Murdo Gillies, ferryman in Sleat, Isle of Skye, 1811

Archie MacDonald, age 86, Isle of Skye, 1811

Alistair Munro, ferryman, Isle of Skye, 1811

In the Highlands and Islands, men did not go back to the traditional belt-kilted plaid after 1782, although it was no longer forbidden. During the late 18th century, clothing for men became more similar to that of men in the Lowlands.

At the beginning of the 19th century, clothing made in the Lowlands began to appear in the Highlands and Islands. More Gaels were doing seasonal work in the Lothians, and they brought Lowland clothing home.

The number of Gaels working away from home seasonally increased especially in the areas where there was not enough land for peasant farmers. They could not produce food for themselves and raise sheep for wool on the small amount of land that they had. In the districts where people could obtain wool, they wore clothing that had been made at home.

Travelling to harvest work in the Lothians, about 1830

Especially in the Western Isles, women made jumpers, pants, caps and stockings for the men, using wool hand-spun at home for everything. They knitted special patterns into the jumpers.

However, in the Highlands and Islands, the spinning-wheel did not appear until quite late in the history of women's work with wool. It was not common among the poorer Gaels in the 18th or the first part of the 19th century.

For a very long time, the drop-spindle was used to spin wool and linen yarn. Two types of drop-spindle were known in the Highlands and Islands. There was a notch at the top of both types. At the bottom of the one in the picture, there is a spindle-whorl. A whorl was a disc made of wood, stone, clay, horn or metal. A whorl was sometimes called a "troman" because it is slightly heavy to keep the spindle going when it is turned. There was another kind of drop-spindle commonly used. It was a stick of wood without a whorl at the bottom. The bottom was much more thick, and the weight of the bottom part kept the spindle turning.

Woman spinning linen using a drop-spindle with a whorl and a distaff, 18th century

Hats and head-coverings in St. Kilda, about 1875

There is no whorl at the bottom of the drop-spindle in these pictures.

Spinning with a drop-spindle was quite slow, but the spinner could move about and do other work at the same time, with a freedom that was impossible with a spinning-wheel. She would carry a distaff tucked under her arm with wool fleece prepared and wound round the distaff.

Big Margaret, Eriskay, 1899, with a distaff holding the wool fleece and a drop-spindle without a whorl

Angus O' Hanley, Big Alistair's son, Big Margaret and Catriona O' Hanley standing and Archie MacIsaac and Fair Kate seated with a wooden platter or baking tray, Eriskay, 1899

Women often wore dark blue wool skirts. To get dark blue, the dyer used indigo, a dyestuff that could be bought from a shop or from a travelling pack-man. For centuries, people grew woad (Isatis tinctoria) in Scotland, but they began to buy indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) imported from foreign countries.

Women also wore skirts made of drugget. Drugget had a linen warp and a wool weft and it was striped in the direction of the warp in different colours. Much later drugget made from a cotton warp became available. Women would buy drugget; it was not the sort of fabric that prople would make on a loom at home. Apparently men did not ever wear clothing made of drugget.

Mrs. MacDougall, Portree, Isle of Skye, 1811

Mary MacPherson, age 82, carrying a creel, a drop-spindle and a distaff with wool, Sleat, Isle of Skye, 1811

Married women wore a triangular white linen head-scarf or a white linen mutch (bonnet). This custom lasted until the end of the 19th century. Use of the mutch lasted longer than did use of the linen head-scarf. There was considerable variation in the style of mutch worn in different districts.

Widow MacLeod, Scalpay, Harris, 1899

Kate MacLeod, grand-daughter of Widow MacLeod, Scalpay, Harris, 1899

Euphemia MacCrimmon, St. Kilda, about 1860

The traditional ways of working with wool were preserved longer in the Western Isles than in any other place. Among many things that were associated with women's work with wool, it was the waulking (fulling) of the cloth that left the strongest impression on people of our time. Women did the waulking to make the cloth thick and to put a soft nap on it. Waulking also gave the cloth a final cleansing.

Women waulking the cloth, Eriskay, 1899

Blouses made of cotton became popular and common in the Highlands and Islands, both with short and long sleeves. Probably some of these women were wearing striped drugget skirts.

Women waulking the cloth, Eriskay, 1899

At the end of the 19th century, fabrics of different kinds became available throughout the Highlands and Islands. These women are wearing cotton blouses with buttons, patterned skirts, decorative aprons and even shoes. Kate Campbell is wearing a wool dress made by a tailor with decorative embroidered-braid trim.

Women from Eriskay, Rachel Campbell, second from left, and Mary Campbell, far right, 1899

Kate Campbell, Eriskay, 1899