Tartan trews in late Victorian - edwardian period

[Italianscot]

Hello, this Is my First post,

Apart from my interest in everything scottish , i am also interested in late 19th century -early 20th century fashion.

I have very recently bought a nice pair of vintage military trews from.the 1940s and It Is striking how the military trousers at such a late date are basically of the same pattern of victorian and edwardian period, save of course for some minor details.


Thus i have suddenly realized that i have never seen on period photos, a civilian usage of trews for highland dress. I mean, wearing a clan tartan trews as a alternative for kilt,.

So, were tartan trews used only by scottish regiment?

Do we have period photos that shows the use of clan tartan trews in civilian use as a sostitute for the kilt?

[figheadair]

So, were tartan trews used only by scottish regiment?

Do we have period photos that shows the use of clan tartan trews in civilian use as a sostitute for the kilt?

Welcome to the forum.

That is a very good question. I'm struggling to think of a single photographic example but I'm sure that there must be a few. OC Richard has an extensive collection of period photographs so he's probably best to comment.

[kilted2000]

A little earlier than you asked for, but in Memoirs of a Highland Lady, Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus describes her grandfather the laird wearing only trews never kilts. This would have been early to mid 18th century. Trews then were different than today's, but it shows a precedent for civilian trews wearing.

[figheadair]

A little earlier than you asked for, but in Memoirs of a Highland Lady, Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus describes her grandfather the laird wearing only trews never kilts. This would have been early to mid 18th century. Trews then were different than today's, but it shows a precedent for civilian trews wearing.

They were commonly worn by the gentry in the pre-Proscription Highlands, especially for equestrian wear, but that was of course a completely different era in terms of all forms for Highland Dress.

[bookish]

Another off-topic reponse, so, apologies: I found this person selling a trews pattern based on an incomplete, but perhaps more complete than most, pair of trews from the early 17th c. I bring it up because if might be interesting for when you do find your answer to compare construction techniques.

Source: https://www.properlydressed.co.uk/blog/2019/5/13/trews

[TheVintageLibertine]

Hello, this Is my First post,

Apart from my interest in everything scottish , i am also interested in late 19th century -early 20th century fashion.

I have very recently bought a nice pair of vintage military trews from.the 1940s and It Is striking how the military trousers at such a late date are basically of the same pattern of victorian and edwardian period, save of course for some minor details.


Thus i have suddenly realized that i have never seen on period photos, a civilian usage of trews for highland dress. I mean, wearing a clan tartan trews as a alternative for kilt,.

So, were tartan trews used only by scottish regiment?

Do we have period photos that shows the use of clan tartan trews in civilian use as a sostitute for the kilt?

This may not be exactly what you’re looking for, but try a Google Images search for “79th New York” plus “Highlanders”, “Infantry”, Volunteers”, or “Civil War”.

They were a militia regiment from New York City, formed in the 1850s, who mustered into federal service from 1861 to 1864/65, and then reverted back into the New York State Militia, aka National Guard from 1865 until being disbanded in 1876.

From 1859 to 1861/62, they worn tartan trousers for most modes of dress, and there are several existent photographs. The key detail (I am told) is that their tartan trousers were essentially no different from contemporaneous civilian trousers.

Here’re a few links to get you started:

https://gloverparkhistory.com/civil-...york-infantry/

https://www.miltonpahistoricalsociet...f-new-homepage

[OC Richard]

I have suddenly realized that I have never seen in period photos a civilian usage of trews for Highland dress. I mean, wearing clan tartan trews as an alternative for the kilt.

So, were tartan trews used only by Scottish regiments?

Do we have period photos that show the use of clan tartan trews in civilian use as a substitute for the kilt?

What a great question!

The first thing that would need to be known is the later history of the trews, meaning the traditional Highland garment quite unlike trousers, hose and trousers all of a piece.

Peter knows the museum collections, which seem to have a number of Highland costumes made around the time of the 1822 Royal visit. Do any of these include trews, actual 18th century style trews? Do any include tartan trousers of the period?

Do we know when actual trews stopped being worn?

As for the Scottish regiments, as far as I know the Lowland regiments wore ordinary British uniform until 1881 when they were put into tartan trousers.

With the Highland regiments a watershed year was 1809 when six of the eleven Highland regiments (all in kilted up to that point) were put into ordinary British uniform.

Retaining Highland Dress: 42nd, 78th, 79th, 92nd, 93rd

Losing Highland Dress: 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, 75th, 91st

As the 19th century progressed three of these were granted partial Highland identity:

72nd: 1823 given trousers and plaids of Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan, and feather bonnets.

74th: 1845 given trousers and plaids of Lamont tartan.

91st: 1864 given trousers and plaids of "Campbell" tartan (Black Watch with a red line).

What I don't know is if tartan trousers were existing in the civilian world at this time.

I poured through my Victorian photographs and couldn't find any showing tartan trousers. But my collection is specifically of kilted gents, so the only way a gent in tartan trousers might appear is in a group photo.

The best group photos I have are a number from Oban showing the parade of the Clan chiefs and stewards from the 1890s to the present.

None of the group photos I have show tartan trousers.

[OC Richard]

My next line of inquiry was vintage Highland Dress catalogues.

My c1909 Leckie Graham catalogue has kilts and jackets in various fabrics but doesn't mention trews or trousers.

My next-oldest is a c1926 RG Lawrie catalogue. Once again there's a full range of Highland Dress but no mention of trews or trousers (except for "Under Trews" worn under the kilt).

BTW both catalogues exclusively use the word "vest" for the thing called "waistcoat" in Britain nowadays.

[figheadair]

Peter knows the museum collections, which seem to have a number of Highland costumes made around the time of the 1822 Royal visit. Do any of these include trews, actual 18th century style trews? Do any include tartan trousers of the period?

Richard, I know of only one pair of 1822 era traditional trews (with feet). They were made for the MacDougall chief as part of a five-piece outfit: Jacket; waistcoat; kilt; trews and plaid.



These were an outlier it terms of dress by this date, very much like the MacGregor draw-string plaid worn in 1822. I know of two pairs of modern trews (tartan trousers) made around the same period. Neither were worn to the 1822 King's Jaunt as far as I know, both are in Royal Stewart, have exposed fringes on the outer seams and both were part of Highland outfits. The first was made for a Donald Stewart who emigrated to Canada (PEI) around 1820, he also had a kilt outfit in the same tartan.



The second is c.1830 and is in the collection of the NMS but unfortunately, there is no record of the original owner. It can be viewed here.

Do we know when actual trews stopped being worn?

Not for certain but (the anachronistic Highland Revival MacDougall pair aside) I imagine that it would have been during proscription. Notwithstanding the wording of the 1782 Act of Repeal that said that men could again wear trews and other items of Highland Dress, I am not aware of them being taken up again for general wear.

[Italianscot]

Thank you for all the answers, i think we can Say that tartan trousers were not used at all in civilian context in Victorian and post Victorian period....

It Is rather surprising but in front of complete lack of photographic evidence , we have tò assume that trousers were reserved only for military use.

I have found this rather interesting photo of a man in a tweed suit with plaid and glengarry. It Is unusual because It Is not the usual Sheperds Maud.