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Matthew A. C. Newsome, FSA Scot member of the Guild of Tartan Scholars
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HIGHLAND_DRESS What is the "Official" Word on Tartans? Did the Belted Plaid Have a Drawstring?
OTHER SCOTTISH The Scots-Irish Migration to Western NC Scottish Medieval Performing Class
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©2004 Matthew A. C. Newsome, GTS, FSA Scot.
On October 16, 2003, Mrs. Frances Swanson donated a nineteenth century kilt outfit to the Scottish Tartans Museum of Franklin, NC. This kilt, as it turns out, has been the source of some mystery, and a little controversy. We believe it to be a unique piece of Scotland’s Highland dress heritage.
THE HISTORY According to the family’s history, the genealogy of the kilt is as follows. The kilt (and accompanying accessories) originally belonged to William Muirhead, who was born in Edinburgh in 1835. In 1854, he migrated with his parents, Andrew (a weaver) and Bethea, to the United States, supposedly bringing his kilt with him. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1911.
After his death, the kilt remained in the family. It is pictured in the book The Henry Muirheid/Muirhead Family of Mississippi and Virginia, by Ray Jerome Muirhead, published in 1989. At the time of the book’s publication, it was in the possession of William’s granddaughter, retired US Army nurse Major Gracieuse L. Muirhead, of Maine. Upon her death, the outfit was inherited by her sister, Frances Swanson, who was the donor to the Scottish Tartans Museum.
The photograph of the kilt was seen by Mr. Raymond Morehead, who was in the process of developing a Muirhead/Morehead family society. As there was, at that time, no recorded tartan for the Muirhead name, he set out to track down the kilt so that he could examine the tartan. Eventually he made contact with Mrs. Swanson, who sent, for his examination, the tartan sash from the outfit.
Photographs of the tartan sash were sent to Dr. Philip Smith for identification. Finding no such tartan on record, Dr. Smith recorded it as the Muirhead tartan. Eventually, in the year 2000, the now established Muirhead Clan Society officially adopted this tartan as their own.
Part of the controversy surrounding this kilt has to do with the tartan. When Mrs. Swanson first brought the kilt to the museum, she made the comment, “I don’t like that new Muirhead tartan they wear now – I don’t think it looks at all like this kilt.” I told her that this was primarily because the kilt, as it is, is a faded brown, but the tartan as they are weaving it now is green, which is what they believe the original colors of the kilt to be. But after looking at the kilt closely, I saw that it was not merely a different color, but a different sett entirely.
Here is the thread count taken from the kilt itself (Kh here represents khaki, which is a cross between an olive green and a light brown): W4 R10 G4 R24 G24 Kh4 W4 Kh16 B8 Kh48 Y6
Here is the thread count of the Muirhead tartan recorded by Phil Smith: W4 R10 G4 R24 G24 W4 G16 B8 G18 DG28 Y3
There is obviously a discrepancy between the two. The error is due to the fact that Dr. Smith was only able to examine a photograph of a single section of the tartan from the sash. Unfortunately, the section photographed contained a width of an irregular color green substituted in the weft of the cloth. This only occurs in this single instance, but Dr. Smith understandably assumed this to repeat throughout. Also, the photograph was apparently not high enough quality to show a variation in the green that does in fact occur.
Some sleuth work from Brian Wilton yielded the following tartan, recorded as number 1862 in the STS Register, or 4389 in the ITI. W4 R10 T4 R24 G20 U4 W4 U16 B8 U48 Y6
It is listed as an unidentified tartan, with the source being “Major G. L. Muirhead, USA,” indicating that the STS had, at some earlier date, been able to examine this kilt, or at least the accompanying sash.
Raymond Morehead was contacted with this new information, but it is uncertain whether the Muirhead Clan Society has decided to adopt the actual tartan of the kilt, or to continue using their present variation.
THE KILT
This unique style of pleating features a single box pleat in the rear center of the kilt, with knife pleats fanning out in opposite directions on either side. In the case of the Muirhead kilt, the central box pleat is 2” wide. There are nine knife pleats on either side, with the average width being 1”. The kilt was made to a 28” waist, with a drop of 19.5”. The aprons are held closed with buttons on the waist, and a black tie on the right hip.
One interesting note is that the kilt is hemmed, rather than being made to a selvedge edge. Based on the size of the sett, we can assume the original cloth was 21” wide. In all likelihood, this means that the kilt was originally made for a larger gentleman and then cut down to 19.5”. For more complete details on the construction of the kilt, please contact the Scottish Tartans Museum.
THE CLOTH In late 2003 I invited kilt historian Bob Martin to come and examine the outfit before it was put on display. Bob noticed that the cloth was a 2-ply Saxony, rather than a worsted, and wondered if this cloth was in production prior to 1854, when William Muirhead is said to have emigrated from Scotland.
To answer this question, I entrusted Bob with the tartan sash, which he sent to Peter MacDonald. I also sent Peter several photographs of the kilt, with my notes. I now quote from the report Peter was able to make from this information.
The cloth is handwoven at 28 epi from a 2 ply yarn. Although this is not tight by either contemporary (1854) or modern standards the weaving is of a good quality consistent with some rural weaving of the period c1750-1850. The yarn is quite thick resulting in the overall cloth having a heavy, thick feel. I am not qualified to comment on whether the yarn is machine or hand spun but I suspect the former. It certainly appears to have been hank, rather than fleece, dyed…
Given the quality of the cloth, the pre-1850 style of the pleating and the dye shades I feel that, one the balance of probabilities, that the cloth can be dated to c1840-60 and its origins are therefore consistent with the family tradition of the kilt having belonged to the Muirhead ancestor that emigrated to America 1854.
Again, a complete copy of Peter MacDonald’s report is available at the Scottish Tartans Museum.
IN CONCLUSION This kilt is unique in many ways. First, in the unusual form of pleating, being only the second kilt documented in the “Kinguisse” style. Second, being a kilt that (presumably) made the journey with its owner from Scotland to the United States, it perfectly encapsulates the Scottish-American heritage of many that come to visit the Scottish Tartans Museum. We are proud to have it in our collection.
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Last updated 11/23/07 email eogan@albanach.org Certain art used on this site from Ars Priscus
This is the private web site of Matthew Newsome and does not represent the opinions or positions of any other group or individual in any way, shape or form. |
The
William Muirhead Kilt
THE
TARTAN
What
fascinated me more than any confusion about the tartan, however, was the style
and construction of the kilt itself. It was made in the “Kinguisse” style, so
named for the only kilt known to have been pleated this way (until now), a
Robertson kilt c. 1820, located in Kinguisse. 