[AnAmericanMother]

What he's done is strung together some half-truths and made some huge leaps. He's also deliberately concealing some well known information.

The story's been around for years that the "little plaid" or kilt per se -- the garment with permanently sewn-down pleats and a waistband -- was invented by a tailor in Lochaber some time in the 18th century. This website begs to differ, pointing out depictions of the small kilt occurred in the 17th century.

The "great plaid" or actually just the "plaid" however dates back as far as recorded history goes. It was a sort of do-it-yourself kilt - you laid the HUGE rectangle of cloth down on the ground, pleated it side to side, then slid your belt under at waist height, lay down, flipped the end panels over the front, buckled the belt, and stood up. (Is that perfectly clear? There are guys at the Highland Games who demonstrate this!) The left over top piece could be flung over your shoulder, used as a rain coat, or just hang behind like a tail.

The "little kilt" is just the belted plaid with the top cut off and the pleats sewn down.

And "Ossian" was exposed as a fraud in the 18th century by none other than that good old literary combatant, Dr. Johnson. This is NOT news. The fact that James McPherson decided to pass off some of his own poetry as translated from an 'ancient manuscript' does not in any way invalidate other authentic (if incomplete) sources.

So Trevor-Roper is being more than a little disingenuous here.

(Isn't this the guy that declared that the fake "Hitler diaries" were "authentic"? Some 'eminent historian', that.)

[varialectio]

Thanks for the interesting link.

Another Trevor-Roper whiff: “declining gentry” were behind the English Revolution in the 17th c. But he deserves to be remembered fondly for his scathing attack on A. J. P. Taylor’s defense of Hitler in the ‘80s.

[varialectio]

Sorry,, Taylor’s book came out in 1961. Time flies when you’re having fun.

[Mariebl]

Right. Anyone who's even heard of Ossian knows that literary critics have been taking for granted that the poetry was a fake, since forever and a day.

Likewise, the modern kilt is ... modern. However, plaid stuff that shows off a guy's hairy knees has been around forever and a day, also.
What are we going to get next? Eminent historian declares that it is unlikely that George Washington actually chopped down a cherry tree with his little hatchet.