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Scotland by House Sit – Scottish History and Culture – By Rob Shackleford

Scotland by House Sit – Scottish History and Culture – by Rob Shackleford

Rob Shackleford and Deborah-Jane Mackay in Scotland
Popular Scottish History is often incorrect
Our Stay in Inverness
Why is House Sitting for Travel a good idea?

Other of our Travelling with Traveller Inceptio Blogs

India by Royal Enfields 1 Britain by House Sits Scottish Food Scottish Culture Southern Scotland Northern Wales
Faces of Scotland House Sit Bath Faces of England House Sitting UK Faces of Wales Visit to London

Scottish History

Scottish history is a unique tangle of events that forged their identity – from the ancient peoples such as the Picts, Celts and Gauls that interacted among themselves and with the Romans, to  conflicts with their English neighbours to the south. Surprisingly, too many stories are fiction, while much of what a foreign tourist might think is Scottish was a creation of fashionable Victorian England.

Here are a few points of history that might be of interest.

This blog is not meant to offend any Scots, but is to help make history clearer. Here are a few interesting facts learned from a visit to the Inverness Museum.

1. Kilts are relatively late-comers to true Scottish culture.

Kilts were not worn by the Scots until the 1720’s when British military used them in formal uniforms. In fact, the kilt was once more of an all-weather cloak that covered a long tunic that covered the knees. One of the most iconic images of Scottish in battle hearkens from the battle of Culloden, where the French supported Scottish troops were decimated by the English within 45 minutes. Yet, like Australia’s vision of the massive military defeat of Gallipoli in world War 1, in the minds of many Scottish the Jacobite rebellion still feels fresh and relevant to modern sentiments.

Yes, the iconic image of the warlike Scotsman in his kilt is largely a myth and a creation of Hollywood. Just like many other ethnic groups the Victorian English considered exotic or quaint, such as Native Americans, the Indians with their turbans, and others, the iconic Scot is more of a figment of the imagination. For more on the history of Kilts click here.

Rob Shackleford and Deborah-Jane Mackay housesit Scotland
Kilts were a military uniform fixture in Victorian England

2. Tartans are also late-comers when it comes to being a defining aspect for a Scottish clan.

Rob Shackleford nd Deborah-Jane mackay house sit Scotland
Before there were kilts

Inverness is packed with tartan shops. There are at least half a dozen arrayed along the main mall alone, with others tucked away in side streets, all hiring kilts, selling scarfs, or supplying tartan formal wear. Yet specific tartans were not allocated to Scottish clans until 1782. The Jacobite wars saw many Scottish clans fight for the French supported Bonny Prince Charlie, a Stuart who aimed to obtain the English throne.  Immediately after the rebellion, from 1746, the home spun cloth of tartan was banned. It took over a generation for it to be permitted again, where tartan was soon adopted as symbolic national dress. Clan Tartans were not a thing before the 19th Century and is recognised as a form of invented tradition, for uniform tartans were initially for the military or independent highland companies.

Yet today, possessing a family tartan is important for Scottish families. It is estimated that there are about 3,500 to 7,000 different tartans, with around 150 new designs being created every year. Click here or more on Tartans.

My partner, Deb’s surname is Mackay and we have been able to research much about the various clans in Scottish history. While clan tartans are a modern creation, it never dims the pride any Scot has in their name and rich history.

3. Brave-heart is popular with tourists, though is historically inaccurate.

Rob Shackleford and Deborah-Jane Mackay in Scotland
Braveheart – not accurate?

Few Scottish souvenir shops don’t have at least a reference to Braveheart and the blue-faced image of Mel Gibson. There are t-shirts, figurines and so much more, yet it is a fiction. Scots of the era did not wear kilts, wore no uniform tartan, did not wear their hair long, and certainly did not paint their faces blue.

To quote one commentator:

“But it’s not just the clothing that’s completely wrong. Take another look at that … close-up of Gibson as Wallace. He’s wearing an unkempt 20th century mullet with a couple braids in it. This is fairly typical of how the Scots and Irish are styled in this film. Some of the men have feathers in their hair. There’s absolutely no evidence that medieval Scotsmen wore their hair long (which would probably have struck contemporaries as a very feminine style), nor is there evidence that they braided their hair or tied things into it. And even if they did wear their hair long, they certainly would have combed it. Wallace isn’t wearing a traditional Scottish hairstyle; he’s wearing a late-20th century biker or stoner dude’s hairstyle.”

But such dramatics do make great Hollywood. Read more here:

Braveheart: How Not to Dress Like a Medieval Scotsman

4. Gingers are as common as the Scottish cliche suggests. Yes, redheads proliferate in Scotland. I had to mention it as some outstanding ginger heads have wandered past our view, some truly stunning. All jokes aside, when it comes to Scotland, redheads rule! Here is more about the Red Head gene.

Rob Shackleford and Deborah-Jane Mackay house sit Scotland
Red Heads common in Scotland

 

5. Scotland is a land that has, over thousands of years, been wracked by conflict. Many view the Battle of Culloden as integral in the fate of Scotland’s rule by the English. I in the minds of many Scottish, the Jacobite rebellion is still fresh and relevant with modern sentiments displayed with the latest interest in Scottish independence and nationalism. Most Scots recently voted for a renewed push for an independence referendum, so even more change might be seen here in bonnie Scotland.

Rob Shackleford and Deborah-Jane Mackay house sit Scotland
Scotland is still home to an intense sense of nationalism

Rob and Deb live at Burleigh Heads, on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Rob is an author of Traveller Inceptio, published by Austin Macauley Publishers.

Deb is a yoga teacher and administrator par excellence.

If you have any questions regarding the contents of this blog, please email Rob via his email: [email protected] or Instagram @rob_shackleford_

Rob Shackleford and Deborah-Jane Mackay in Scotland
Rob and Deborah-Jane in Scotland

 

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