Kilts in the English Civil Wars/War of the Three Kingdoms

[Matt Richards]

I was thinking about Highlanders who may have fought for Charles I with Montrose and later for Charles II and if they would have worn kilts. I can't seem to find any photos of what the Scottish Royalist armies of this time would have worn, aside from the lowlanders who wore the same as most English troops of the time. What other sorts of clothing would they have worn? Doublets/soldier coats? Non-tartan hose? Did they still wear the bonnets? Mortuary hilts rather than basket hilts? Inquiring minds would like to know!

[Woodsheal]

By the 1630s-40s, the belted plaid (but NOT the "little kilt") had been in use for many decades. Knitted bonnets, tartan hose, short-waisted doublets were common wear during this period, and dirks and basket-hilted swords were in the process of acquiring their classic configurations (mortuary hilts were not considered a Scottish style).

[opositive]

after shooting, what would one do with the musket when the enemy closes? you have a sword and dirk (no bayonette-this is not france, after all), and the musket is a rather expensive item to just toss down in a field (i do not remember seeing a sling or a stacking swivel in any of the pics you have posted in your period garb), and it looks a bit too delicate to simply use as a club on a regular basis.

[Matt Richards]

I think that with the concept of the Highland charge, you never let the enemy close on you -- you closed on the enemy with sword, dirk, axe or other kinds of makeshift weapons. I think it has been documented that muskets were dropped after firing off the meager ammunition before commencing the charge. However, in the time I'm talking about, they were still using the big heavy matchlocks, which were definitely swung as clubs in close quarters with the enemy in pike & shot formations.

[Woodsheal]

The "fish tailed" muskets of the time were indeed used as clubs, if the bad guys got close enough - but the pikemen were supposed to prevent that from happening. Highlanders, however (the few of them that had firearms) would toss the guns down, draw their broadswords, and have at it....

[Dale Seago]

What Woodsheal said. In both posts.

[Woodsheal]

The classic study regarding highlanders of the civil wars period is "Highland Warrior" by David Stevenson:
http://www.questia.com/library/book/...-stevenson.jsp

[opositive]

ok--so the muskets of the time period were the big, heavy matchlock muskets that were more like this: --not the flintlock that woodsheel has in his pic.

[Dale Seago]

ok--so the muskets of the time period were the big, heavy matchlock muskets that were more like this:

--not the flintlock that woodsheel has in his pic.

Actually you could go either way, depending on just when during the civil war period you're talking about, as the flintlock was developed circa 1630.

[Matt Richards]

This is true, but those doglocks were not that common -- costing double or more what a matchlock did. Only a few elite units got to carry them, like artillery guards, since they had less chance of igniting cannon powder than the smoldering matchlock cords.