and the odd weirdo who always wonders what kilt wearers wear under the kilt. So I've never worn one and never will, there was a wedding I attended once, I refused the waste wrap English invented garment and just wore the traditional male garment - trousers. Personally though I think if enough real Scots got together to bring back the real Scottish attire and modernised it a bit, it would look more like the much cooler looking Japanese style kimono, I think if the real original Scottish attire had remained and wasn't replaced by foreign interpretations then this is the natural evolution of it, it's baggy like one and also has the better practical benefit of trousers (historically trouser type garments were far better for things like horse riding) which made far better sense because male attire from each nation was based more on practicality and less on just elaborate dress for appearance alone like womens attire - which is more the philosophy that English and Yankish makeshift kilts are geared towards.
@@Dashslapp Is that a Flemish Disguise or a Walloon Disguise? You've got to chose carefully in case you run in to a real Belgium while holidaying in Scotland 😉
Scott had a passion for Scotland's folklore and heritage and genuinely liked people, He was a keen collector of stories and would spend much time talking to ordinary folk with great interest, no matter how succesful he became. A true gentleman and great son of Scotland, but someone who it would have been great to meet at the pub and share a pint with, even if he turned up in a kilt.
The real Scots never historically wore kilts, most Scots have never in their life once worn a kilt, it's also not even a Scottish garment, it's an English one - invented by the Englishman Thomas Rawlinson, he designed more for indoor wear. While the traditional Scottish garment was made more for outdoor wear and was worn more like an overcoat cloak that could double up as camping equipment- hence where the 'sporran' part came from in the traditional Scottish attire. Whilst the English version is worn more like a waste wrap garment, and the foreign Yankish (American Yankee) version is basically a plain coloured beige skirt, the latter is the least related to the Scots version, only the Scottish attire has a sporran, while the English one can but isn't essential and the Yankee version doesn't at all but just has pockets in the sides, so technically only the Yank pretendy scots roam about in skirts. Real Scots never did nor have most, although the actual real Scots that do just wear the English waste wrap garment but also use the sporran and it has to be in tartan - both of these things are still Scottish.
@@PredatorUpHill I do agree most of those tartan skirts worn aren't proper kilts worn by Highlanders which essentially were blanket wraps. Original or not though, it has been a marvellous marketing prop for Scotland which continues to this day, so hats off to Sir Walter Scott for that. What it also it did I think, was to promote and support the making of plaid cloth which is very traditional until recently. Today those having a "Traditional Scottish" kilt made for their wedding, are more likely to have a garment made from Chinese cloth. The only criticism I would have, is that the Highland image of the Scot, encapsulated by the wearing of Kilts, has led to a significant distorted understanding about Scotland's heritage (even by Scots themselves) which the tourist industry propagates, has it has done since Victorian times.
@@davideddy2672 Bagpipes are not inherently Scottish? They kind of actually are, the GHB is a native instrument to Scotland of which all analogous instruments that use its name are compared to based on the sound - Piobroch - which is a native classical form of Scottish music created in Scotland. Scotland is distinctly characterised by bagpipes as a result of Pibroch that no other nation has a comparible national tradition of. But if you're talking about 'bagpipes' in the sense of an instrument, as in attaching a whistle to a type of balloon device and then calling it a 'bagpipe' and lumping it within the Scottish instrument, that doesn't stop the Scottish instrument being Scottish, and the form of Scottish music it plays (Pibroch) which long predate many other instruments. Your claim is akin to stating that; * The flute is just a whistle. * A Mandolin is just a Lute. * A Guitar is just a Sitar. * A piano is just a Clavichord. * And a knife is just a type of stick, with an edge. Ect.
@@carminumbarritus8220 Agree, though it's made particularly worse by many Americans and Canadians, who not only distort them and the history but also mix and conflate them up with Irish national traditions such as Sean Nos and River dance etc and view everything via Americanised optics, you wouldn't ever see Irish national customs or traditions like Sean Nos and River dance etc not be clearly understood to be Irish, or the White Heather and Jimmy Shand etc in Ireland not being understood as actually being Scottish, the tourist industry has a lot to answer for on the surface but will only care so long as money is being made by those who power the economy for them, like most businesses, if it sees demand, it will try to cater to that demand, if it makes money.
Like and a sub, not Scottish or no Scottish heritage (that I'm aware lol). Just a old young soul from the wilds of Texas. And a bit of a lover of all things history and you sir are very adept at telling the history of your people. So my hats off to you ol'boy 🤠
I'm not only a Scott but a descendent of this legend of a man, He gave the world so much more than has or ever will crack the light of day, The passion for my clan and country is what pumps my heart *AMO*
Thanks again Bruce. You knocked it outta the park! I wear my kilt on special occasions, like Scottish Rite stated meetings. Also, I wear mine whenever playing the pipes at venues where appropriate.
Many, many, many years ago my girlfriend (now wife of 36 years) and I took a day trip to Edinburgh (from near Darlington, where her mum was). TMI - sorry. I asked about the Scott monument: "why bother? I mean: he didn't even get to the South Pole first." She spent a couple of thoughtful minutes before wondering whether it was *that* Scott. Bless! Her name's Fiona, but she's not quite Scottish. Her dad liked to fish there. For avoidance of doubt: yes, I knew. I was just honing what's turned into a 30-odd year long habit of winding her up. She's-unsurprisingly-a lot smarter than me, but occasionally misdirectionable (is that a word?), which has been a nice challenge over the years. That day trip also inspired us to learn how to use chopsticks, but that's another story. Anyway, back to the video.
I play taps for funerals of Scottish American military veterans. The Black Watch is the tartan. Our military offers to send an imitation bugler who uses a horn with a speaker in it to "play" taps. Many families are not happy about this. I started this tradition at my father's funeral. The piper for Dad's funeral was from a Scottish honor guard; I have joined them because people who put their lives on the line deserve an authentic farewell.
I'm a piper (the Great Highland Bagpipe, an piob mhor) so I am pleased to wear Highland clothes when performing in public or when practicing if I feel like it. I'll also wear a kilt and various accoutrements for dress-up occasions OR for purely informal affairs, celebrations or any old excuse, frankly, because I love and admire the kilt and the traditions it represents, and I'm entirely comfortable in it at any time, weather permitting! Kevin in Wisconsin (now, not long ago, Texas). PS: Plus and also, after all, it's a babe magnet!
Hey Bruce totally love your videos. Scotland is my second home. I have spent living all over Scotland and totally love the nation’s inclusivity especially when it comes to culture and identity over a decade. I feel homesick towards Scotland when I hear the bagpipes, or when I hear of people talk about Scotland and of course the square sausage, scotch eggs, ceilidh, history. All these little things shaped my identity living in Scotland over a decade. I wear a kilt as feel honoured to be part of Scotland. Funnily a long time ago an ex of mine said I shouldn’t wear kilt as wearing it making fun of her Scottish heritage. Rather a bizarre attitude I thought. Didn’t stop me wearing one for ceilidhs or events. Watching your videos making me miss Scotland so much, time for a visit soon. Keep up the fantastic story telling, totally love every minute of it.
So happy to see you thriving... love your passion for Scottish history... The majority of Scots have a vague ideas.. All the Best from the Three Witches Tearoom on the A94 between Balbeggie and Burrelton. Bruce makes history immediate! VISUAL
I thoroughly enjoy your channel. It has been fun tracing my roots to those who made the journey over with William the Conqueror. I am fortunate to have an ancestor who authored a history of our family. James Somerville wrote, “A History of the Baronial House of Somerville” which was edited by Sir Walter Scott in 1815. The Simeral’s and Somerville’s have told family stories about some of the not so bright kin warring with each other and blowing up their ancestral castle. Sometimes we don’t need the English to muck things up. We can do it by ourselves, thank you very much. Peace, Ken Simeral, Prescott, AZ
As an American, I have never worn a kilt, and as an American with Scottish heritage my ancestors were Lowlanders (my surname Carrick allied with Clan Kennedy and my mother’s family of Border Reiver Clan Ker’s of Ferniehurst *who feuded with Clan Scott btw*). I don’t know if here in The States we over romanticize our heritage, possibly because we are such a melting pot some of us look to our heritage to make us feel unique, but I really do enjoy the idea of the kilt and tartan, even if it is more or less originally associated with the Highlanders. In the modern day I feel like it is a symbol of being proud of where we come from, Those descended from Highlanders and Lowlanders alike! Great Channel you’ve got here, God Bless!
I originally wore my great kilt as a costume for a madrigals ensemble where we all wore different "period" costumes. I now wear it occasionally for Halloween, although I'll wear it if I ever go to another Scottish festival.
I inherited my fathers' family kilt . First time i wore it was for a gig at a Robbie Burns night here in Ontario Canada. I..LOVED IT !!! Every chance i get to wear it I will. I also wear it for every gig I have . (as a Scottish / Canadian Celtic singer/ songwriter) ..... I feel somehow more connected to my Scottish ancestors ...And, be damned with the politics and ettiquette of who,what,when to wear it. It's simply comfortable (and "freeing') to boot. ) Am planning to wear it as an essesntial clothing item when I visit Scotland for the first time in 2022 and hike the hielands... BTW... your videos are brilliant and are giving me lots of ideas of places to visit. Thanks sooo much laddie.
Here in Texas I am known as The Scottish Texan and yeah.. I wear a kilt almost daily. In fact, so much so that when I am not wearing a kilt and people see me out and about, they ask me "HEY... where is your kilt bro??" There are a lot of kilties here in the Houston area due to the large Celtic community.
A few scotts fought and died at the alamo, a texas honor shrine. And one of the flags in the settlers rallied round during that time is the bonnie blue flag with a single yellow star. But many instances in the united statesof its use, probably by contrarian Scotsmen. facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Blue-Flag/112885082059570 Later referred to as the Burnet Flag, it was adopted by the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 10, 1836. It consisted of an azure background with a large golden star, inspired by the 1810 flag of the Republic of West Florida. Variants of the Burnet Flag with a white star, virtually identical to the Bonnie Blue Flag, were also common. Other variants featured the star upside down, and/or ringed with the word Texas, with each letter filling one of the gaps of the star.
I have to tell people that I have the best heritage in the world. My people (great grand parents) came to the US from Scotland and I was born and raised in the great state of Texas.
That was wonderful. I had tried to read some of Scott's novels when I was in my teens, and found them hard going, because at that age I had no sense of the perspective that you have just given us. You are a brilliant storyteller: thank you so much.
Great stuff. I wear my kilt primarily when travelling outside of Scotland for gigs, whether they be in England, Europe., Canada or the USA. On the odd occasion I have had (when in England) in pub preshow whilst having a beer had someone ask "what are you wearing that for?". My answer has been the same each time. "if I was in jeans and a t-shirt would you have noticed me or spoke to me?". When the reply is a "no" I tell them that is the reason! When travelling alone to a gig it is nice to make new friends and my kilt is the best icebreaker I know. Invariably I end up drinking with the group that the questioner came from and some are now close friends.
Thanks for the education, Mr. Fummey. I wear my kilt "on the regular". Cutting grass, teaching class, baking bread, and the odd special occasion. As a history teacher, I greatly appreciate your nuanced approach to the murkiness of history. I'm off to watch more of your videos.
Just looking at the lovely green leaves and colorful flowers beds, it looks like spring has arrived in Edinburgh. Wish I could be there now. Now to watch the video, sounds great.
Why it’s taken me this long to come across your channel!! Better late than never, eh! Love my adopted home Scotland...and the love grows deeper listening to such interesting historical information ....
Third time lucky?! It was great to learn how Walter Scott became such a great national figure in his home country. Something that is less well known is his role as an historian. In the latter part of his life he wrote an excellent biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. This 2 volume history gives a blow by blow breakdown of the French Revolution and reveals much that isn't taught in schools today. Thanks for making the history of Scotland so interesting.
Greetings, Bruce and all! I live in South Louisiana, and the kilt has proven itself a terrific garment for me, even without its cultural lineage. I have several, and love wearing them. I also work annually at the Texas Renaissance Festival, in their Scottish Court for the past few years. They wear the kilt largely because of the expectations of visitors, but starting this past season I started wearing a great kilt. I didn't bother about tartan meaning, just went with the flashier one I could find (Buchanan) and am wearing it more as a pleated cloak most of the time. It gets attention, and in the Faire setting, that's the point, of course. But daily, I wear them as I can for formal occasions, going out on the town, and for outdoorsy activities. Thanks for posting this bit of history, sir. I like having up-to-date research for answering the questions of others, and your presentation is top-shelf. Cheers!
Great work as usual. Thanks. Worn at social events. Something that every boy should get on their 18th birthday. As a frugal Scot it saves money in the long run when looked after.
@08:30 "Scott named his hero after a Edinburgh train station". 😎😉😆 Like a true Scotsman... You're an awesome story-teller, much like your predecessor and "hero" of your video. Well Done, Sir. 🏴🏴💝
@@ScotlandHistoryTours "Scott named his hero after a Edinburgh train station". Until I saw JW Smith's comment, I wondered if anyone else had noticed this obvious gaffe--the train station was named for the hero Waverley, NOT the other way around. Was there even a train station in Edinburgh in 1814, when Scott's first novel was published? And of course, Waverley Station is not just "a" train station but THE (most important) train station in Edinburgh, even if there is more than one (which I don't know, since I haven't visited the city since August 1973). Despite this error, congratulations are in order for a fine documentary.
@vladimir74561 😂😂😂I suppose there are three stations if you count the one at Gyle as being IN Edinburgh. I can see you're not a local. JW Smith got it right to enjoy the joke rather than to misunderstand it as a 'gaffe'
Hello again Bruce. I’m the Geordie who now lives not far from Fotheringay. In the 1960’s I was a member of Newcastle Royal Scottish Country dance society demonstration team. I wore a kilt two or three times a week and knew Jimmy Shand (ask your Mum - he’s from Auchterarder) 🌞
Trews and spats were popular after WW2. A few pipe bands wore trews back in the day. It was the use of the plaid rather then the form of dress or gear.
You asked us to comment about how we wear the kilt. I live in the states, so it's not too surprising that I don't wear the kilt too often. While I've owned a modern kilt, those don't always work for men of girth, such as myself. Thanks to renaissance festivals, I do have access to a number of quality tartans, and leatherworkers for sporrans, belts and the like. When I wear the kilt, I almost always wear the great kilt, because it always fits right, and it has the most tremendous cargo capacity. Considering that I'm most likely to wear it to a renaissance or Scottish festival, easy carry of shopping is an important consideration. I wear knee-high leather boots with my kilt, which I find more comfortable than stockings and fashes.
Thanks for this video im a Decendant Scott of Buccleuch & Balwearie clans and its cool to learn more while not directly related to Walter Scott my family immigrated to the states before his birth a century before its cool to learn more of the extended family history.
Your ancestors probably left for the same reason that Walter Scott's grandfather Willy Scott of Harden was almost hung. Caught by Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank stealing cattle, he was all set to Hang the miscreant when he remembered the daughter who he couldn't marry off. "Marry my daughter, Willy, and I'll spare your life!" Willy readily agreed until he set eyes on Meg... "Hang me, hang me" he begged, only when the noose tightened round his neck did he find true love and agree to the union.. This happened about the same time as your ancestors packed their bags and left these shores, 🤔
@@georgefuters7411 interestingly enough no but wouldn't be surprised if some did haha. my first ancestor in the US was a sailor and his ship was boarded and they were taken as slaves to South America by pirates on the way he and others escaped and jumped over board when they saw a ship nearby sailing to North america they took them there. he was planning to travel back but then met his future wife. It was a really weird but cool story we found records of.
I am English and have no Scottish ancestry. However, I often wear a kilt, usually with a jumper, simply because to my eyes a kilt is a beautiful garment. All of my kilts are vintage garments between 40 and 85 years old. Had I not rescued the kilts they would probably have ended in the dustbin.
I was tempted to buy a kilt. I’m afraid the price put me off. But as an Englishman I had the conversation with a Scotsman that evening. He said after two thousand years of rape and pillage I had a right to wear a kilt otherwise either his ancestors or mine hadn’t done their jobs :-)
Thank God for Walter Scott and his foresight . I guess I owe it to him that I had the opportunity to connect with my cultural roots . I bought my first kilt two years ago and now own 14 . I am a 24/7 kilt wearer and have no intentions of donning pants again . What a fantastic garment and a culture to match . Love your vids and presentation !
Wow, outstanding camera work. Nice story, but the backdrops are breath taking. Well done. I'll play the Flowers of the Forrest, for Sir Walter. Friend of the prince regent. What an excellent video. Thank you, and your camera person.
I wear one intermittently to work, and sometimes casually! The kilt is from 21st Century Kilts, so keen to show out contemporary craft. Those Sobieski Stuart brothers, they were the real inventors of themselves and of tradition with the tartan and clan association - would love to hear you chat on them if you haven't already done so!
I wear a kilt when the pipe band plays or when I have a solo gig. You have to understand that my band uniform is police officer from the kilt belt up and kilted, sporran, hose and gillie brogs from belt down. I was walking to my car after a pretty public gig and two gentlemen were walking toward me. One looked me up and down and says "Man! You look sharp!" and I did too.
Same here Uniform shirt on top When we recently had our official department photos taken, I wore my kilt and although it wasn’t in the photo, my glengarry was (not the “bus driver” hat)
What a magic wee video. I didn't know about Walter Scott's granny and the historical storm that she lived through. Thanks and really well presented. Slainthe mhath.
All that scotch broom looks so beautiful on the rolling hills!!! We still have our old framed Thomson tartan hanging up, would love a kilt of it one day ❤
@@ScotlandHistoryTours Truth!! We do too but in Australia it's mostly Montpellier broom, and it's a massive noxious weed here which sucks, because it's really quite nice 🥲
In February and March I'll be visiting the major towns in Australia and New Zealand with my live show Scotland Made the World. It would be great to see you. Get info at www.brucefummey.co.uk/shows.aspx
@@ScotlandHistoryTours Same here: You've got a new subscriber. You really do bring history to life. You're also filling in a lot of holes in my education. Kilt? I'm saving up for one. (edit: But which tartan? MacKenzie as clan? Gordon as regiment? Or do I get a sober anthracite grey that I can wear anywhere?)
Although i am a lass, when i was a wee girls my mother (who was a dress maker) used to make a lot of my clothes and i recall being "dress- up" in a bright pure woollen red "Royal Stewart tartan" kilt (knee length skirt), particularly when i needed to look smart and also for Christmas, or family celebrations. I loved wearing them, always made me feel a bit special and fancy (loved swirling around so the kilt flared out), just like the great Andy Stewart on our little B&W TV on "hogmanay" As a "grown up" i have a number of kilts i have "acquired" over the years, some second hand. They are all various clan Douglas tartan (me grannies maiden name), which are 100% wool and made in Scotland of course. I love wearing mine in the autumn, especially before it gets cold enough for trews. They are warm, comfortable, practical and 100% natural fabric, which is another reason i love them, since raised sheep , and have (in the past) spun my own wool, with which i knitted jumpers for my wee children. However i would love to one day buy the correct length and wrap myself in a Great Kilt, full length dress or Arisaid . In fact Bruce would be brill if you could make a short video about historic "Scottish" dress for us wee lassies.. ?
Brilliant Bruce! Thanks again. Didn't know much about that, I wear a kilt to weddings. There's not many occasions that call for a kilt living in dundee.
I have two kilts; my own, Black Watch tartan and my late father’s Gordon tartan. I wear my kilt at every opportunity; family funerals, weddings (fewer of them than weddings anymore), formal dinners and, of course, Scottish festivals and Highland games. I’ve also been known to curl in my kilt at certain bonspiels 🥌. Thanks for the great videos Bruce and please keep them coming. Ne obliviscaris🐗 👍🇨🇦😎🏴
Fantastic Video Bruce. My Father in Law proposed at the top of the Scott Monument in 1958. I hadn't worn a kilt, until we got married in 1995, I was 34 at the time. However subsequently I've worn it many times since. When I was a lad in the 60's ever time I tore a pair of school trousers or jeans ( usually playing football) my Mother would say " right that's it, I'm sending you to school in a kilt" which put the fear of God in to me, for at least 24 hours. Cheers Steve ❤🏴
Every day for me, neutral tartans, and a couple of solid ones. I'm not Scottish, I just have an aversion to pants! Really glad I found this channel, great learning of other cultures.
Thumbs up. This account is much softer on Scott than observations I read a decade ago. That essay put out the sentiment that Scott inserted himself into the London power circle as the cultural curator of all things Scottish and made a lot of money from it while requiring the average highlander to spruce up. He added fuel to the fire of whatever fantasies Queen Victoria had of the highlands from his writings and so cleaned up the image, had military uniforms redesigned, became the advance man for major occasions, etc. (according to that essay). It sounds like the "noble savage" mentality of North America to reinvent First Nations. I guess like everything else in history there will be bits of truth from across the spectrum.
There are many ways to look at every diamond and normally the heroes of my videos are the hero. Every one of them's flawed. I get what you're saying. We'll never know what would have happened to the sense of Scottishness otherwise. History doesn't give us that chance to do double blind experiments
I remember visiting the tower for the first time. I had to actually drive through the farmers property to get there! My grandmother being a Pringle, there was a bit of incentive to visit!
Heard about your channel from you Max over on "Tasting History" ...Really enjoyed watching so I subscribed. I love history you are very knowledgeable. Thanks😊
This have been a dream of mine since forever to visit Scotland, but not the cities, I want to go to the small villages and remote areas. Hope to do it before I go 6feet under.
Bruce, I wear a kilt when playing my pipes during performances with my band or in competition. I'm of Elliot and Thompson blood, grew up in New York and live now in Hawaii.
I wear one in the winter.,I have a Kenyan "kilt"which is just a large tartan blanket that has multiple uses,wool is both warm and environmentally friendly . wherever Scots went thier Infuence is known either by the pipes or beautiful tartan weaves.I have a book on Scottish fashion and there are historical records of Picts or Scottish mercenaries wearing either mustard tunics or with just a "cloth "around thier waist another french traveler wrote they were quite" naked",later trousers in tartan were used and laces came into fashion .tartans are obviously not as bright, because natural dies were used ,and often materials were oiled to keep wet weather out .
I wear my casual black utility kilt on nice days when i'm wanting to go down to the local pub for a beer. I wear my Tartan kilt to celtic festivals and family dinners and such.
Full of interesting facts as always Bruce. Big "Thank You" to Sir Walter for reviving the kilt. You talked a little about Border Ballads and the Border clearances. If you hav`nt already done so, I would love you to do a video of the old Border Riever Clans.
When I was a teenager, in Washington State USA, I belonged to a Highland Dance team. We had lovely kilts, I think in Dress Campbell tartan. I'm 5'10" tall, it came to just below the knee, and I could reach down and grasp the hem on each side, left and right, and lift it to both sides of my head and you still couldn't see my under drawers. It swished and flowed so beautifully in the dances, it was poetry. We made our own tight velvet jackets. We had little flagged garters holding up our socks, with thin black slippers, laces criss-crossed tightly. Fantastic. The kilts belonged to the dance team and I stopped when I went off to college. But I still dream of that kilt. I don't know what kind of kilt it was, but the front was pleatless, yardage was perfect, the stitching secure. That's the only kilt I've worn. Spoiled for anything less.
I wear one usually a couple times a week. Sometimes just running errands, other times out to dinner. Really like the feel and the look of a kilt. Was chased down in our grocery store the other day by a lady from Edinburgh asking me about my kilt. Thanks to your closing line, I am also poking around at learning Gàidhlig.
Jedburgh got a mention! I’m not sure if they’re still known in Scotland, but the Rutherfords are all but forgotten in the diaspora, excepting the chemist. I’d love to see a video about Red Swire, the battle the Rutherfords won by showing up late to a meeting, a trait which lives on in my family to this day. Thank you for everything you do.
@@ScotlandHistoryTours By birth, yes. Weirdly, the last Rutherford chief’s son moved to a town named Douglas- cousins of the Rutherfords and fellow squires to the Home overlords.
Some lovely shots of the area where I grew up. It's ironic that an arch-unionist tory is the main reason why there is still a distinct Scotland. And not just with the kilts, he also campaigned against the abolition of Scottish Bank notes and other encroachments.
The moths ate ma' kilt! But before that it was first choice for hillwalking, hogmanay, ceilidhs, weddings and whisky and/or folk music festivals. It fair pulls the lassies too. Thankyou Sir Walter!
I have a few kilts that I wear. I really enjoy wearing them out hiking, but normally just wear them knocking around the house or to Scottish festivals.
Love they way you put ii, " he loved his homeland, he wanted to explore it, bottle it and give it to the world." Fortunately he did and we got back a lot of what was lost in the clearances and the probations especially after 1745. Keep up the great work, thanks.
When I was stationed at the US Navy base in Holy Loch in the mid 1970s, a shipmate of mine was getting married to a lass from Gourock. I was invited to the wedding and when the bride to be's family found out that a McCoy was going to be there as a friend of the groom, they decided that I should wear a kilt and loaned me one for the occasion. Thus my only time to have worn a kilt.
And mentally scarred forever 😂
Willy you should add one to your wardrobe. Fun stuff.
I think Walter Scott would be very pleased with your work. You speak like a poet and charm an audience better than any I've seen. Such a joy to listen and learn about Scotland.
Ah, that's so nice
Good morning, Bruce, from Tampa, Florida! The only time I ever wore a kilt was in November 1990. I had returned to my Metro Detroit stomping grounds earlier in the summer, after a 6-year hitch in the US Navy. My local local pub in Westland, Michigan, was giving away bottles of Bass to anyone that showed up in a kilt on then Prince Charles' birthday - guess who was the only git in the boozer in a kilt? Borrowed, btw, from a friend's then husband hehehe But the free beers were MOST appreciated!
I used to work for a fellow named Ed Scott.
He was quite a Celt . A bar room brawling expert. A former MP.. A great friend, and a horrible enemy.
One of my greatest finds on RUclips. I love this guy, his wit, enthusiasm and love of Scottish history.
I wear a kilt every day. Done for the last 11 yrs...Do like your videos, quite interesting information .....The kilt is very pactical and versital, being a retired blacksmith, I still work with livestock and live above 6500ft sea level in America. So we get a wee bit of snow and some cool temps, but it is no bother when wearing a kilt ! Can go on for a while so I'll cut this short...... but I do thank ya for videos !
I wear a kilt quite bit. I wear it like I would a pair of shorts, The kilt is even more comfortable than shorts. I wear the Kilt for honoring my heritage and also for comfort. I know, back to another of Bruce's videos, that many people don't appreciate when Americans say that they have Scottish Heritage but I love learning about where my family has come from. My fascination with Scotland has grown since my trip to Scotland when I was in high school. I am really enjoying Bruce's videos and learning more about Scotland's history, people, and culture.
I wear a kilt and the gear at Cèilidhs, weddings, special church events, other special evets, and any times I want to feel tickety boo when going out. It is my favourite form of dress.
I wore a kilt in a nightclub once. Never again.
@@jackdubz4247 Jack where are your trousers!
@@jackdubz4247 What happened?
@@jackdubz4247 Never a shortage of wee jealous boys and clueless girls.
Bruce, thanks for continuing to share your knowledge and love of Scotland. Loved our tour with you, and love your videos!!
It is funny that I mainly know Scott as the writer of Ivanhoe, a novel about a medieval Saxon knight in Norman England. Like many of his historical fiction works on Scottish history it was about an outsider and a bit of a rebel. Only instead of resisting greater English influence, it was of a Saxon noble resisting influence from the dominance of Norman nobility. I didn't know about how the man and his works had an affect on how Scottish culture mores were viewed in Scotland, and the rest of the world. Once again Bruce you have shown that what I think I know doesn't scratch the surface of what there is to know. I knew many of the titles of his Scottish works and maybe a quote or two from some of them but I'd never actually read them. In some cases I'd never heard of them, or couldn't have told you who had authored the work. So like Scott you are changing my perceptions about stuff I thought I knew, and my view of Scotland it's history and culture.
We're all learning th'gither
Bought my first ever non-traditional kilt and looked up info about how to wear it properly (as to not offend) and facts about it’s history. Came across this vid…. Love your entire approach. Great simple video production and presenting history with the kind of curious wonder and awe that started most people’s love of history.
Great work✊🏾👏🏾
Welcome. Come on in, the water's lovely and there's loads of other videos to pique your interest
Wore one to my graduation ceremony after finishing my Master's in Dundee. I'm not even remotely Scottish but I lived there for about 2 years and that was probably the proudest day of my life. I was born and raised Egyptian but home's where the heart is and Scotland definitely feels like hame tae me!
Brilliant
I’m American of Scottish ancestry, and feel immensely connected to my forebears when I dress in a kilt. I was married in a kilt, I wear them for festivals and special events. Hearing a band of pipers will choke me up sometimes. Scotland has more allies in USA than you might imagine. Every video of yours I watch deepens my reverence and pride for Scotland. Cheers!
Brilliant
Great lesson sir. Wore my first kilt at 15 for a New Year party at Castle Forbes in 1978. I do not recall the tartan. Born and bred a Texan, but having lived 4 years in Scotland, I have worn the occasional kilt since my 30s. Parties, highland games, etc. A few times I have even combined my traditional Texan fashion of boots & hat & vest (waistcoat) with my kilt. Traced my Dad's family back directly to the Clan Buchanan's main line. I am 41% Scottish by a combination of paternal & maternal DNA. Thanks again.
Enjoyed learning about the kilt. My name is keith cooper. We were the cooper family of the clan McDuff my son looked up our history we let Brick and Georgia in the United States for 300 years and I know it came from the Scotts English border but I would sure love to trace my family down and find out where we originated. We must’ve laid Brick in Scotland for a long time too before we came to America and the 1600s.
I absolutely love wearing a kilt, you feel so smart and it gives a real sense of occasion so always at weddings but really any excuse for me!
Like my husband wears a kilt when hiking or at home after work. Where I live, people wear a kilt visiting the markets or walking their dogs. No sentiments.:-)
Always thought it looks a bit silly to be honest, also subject to perves.
Most real Scots have never worn one in their entire life, the Scots never historically wore one either. Although there was an attire that the real Scots did wear but it was geared more for outdoor wear and was worn more like an overcoat cloak that could double up as camping equipment - hence why the 'sporran' part of it came to be.
But there has been modern foreign variations of it since, like the modern equivalent that is worn more like a waste wrap garment is actually an English invented garment, invented by Englishman Thomas Rawlinson, who designed the English version to be more for indoor wear.
And then there is the fully foreign modern Yankee American version which actually culturally appropriates the English version, only it's in plain beige colour and uses pockets and the yank foreigners call it 'utilikilts'. So the Yankee version and the English version have their own distinctions seperate from the original traditional Scottish version.
The aforementioned have always been silly looking to me, look like grown men dressing up like schoolgirls, not a look cool at all, and moreover, it serves no practical benefit - other than just being some showcase for the perves into softcover kilt porn and the odd weirdo who always wonders what kilt wearers wear under the kilt. So I've never worn one and never will, there was a wedding I attended once, I refused the waste wrap English invented garment and just wore the traditional male garment - trousers.
Personally though I think if enough real Scots got together to bring back the real Scottish attire and modernised it a bit, it would look more like the much cooler looking Japanese style kimono, I think if the real original Scottish attire had remained and wasn't replaced by foreign interpretations then this is the natural evolution of it, it's baggy like one and also has the better practical benefit of trousers (historically trouser type garments were far better for things like horse riding) which made far better sense because male attire from each nation was based more on practicality and less on just elaborate dress for appearance alone like womens attire - which is more the philosophy that English and Yankish makeshift kilts are geared towards.
@@PredatorUpHill You are wrong. My husband is what you call a |real Scot" and loves to wear a kilt outdoors. (he's not the only one)
@@leannan070 Bagpipes and Kilts are certainly not Scottish!
@@davideddy2672 Where do you read that I say something like that? Anyway. my husband is.
What a fascinating video, and really well produced. Those drone shots of the fortified house were especially impressive.
That was Kev at Overhead Imagery
@@ScotlandHistoryTours You could see my house in it! I shouted at the wife, "oor hoose is in a you tube video!"
😂😂
@@Dashslapp Is that a Flemish Disguise or a Walloon Disguise? You've got to chose carefully in case you run in to a real Belgium while holidaying in Scotland 😉
@@Argrouk 🤣😂🤩😊
I wear a kilt when I'm feeling free, not riding my motorcycle and also at Scot fests of course. Need to wear it more.
Scott had a passion for Scotland's folklore and heritage and genuinely liked people, He was a keen collector of stories and would spend much time talking to ordinary folk with great interest, no matter how succesful he became. A true gentleman and great son of Scotland, but someone who it would have been great to meet at the pub and share a pint with, even if he turned up in a kilt.
The real Scots never historically wore kilts, most Scots have never in their life once worn a kilt, it's also not even a Scottish garment, it's an English one - invented by the Englishman Thomas Rawlinson, he designed more for indoor wear.
While the traditional Scottish garment was made more for outdoor wear and was worn more like an overcoat cloak that could double up as camping equipment- hence where the 'sporran' part came from in the traditional Scottish attire.
Whilst the English version is worn more like a waste wrap garment, and the foreign Yankish (American Yankee) version is basically a plain coloured beige skirt, the latter is the least related to the Scots version, only the Scottish attire has a sporran, while the English one can but isn't essential and the Yankee version doesn't at all but just has pockets in the sides, so technically only the Yank pretendy scots roam about in skirts.
Real Scots never did nor have most, although the actual real Scots that do just wear the English waste wrap garment but also use the sporran and it has to be in tartan - both of these things are still Scottish.
@@PredatorUpHill I do agree most of those tartan skirts worn aren't proper kilts worn by Highlanders which essentially were blanket wraps. Original or not though, it has been a marvellous marketing prop for Scotland which continues to this day, so hats off to Sir Walter Scott for that.
What it also it did I think, was to promote and support the making of plaid cloth which is very traditional until recently. Today those having a "Traditional Scottish" kilt made for their wedding, are more likely to have a garment made from Chinese cloth.
The only criticism I would have, is that the Highland image of the Scot, encapsulated by the wearing of Kilts, has led to a significant distorted understanding about Scotland's heritage (even by Scots themselves) which the tourist industry propagates, has it has done since Victorian times.
@@PredatorUpHill - Bagpipes are not inherently Scottish either ...
@@davideddy2672 Bagpipes are not inherently Scottish? They kind of actually are, the GHB is a native instrument to Scotland of which all analogous instruments that use its name are compared to based on the sound - Piobroch - which is a native classical form of Scottish music created in Scotland. Scotland is distinctly characterised by bagpipes as a result of Pibroch that no other nation has a comparible national tradition of.
But if you're talking about 'bagpipes' in the sense of an instrument, as in attaching a whistle to a type of balloon device and then calling it a 'bagpipe' and lumping it within the Scottish instrument, that doesn't stop the Scottish instrument being Scottish, and the form of Scottish music it plays (Pibroch) which long predate many other instruments.
Your claim is akin to stating that;
* The flute is just a whistle.
* A Mandolin is just a Lute.
* A Guitar is just a Sitar.
* A piano is just a Clavichord.
* And a knife is just a type of stick, with an edge.
Ect.
@@carminumbarritus8220 Agree, though it's made particularly worse by many Americans and Canadians, who not only distort them and the history but also mix and conflate them up with Irish national traditions such as Sean Nos and River dance etc and view everything via Americanised optics, you wouldn't ever see Irish national customs or traditions like Sean Nos and River dance etc not be clearly understood to be Irish, or the White Heather and Jimmy Shand etc in Ireland not being understood as actually being Scottish, the tourist industry has a lot to answer for on the surface but will only care so long as money is being made by those who power the economy for them, like most businesses, if it sees demand, it will try to cater to that demand, if it makes money.
My distant ancestor, on my paternal grandmother's side! Great video as always!
Like and a sub, not Scottish or no Scottish heritage (that I'm aware lol). Just a old young soul from the wilds of Texas. And a bit of a lover of all things history and you sir are very adept at telling the history of your people.
So my hats off to you ol'boy 🤠
You're a kind gentleman Richard
I'm not only a Scott but a descendent of this legend of a man,
He gave the world so much more than has or ever will crack the light of day,
The passion for my clan and country is what pumps my heart
*AMO*
Scot
@@gregblack4840 excuse me?
You are a Scot and a descendent of Scott.@@sc0tt1shpr1de4
Thanks again Bruce. You knocked it outta the park! I wear my kilt on special occasions, like Scottish Rite stated meetings. Also, I wear mine whenever playing the pipes at venues where appropriate.
Freemasonry ok
Many, many, many years ago my girlfriend (now wife of 36 years) and I took a day trip to Edinburgh (from near Darlington, where her mum was). TMI - sorry.
I asked about the Scott monument: "why bother? I mean: he didn't even get to the South Pole first." She spent a couple of thoughtful minutes before wondering whether it was *that* Scott. Bless! Her name's Fiona, but she's not quite Scottish. Her dad liked to fish there.
For avoidance of doubt: yes, I knew. I was just honing what's turned into a 30-odd year long habit of winding her up. She's-unsurprisingly-a lot smarter than me, but occasionally misdirectionable (is that a word?), which has been a nice challenge over the years.
That day trip also inspired us to learn how to use chopsticks, but that's another story. Anyway, back to the video.
I play taps for funerals of Scottish American military veterans. The Black Watch is the tartan. Our military offers to send an imitation bugler who uses a horn with a speaker in it to "play" taps. Many families are not happy about this. I started this tradition at my father's funeral. The piper for Dad's funeral was from a Scottish honor guard; I have joined them because people who put their lives on the line deserve an authentic farewell.
I'm a piper (the Great Highland Bagpipe, an piob mhor) so I am pleased to wear Highland clothes when performing in public or when practicing if I feel like it. I'll also wear a kilt and various accoutrements for dress-up occasions OR for purely informal affairs, celebrations or any old excuse, frankly, because I love and admire the kilt and the traditions it represents, and I'm entirely comfortable in it at any time, weather permitting! Kevin in Wisconsin (now, not long ago, Texas). PS: Plus and also, after all, it's a babe magnet!
Hey Bruce totally love your videos. Scotland is my second home. I have spent living all over Scotland and totally love the nation’s inclusivity especially when it comes to culture and identity over a decade. I feel homesick towards Scotland when I hear the bagpipes, or when I hear of people talk about Scotland and of course the square sausage, scotch eggs, ceilidh, history. All these little things shaped my identity living in Scotland over a decade. I wear a kilt as feel honoured to be part of Scotland. Funnily a long time ago an ex of mine said I shouldn’t wear kilt as wearing it making fun of her Scottish heritage. Rather a bizarre attitude I thought. Didn’t stop me wearing one for ceilidhs or events. Watching your videos making me miss Scotland so much, time for a visit soon. Keep up the fantastic story telling, totally love every minute of it.
So happy to see you thriving... love your passion for Scottish history... The majority of Scots have a vague ideas.. All the Best from the Three Witches Tearoom on the A94 between Balbeggie and Burrelton. Bruce makes history immediate! VISUAL
Get the scones on Carol
I thoroughly enjoy your channel. It has been fun tracing my roots to those who made the journey over with William the Conqueror. I am fortunate to have an ancestor who authored a history of our family. James Somerville wrote, “A History of the Baronial House of Somerville” which was edited by Sir Walter Scott in 1815. The Simeral’s and Somerville’s have told family stories about some of the not so bright kin warring with each other and blowing up their ancestral castle. Sometimes we don’t need the English to muck things up. We can do it by ourselves, thank you very much. Peace, Ken Simeral, Prescott, AZ
As an American, I have never worn a kilt, and as an American with Scottish heritage my ancestors were Lowlanders (my surname Carrick allied with Clan Kennedy and my mother’s family of Border Reiver Clan Ker’s of Ferniehurst *who feuded with Clan Scott btw*). I don’t know if here in The States we over romanticize our heritage, possibly because we are such a melting pot some of us look to our heritage to make us feel unique, but I really do enjoy the idea of the kilt and tartan, even if it is more or less originally associated with the Highlanders. In the modern day I feel like it is a symbol of being proud of where we come from, Those descended from Highlanders and Lowlanders alike! Great Channel you’ve got here, God Bless!
I originally wore my great kilt as a costume for a madrigals ensemble where we all wore different "period" costumes. I now wear it occasionally for Halloween, although I'll wear it if I ever go to another Scottish festival.
Beautiful narrative. Every American with Scottish heritage should subscribe to this channel!
I inherited my fathers' family kilt . First time i wore it was for a gig at a Robbie Burns night here in Ontario Canada.
I..LOVED IT !!! Every chance i get to wear it I will.
I also wear it for every gig I have . (as a Scottish / Canadian Celtic singer/ songwriter) .....
I feel somehow more connected to my Scottish ancestors ...And, be damned with the politics and ettiquette of who,what,when to wear it.
It's simply comfortable (and "freeing') to boot. )
Am planning to wear it as an essesntial clothing item when I visit Scotland for the first time in 2022 and hike the hielands...
BTW... your videos are brilliant and are giving me lots of ideas of places to visit.
Thanks sooo much laddie.
Here in Texas I am known as The Scottish Texan and yeah.. I wear a kilt almost daily. In fact, so much so that when I am not wearing a kilt and people see me out and about, they ask me "HEY... where is your kilt bro??" There are a lot of kilties here in the Houston area due to the large Celtic community.
Brilliant!
haha , great story . yeah Houston is a Scottish name I believe so probably alot of ancestral Scots over there
There's just something about a man in a kilt. It's tribal and noble and very very sexy.
A few scotts fought and died at the alamo, a texas honor shrine.
And one of the flags in the settlers rallied round during that time is the bonnie blue flag with a single yellow star. But many instances in the united statesof its use, probably by contrarian Scotsmen.
facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Blue-Flag/112885082059570
Later referred to as the Burnet Flag, it was adopted by the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 10, 1836. It consisted of an azure background with a large golden star, inspired by the 1810 flag of the Republic of West Florida. Variants of the Burnet Flag with a white star, virtually identical to the Bonnie Blue Flag, were also common. Other variants featured the star upside down, and/or ringed with the word Texas, with each letter filling one of the gaps of the star.
I have to tell people that I have the best heritage in the world. My people (great grand parents) came to the US from Scotland and I was born and raised in the great state of Texas.
Bless Sir Walter. I am an Aussie Piper and kilt up for ANZAC Day mainly to pipe the Diggers down the mainstreet and for competition.
That was wonderful. I had tried to read some of Scott's novels when I was in my teens, and found them hard going, because at that age I had no sense of the perspective that you have just given us. You are a brilliant storyteller: thank you so much.
Well my paternal great grandfather's name was Walter Scott Burn and he emigrated from around Selkirk to Ontario, so this content is right up my alley.
This channel is about to blow up
Great stuff. I wear my kilt primarily when travelling outside of Scotland for gigs, whether they be in England, Europe., Canada or the USA. On the odd occasion I have had (when in England) in pub preshow whilst having a beer had someone ask "what are you wearing that for?". My answer has been the same each time. "if I was in jeans and a t-shirt would you have noticed me or spoke to me?". When the reply is a "no" I tell them that is the reason! When travelling alone to a gig it is nice to make new friends and my kilt is the best icebreaker I know. Invariably I end up drinking with the group that the questioner came from and some are now close friends.
Just so enjoy your history lessons. My heart belongs to Scotland 🏴. And I love your shirt! Translation: I hope you have a great day.👍🏴❤️
2:28 The scenery there looks amazing!
Thanks for the education, Mr. Fummey. I wear my kilt "on the regular". Cutting grass, teaching class, baking bread, and the odd special occasion. As a history teacher, I greatly appreciate your nuanced approach to the murkiness of history. I'm off to watch more of your videos.
Guid lad
Just looking at the lovely green leaves and colorful flowers beds, it looks like spring has arrived in Edinburgh. Wish I could be there now. Now to watch the video, sounds great.
It's always spring in Scotland don't ye know
Why it’s taken me this long to come across your channel!! Better late than never, eh!
Love my adopted home Scotland...and the love grows deeper listening to such interesting historical information ....
It doesn't matter when you got on board, just as long as you're here now
@@ScotlandHistoryTours absolutely ....
Third time lucky?!
It was great to learn how Walter Scott became such a great national figure in his home country. Something that is less well known is his role as an historian. In the latter part of his life he wrote an excellent biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. This 2 volume history gives a blow by blow breakdown of the French Revolution and reveals much that isn't taught in schools today.
Thanks for making the history of Scotland so interesting.
Thank you Cousin Bruce for these treasures. Being across the pond we are not aware of these things, they are lost to time.
Your passion for history is beautiful to see and hear. Thank you for the lessons- with or without kilt!
My pleasure!
Greetings, Bruce and all! I live in South Louisiana, and the kilt has proven itself a terrific garment for me, even without its cultural lineage. I have several, and love wearing them.
I also work annually at the Texas Renaissance Festival, in their Scottish Court for the past few years. They wear the kilt largely because of the expectations of visitors, but starting this past season I started wearing a great kilt. I didn't bother about tartan meaning, just went with the flashier one I could find (Buchanan) and am wearing it more as a pleated cloak most of the time. It gets attention, and in the Faire setting, that's the point, of course.
But daily, I wear them as I can for formal occasions, going out on the town, and for outdoorsy activities.
Thanks for posting this bit of history, sir. I like having up-to-date research for answering the questions of others, and your presentation is top-shelf. Cheers!
Here to serve sir😊😊
Great work as usual. Thanks. Worn at social events. Something that every boy should get on their 18th birthday. As a frugal Scot it saves money in the long run when looked after.
Well said!
@08:30
"Scott named his hero
after a Edinburgh train station".
😎😉😆
Like a true Scotsman...
You're an awesome story-teller,
much like your predecessor
and "hero" of your video.
Well Done, Sir. 🏴🏴💝
😁
@@ScotlandHistoryTours "Scott named his hero after a Edinburgh train station". Until I saw JW Smith's comment, I wondered if anyone else had noticed this obvious gaffe--the train station was named for the hero Waverley, NOT the other way around. Was there even a train station in Edinburgh in 1814, when Scott's first novel was published? And of course, Waverley Station is not just "a" train station but THE (most important) train station in Edinburgh, even if there is more than one (which I don't know, since I haven't visited the city since August 1973). Despite this error, congratulations are in order for a fine documentary.
@vladimir74561 😂😂😂I suppose there are three stations if you count the one at Gyle as being IN Edinburgh. I can see you're not a local. JW Smith got it right to enjoy the joke rather than to misunderstand it as a 'gaffe'
Hello again Bruce. I’m the Geordie who now lives not far from Fotheringay. In the 1960’s I was a member of Newcastle Royal Scottish Country dance society demonstration team. I wore a kilt two or three times a week and knew Jimmy Shand (ask your Mum - he’s from Auchterarder) 🌞
He was from Auchtermuchty and I remember him. I'm 58 you know😎
@@ScotlandHistoryTours You are older than you look 🌞
Aye, but younger than I feel
I’ve visited Abbottsford. It was truly lovely. His library was incredible of course.
Trews and spats were popular after WW2. A few pipe bands wore trews back in the day. It was the use of the plaid rather then the form of dress or gear.
You asked us to comment about how we wear the kilt. I live in the states, so it's not too surprising that I don't wear the kilt too often. While I've owned a modern kilt, those don't always work for men of girth, such as myself. Thanks to renaissance festivals, I do have access to a number of quality tartans, and leatherworkers for sporrans, belts and the like. When I wear the kilt, I almost always wear the great kilt, because it always fits right, and it has the most tremendous cargo capacity. Considering that I'm most likely to wear it to a renaissance or Scottish festival, easy carry of shopping is an important consideration. I wear knee-high leather boots with my kilt, which I find more comfortable than stockings and fashes.
Thanks for this video im a Decendant Scott of Buccleuch & Balwearie clans and its cool to learn more while not directly related to Walter Scott my family immigrated to the states before his birth a century before its cool to learn more of the extended family history.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your ancestors probably left for the same reason that Walter Scott's grandfather Willy Scott of Harden was almost hung.
Caught by Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank stealing cattle, he was all set to Hang the miscreant when he remembered the daughter who he couldn't marry off.
"Marry my daughter, Willy, and I'll spare your life!"
Willy readily agreed until he set eyes on Meg...
"Hang me, hang me" he begged, only when the noose tightened round his neck did he find true love and agree to the union..
This happened about the same time as your ancestors packed their bags and left these shores, 🤔
@@georgefuters7411 interestingly enough no but wouldn't be surprised if some did haha. my first ancestor in the US was a sailor and his ship was boarded and they were taken as slaves to South America by pirates on the way he and others escaped and jumped over board when they saw a ship nearby sailing to North america they took them there. he was planning to travel back but then met his future wife.
It was a really weird but cool story we found records of.
I am English and have no Scottish ancestry. However, I often wear a kilt, usually with a jumper, simply because to my eyes a kilt is a beautiful garment. All of my kilts are vintage garments between 40 and 85 years old. Had I not rescued the kilts they would probably have ended in the dustbin.
Yay!
Well done man
Guid on ye pal
I was tempted to buy a kilt. I’m afraid the price put me off. But as an Englishman I had the conversation with a Scotsman that evening.
He said after two thousand years of rape and pillage I had a right to wear a kilt otherwise either his ancestors or mine hadn’t done their jobs :-)
@tedwarden5803 Did you ever do it Ted? If not, take the plunge the waters fine! It's a lot of fun.
Thank God for Walter Scott and his foresight . I guess I owe it to him that I had the opportunity to connect with my cultural roots . I bought my first kilt two years ago and now own 14 . I am a 24/7 kilt wearer and have no intentions of donning pants again . What a fantastic garment and a culture to match . Love your vids and presentation !
Keep yer legs closed laddie!
Wow, outstanding camera work. Nice story, but the backdrops are breath taking. Well done. I'll play the Flowers of the Forrest, for Sir Walter. Friend of the prince regent. What an excellent video. Thank you, and your camera person.
I've passed the word along to Kev the drone guy
I wear one intermittently to work, and sometimes casually! The kilt is from 21st Century Kilts, so keen to show out contemporary craft. Those Sobieski Stuart brothers, they were the real inventors of themselves and of tradition with the tartan and clan association - would love to hear you chat on them if you haven't already done so!
Thank you for another excellent video. I like the contrast between tartan shortbread tins and tins of Empire biscuits...
☺I wrote that masel...😎
I wear a kilt when the pipe band plays or when I have a solo gig. You have to understand that my band uniform is police officer from the kilt belt up and kilted, sporran, hose and gillie brogs from belt down. I was walking to my car after a pretty public gig and two gentlemen were walking toward me. One looked me up and down and says "Man! You look sharp!" and I did too.
Same here
Uniform shirt on top
When we recently had our official department photos taken, I wore my kilt and although it wasn’t in the photo, my glengarry was (not the “bus driver” hat)
What a magic wee video. I didn't know about Walter Scott's granny and the historical storm that she lived through. Thanks and really well presented. Slainthe mhath.
My son regularly wears a Util-Kilt. Made out of stout cotton is a variety of colors and patterns (some ghastly) but put together for working men.
I only wear a kilt when piping with the Liverpool Clan Wallace pipe band . This makes me proud of the colours we wear.
All that scotch broom looks so beautiful on the rolling hills!!! We still have our old framed Thomson tartan hanging up, would love a kilt of it one day ❤
We just call it broom😂
@@ScotlandHistoryTours Truth!! We do too but in Australia it's mostly Montpellier broom, and it's a massive noxious weed here which sucks, because it's really quite nice 🥲
In February and March I'll be visiting the major towns in Australia and New Zealand with my live show Scotland Made the World. It would be great to see you. Get info at www.brucefummey.co.uk/shows.aspx
Yeah this was genuinely fantastic I hope these videos keep coming:)
I’ve just discovered this channel and I’m lovin it
Yay😎
@@ScotlandHistoryTours Same here: You've got a new subscriber.
You really do bring history to life.
You're also filling in a lot of holes in my education.
Kilt? I'm saving up for one.
(edit: But which tartan? MacKenzie as clan? Gordon as regiment? Or do I get a sober anthracite grey that I can wear anywhere?)
Although i am a lass, when i was a wee girls my mother (who was a dress maker) used to make a lot of my clothes and i recall being "dress- up" in a bright pure woollen red "Royal Stewart tartan" kilt (knee length skirt), particularly when i needed to look smart and also for Christmas, or family celebrations.
I loved wearing them, always made me feel a bit special and fancy (loved swirling around so the kilt flared out), just like the great Andy Stewart on our little B&W TV on "hogmanay"
As a "grown up" i have a number of kilts i have "acquired" over the years, some second hand.
They are all various clan Douglas tartan (me grannies maiden name), which are 100% wool and made in Scotland of course.
I love wearing mine in the autumn, especially before it gets cold enough for trews.
They are warm, comfortable, practical and 100% natural fabric, which is another reason i love them, since raised sheep , and have (in the past) spun my own wool, with which i knitted jumpers for my wee children.
However i would love to one day buy the correct length and wrap myself in a Great Kilt, full length dress or Arisaid .
In fact Bruce would be brill if you could make a short video about historic "Scottish" dress for us wee lassies.. ?
Brilliant Bruce! Thanks again. Didn't know much about that, I wear a kilt to weddings. There's not many occasions that call for a kilt living in dundee.
Cundees gig?
I have two kilts; my own, Black Watch tartan and my late father’s Gordon tartan. I wear my kilt at every opportunity; family funerals, weddings (fewer of them than weddings anymore), formal dinners and, of course, Scottish festivals and Highland games. I’ve also been known to curl in my kilt at certain bonspiels 🥌.
Thanks for the great videos Bruce and please keep them coming. Ne obliviscaris🐗 👍🇨🇦😎🏴
Fantastic Video Bruce. My Father in Law proposed at the top of the Scott Monument in 1958. I hadn't worn a kilt, until we got married in 1995, I was 34 at the time. However subsequently I've worn it many times since. When I was a lad in the 60's ever time I tore a pair of school trousers or jeans ( usually playing football) my Mother would say
" right that's it, I'm sending you to school in a kilt" which put the fear of God in to me, for at least 24 hours.
Cheers Steve ❤🏴
😂😂
As a descendant of the Scott clan (my paternal ancestor arrived in the new world in 1747) I appreciate your work so much!
Fellow descendent aswell
Every day for me, neutral tartans, and a couple of solid ones. I'm not Scottish, I just have an aversion to pants!
Really glad I found this channel, great learning of other cultures.
Yay Good man
Thumbs up. This account is much softer on Scott than observations I read a decade ago. That essay put out the sentiment that Scott inserted himself into the London power circle as the cultural curator of all things Scottish and made a lot of money from it while requiring the average highlander to spruce up.
He added fuel to the fire of whatever fantasies Queen Victoria had of the highlands from his writings and so cleaned up the image, had military uniforms redesigned, became the advance man for major occasions, etc. (according to that essay). It sounds like the "noble savage" mentality of North America to reinvent First Nations. I guess like everything else in history there will be bits of truth from across the spectrum.
There are many ways to look at every diamond and normally the heroes of my videos are the hero. Every one of them's flawed. I get what you're saying. We'll never know what would have happened to the sense of Scottishness otherwise. History doesn't give us that chance to do double blind experiments
Thanks, Walter. Thanks a bunch.
🤣
I wear my kilt when I play my pipes in competition or for any other piping occasion
What part of the world do you compete in?? North America, UK or elsewhere?
What grade??
I remember visiting the tower for the first time. I had to actually drive through the farmers property to get there! My grandmother being a Pringle, there was a bit of incentive to visit!
Heard about your channel from you Max over on "Tasting History" ...Really enjoyed watching so I subscribed. I love history you are very knowledgeable. Thanks😊
Brilliant! Welcome on board
Formal occasions, semi formal occasions, even hiking round my local area, I live in England not far from Derby, yet love wearing a kilt
This have been a dream of mine since forever to visit Scotland, but not the cities, I want to go to the small villages and remote areas. Hope to do it before I go 6feet under.
First of your videos I have seen. Came for the Scottish history, subscribed for the story telling style you have.
Thanks man
And another new fact added to a growing list with each video thx Bruce just found your stuff and now have 3 years worth to catch up on 🤪😁👍
Actually the ones before April 2020 are a bit ropey
Bruce, I wear a kilt when playing my pipes during performances with my band or in competition. I'm of Elliot and Thompson blood, grew up in New York and live now in Hawaii.
I wear one in the winter.,I have a Kenyan "kilt"which is just a large tartan blanket that has multiple uses,wool is both warm and environmentally friendly . wherever Scots went thier Infuence is known either by the pipes or beautiful tartan weaves.I have a book on Scottish fashion and there are historical records of Picts or Scottish mercenaries wearing either mustard tunics or with just a "cloth "around thier waist another french traveler wrote they were quite" naked",later trousers in tartan were used and laces came into fashion .tartans are obviously not as bright, because natural dies were used ,and often materials were oiled to keep wet weather out .
I wear my casual black utility kilt on nice days when i'm wanting to go down to the local pub for a beer. I wear my Tartan kilt to celtic festivals and family dinners and such.
These are just brilliant, thank you
Ah cheers
Wonderful ep! Many thanks.
Cheers John
Now I have to read some Scott...Thanks for the motivation...
I did Waverley and Rob Roy on audio book with Audible. The actors interpretation of voice really enhanced it for me
@@ScotlandHistoryTours Thank you, sir!
Full of interesting facts as always Bruce. Big "Thank You" to Sir Walter for reviving the kilt. You talked a little about Border Ballads and the Border clearances. If you hav`nt already done so, I would love you to do a video of the old Border Riever Clans.
When I was a teenager, in Washington State USA, I belonged to a Highland Dance team. We had lovely kilts, I think in Dress Campbell tartan. I'm 5'10" tall, it came to just below the knee, and I could reach down and grasp the hem on each side, left and right, and lift it to both sides of my head and you still couldn't see my under drawers. It swished and flowed so beautifully in the dances, it was poetry. We made our own tight velvet jackets. We had little flagged garters holding up our socks, with thin black slippers, laces criss-crossed tightly. Fantastic. The kilts belonged to the dance team and I stopped when I went off to college. But I still dream of that kilt. I don't know what kind of kilt it was, but the front was pleatless, yardage was perfect, the stitching secure. That's the only kilt I've worn. Spoiled for anything less.
I wear one usually a couple times a week. Sometimes just running errands, other times out to dinner. Really like the feel and the look of a kilt. Was chased down in our grocery store the other day by a lady from Edinburgh asking me about my kilt. Thanks to your closing line, I am also poking around at learning Gàidhlig.
I'll have a video for you next week
@@ScotlandHistoryTours I look forward to it. Tapadh leibh Ollaimh.
Great story my friend! Congrats!
Jedburgh got a mention! I’m not sure if they’re still known in Scotland, but the Rutherfords are all but forgotten in the diaspora, excepting the chemist.
I’d love to see a video about Red Swire, the battle the Rutherfords won by showing up late to a meeting, a trait which lives on in my family to this day.
Thank you for everything you do.
The chemist was a Kiwi, no?😜
@@ScotlandHistoryTours By birth, yes. Weirdly, the last Rutherford chief’s son moved to a town named Douglas- cousins of the Rutherfords and fellow squires to the Home overlords.
Keep doing the good work so much to learn but so little time.
You've seen my medical records?😂😂
Some lovely shots of the area where I grew up. It's ironic that an arch-unionist tory is the main reason why there is still a distinct Scotland. And not just with the kilts, he also campaigned against the abolition of Scottish Bank notes and other encroachments.
The moths ate ma' kilt! But before that it was first choice for hillwalking, hogmanay, ceilidhs, weddings and whisky and/or folk music festivals. It fair pulls the lassies too. Thankyou Sir Walter!
thanks for the video.
I'm finally feeling connected.. thank you! Can't find Enuf info to figure out what plaid the Pedens would have worn.
I have a few kilts that I wear. I really enjoy wearing them out hiking, but normally just wear them knocking around the house or to Scottish festivals.
I too enjoy walking around my house naked 😉