This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Weaving the Nation: Scottish Clothing and Textile Cultures in the Long Eighteenth Century Sally J.S. Tuckett Doctor of Philosophy University of Edinburgh 2010 Declaration I confirm that the following thesis has been composed by me, and is completely my own work. None of the information has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Sections of Chapter 1 have been published in Textile History, 40:2 (2009). Sally J.S. Tuckett 20 th December 2010 Abstract Clothing and textiles are an important means of communication, providing nuanced signals of economic and social status, occupation, and political affiliation. Consequently the study of clothing and textiles is a valuable approach to the investigation of a past society. Building on current methodological approaches associated with clothing and textile history and the study of material culture, this thesis will investigate how the clothing and textiles of the Scottish population in the long eighteenth century can be interpreted as symbols of wider cultural, social and economic practices. Studies of tartan and Highland dress have dominated the literature on historical Scottish dress and textiles, a result of these items’ intimate connection with modern Scottish identity. This thesis seeks to redress the balance by examining clothing and textiles in both the Highland and Lowland regions, in rural and urban areas, and in the experiences of the elite and non-elite sections of the population. This will be done using multiple and varied sources, including surviving artefacts, portraits, inventories, and contemporary literature. By incorporating quantifiable analysis and qualitative interpretation, this approach complements and adds to existing knowledge of Scottish clothing and textiles. The thesis begins with an examination of the clothing culture, looking at everyday clothing and its use in national, occupational, and political identities. Examination of the textile culture scrutinizes the use of textiles in literature, the economic and ideological approaches to the textile industry, and the practical motivations behind tartan manufacture. The role of ‘fashion’ in Scottish clothing and textile cultures is studied, looking at how outside fashions were received within Scotland, and how Scotland in turn influenced wider fashions. The thesis provides an overview of Scottish dress and textiles in the long eighteenth century demonstrating the importance such investigation can have on the comprehension of the wider social and economic practices of a nation. Contents Acknowledgements ii List of Figures iii List of Abbreviations v Introduction 1 Section I: Clothing Cultures 26 1. Nationalism and Tradition in Scottish Dress 28 2. Regional Wardrobes 56 3. Occupational Identities: Professional and Working Dress 88 4. Seditious and Respectable Dress: Political Clothing 120 Section II: Textile Cultures 141 5. Reading Cloth: Textiles in Scottish Poetry and Literature 143 6. The Improvers and the Woollen Industry 168 7. “The Tartan Way”: William Wilson and Son of Bannockburn 190 Section III: Scotland and Fashion 215 8. Fashionable Dress in Scotland 217 9. Tartan as a Fashionable Material c.1790-1830 237 Conclusion 257 Appendix: Inventories Used in Chapter 2 262 Bibliography 270 i Acknowledgements I should like to thank first, and foremost, my supervisors who have provided unstinting support throughout this project. I owe an immense debt to Dr. Stana Nenadic who initially opened my mind to the history of material culture, and whose constant guidance and support has been central to the completion of this project. Dr. Alexander Murdoch and Dr. David Caldwell have both provided me with innumerable sources of information and leads to follow up, as well as the occasional motivational speech when it felt like the end was never going to be in sight. Members of staff, both past and present, of the department of Scotland and Europe in the National Museums Scotland have been incredibly patient with my many questions regarding objects and pictures over the years. I would particularly like to thank Fiona Anderson, John Burnett, Hugh Cheape, Lyndsay McGill, Georgina Ripley, Kristina Stankovski, and Naomi Tarrant. I would also like to thank Stuart Allan at the National War Museum Scotland. All have devoted their time and energy to varied aspects of this project, for which I am very grateful. The project was generously funded through the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award Scheme, in partnership with the National Museums Scotland. Thanks are due to both for this funding. Elements of Chapter 1 were presented at a Pasold Workshop at the University of Leeds in 2007. This paper became an article, ‘National Dress, Gender and Scotland: 1745-1822’, Textile History, 40:2 (2009). I am grateful to the participants at the workshop, and the editors and reviewers of this article for their helpful comments and feedback in developing this work. Research for the project has called upon the services of many institutions in Edinburgh and further afield. I am grateful to the staff at the National Library of Scotland, the National Archives of Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh Special Collections, the Scottish Catholic Archives, the Stirling City Archives, the Fashion Museum at Bath, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Special thanks go to Imogen Gibbon at the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland, Alison Rosie at the National Archives of Scotland, Peter MacDonald of the Scottish Tartans Authority, Denise Brace at the Edinburgh City Museums, Rebecca Quinton at the Burrell Collection, Glasgow, Iain Milne of the Sibbald Library at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, and George A. Dixon. To my fellow postgraduates, knowing that there are others going through similar experiences has been the best support possible. Debts are due to so many of you who, in your own ways, have helped me get to the end of this project. To my family and friends, who quickly learned not to ask how the work was going, and who encouraged me or told me to just get on with it (both equally useful) – I will always be grateful. Claire, Sarah, and Lindsay, your support in particular - and reminders that there is a world beyond the books - has helped get me through. My mum and Sam have, more than most, borne the brunt of my mood swings and general grumpiness with a patience, grace, and understanding that I almost certainly did not deserve. No-one else could have done more. Thank you. ii List of Figures 1.1 White cockade of cambric, c.1745 33 1.2 Portrait of a Jacobite Lady by Cosmo Alexander, 1740s 33 1.3 Cream silk dress, c.1740 34 1.4 Embroidered rose on silk dress, c.1740 34 1.5 Tartan suit worn by William Blackhall, 1822 40 1.6 Piper’s uniform worn by Malcolm McCallum, 1822 41 1.7 A Thousand Warm Receptions in the North , 1822 45 1.8 Blue bonnet, 1746-1820 46 1.9 Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788), artist unknown 47 1.10 City porter in Edinburgh by David Allan, 1780s 48 1.11 Gravestone of John Craig, 1742 48 1.12 Cotton handkerchief printed with scenes from Allan Ramsay’s ‘The Gentle Shepherd’, eighteenth/nineteenth century 49 1.13 Highland soldiers from Francis Grose’s Military Antiquities 51 1.14 Engraving of a Highland lady by James Basire 52 1.15 James Hogg (1770-1835) by Sir John Watson Gordon 54 2.2 Sketch of a Scotch maid by David Allan 70 2.3 Women Waulking the Wool produced for Thomas Pennant’s voyage to the Hebrides in 1772 73 2.5 Sir James MacDonald (1742-1766) and Sir Alexander MacDonald (1745-1795) as boys, attributed to William Mosman 79 3.1 Henry Hamilton by Sir John de Medina, c.1700 91 3.2 James Hamilton, by Sir John de Medina, c.1700 91 3.3 Alexander Monro primus (1697-1767) attributed to Allan Ramsay 93 3.4 Alexander Monro secundus (1733-1817) by John T. Seton 94 3.5 Alexander Monro tertius (1773-1859) by Kenneth Macleay 94 3.6 Alexander Wood (1726-1807) by John Kay, 1784 95 3.7 Alexander Wood by George Watson 95 3.8 James Graham (1745-1794) and Miss Dunbar by John Kay, 1785 97 3.9 James Graham lecturing in Edinburgh by John Kay, 1785 97 3.10 Neil Fergusson and Count Joseph Boruwlaski by John Kay, 1802 102 3.11 Sir Hew Dalrymple (1652-1737), Lord President of the Court of Session, early eighteenth century 104 3.12 James Boswell (1740-1795) by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1785 104 3.13 Twelve Advocates with Wigs by John Kay, 1810 105 3.14 Twelve Advocates without Wigs by John Kay, 1811 105 3.15 Adam Cockburn of Ormiston (c.1656-1735) attributed to William Aikman 106 3.16 Patrick Grant, Lord Elchies (1690-1754) by Allan Ramsay 106 3.17 Hew Dalrymple, Lord Drummore (1690-1755) by Allan Ramsay, 1754 108 3.18 City porter