The Romance of the Highlands

By 1707, at the founding of the United Kingdom with England, Scotland was a far from united nation. The Gaelic word sasunnach (Sassenach), was then used by Scottish Highlanders for all English-speaking people, particularly Lowland Scots. Lowlanders regarded their Highland countrymen as violent, treacherous and backward. Indeed the old clan system was feudal and often brutal and the Clan Chiefs operated as warlords. A sympathetic Scotsman, Duncan Forbes, wrote in the 1740s that the clansmen around his estate in Aberdeenshire

'...unacquainted with industry and the fruits of it, and united in some degree by singularity of dress and language, stick close to their antient way of life...'

Although they spoke Gaelic, remained Catholic and lived in tiny hamlets in the wilderness, it was their singularity of dress for which they are best known and most easily recognised. They wore the versatile Filleadh mor (great kilt), traditionally made from many yards of striped and multicoloured woven wool tweed. This was tightly pleated and belted around the waist, leaving a length of loose fabric thrown over the shoulder for a cloak or sleeping bag. Trowzes, often also striped or chequered, were for winter use. After the Jacobite Rebellion, the banning of Highland dress in 1747 was seen as a way of breaking the power of the clans and securing peace. After proscription was lifted in 1782 the patterns associated with particular clans and glens were codified and published in 1831 by James Logan in The Scottish Gael. By this time, largely through the influence of the writings of Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott Scottish self-esteem had been rebuilt and the unspoiled beauty of Highland scenery made Scotland a fashionable tourist resort.

		The craze for Scotland spread through Europe, as the Romantic Movement affected literature and music. The Brothers Grimm took Scotts folklore collections as a model for their Household Tales and Beethoven loved his novels. Mendelssohns Scottish journey of 1829 inspired his Hebrides Overture and his Scottish Symphony. Donizettis Scottish operas, Maria Stuarda and Lucia di Lammermuir (based on Scotts Bride of Lammermoor) were premiered in 1835 and Verdis Macbeth in 1847. George IV had already made a triumphant visit to Edinburgh in 1822 and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert toured Perthshire in 1842.They so enjoyed walking, sketching and deer-stalking that they returned annually. In 1852 they bought the Balmoral estate, built the castle and adopted the tartan. Sir Walter Scott was Victorias favourite author and after Alberts death she found comfort in the company of his former ghillie, John Brown. The present Queen continues the strong links with Scotland.