How to wear my 39 Inch broadsword

[Orvis]

I agree that there is no need to wear a broadsword with your modern kilt. In my case, I have been with two 18th century Highland living history/reenacting groups since 1989. In one, I portrayed a red-coat Highland soldier in the British Army, and my uniform included wearing a basket-hilt backsword at battle reenactments and other events. My other, current group portrays a 1745 Jacobite clan regiment detachment, and if I portray a member of the clan gentry, I generally wear my broadsword, dirk, pistol and sgian achlais (or have my ghillie carry them), as that's how Highland gentlemen dressed in those days. However, I'd never take my blades along to the Scottish games or a local Renn Faire unless my group had been invited to participate as reenactors. The most I might wear would be a sgian dhu, and sometimes not even that. As to carrying a sword at the Renn Faire, I've noted that while paying customers are welcome to dress in period costume, personal weapons of any type are very often banned from the event.

You have to be careful - in some places carrying replica firearms or edged weapons in a non-reenacting context can be illegal or (at the very least) viewed suspiciously by the authorities and others. As an example, back in the days when I was married I went in late July with my wife to eastern Ontario in Canada to visit my in-laws. On a Saturday I decided to go to the nearby Maxville Highland Games wearing my 77th Highland Regiment (1757) uniform and plaid, complete with a dirk and backsword (cognizant of Canada's laws, I had left my replica flintlock Scottish pistol at home in the USA). Once I arrived and started to walk around, I soon found myself with a small tail of Ontario Provincial Police following me around. I didn't know why they were doing that, but I got the impression that they thought I might be some sort of dangerous eccentric who might run amok in the crowds with the sword and dirk (both of which had blunt edges, but they didn't know that) and because I was definitely out of character with the rest of the crowd, who were unarmed. So....before the OPP could pull me aside, I made my way back to my car and dumped the weapons! The police went on to deal with other matters and my problem was solved. Lesson learned: Know your environment!