Scots fought 'in bright yellow war shirts not Braveheart kilts'

Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | 28 Jun 2009 | Simon Johnson

[PotatoHeadMick]

Medieval Scottish soldiers fought wearing bright yellow war shirts dyed in horse urine rather than the tartan plaid depicted in the film Braveheart, according to new research.

Historian Fergus Cannan states that the Scots armies who fought in battles like Bannockburn, and Flodden Field would have looked very different to the way they have traditionally been depicted.

Instead of kilts, he said they wore saffron-coloured tunics called "leine croich" and used a range of ingredients to get the boldest possible colours.

[SunkenCiv]

I know where this is going...

[Monkey Face]

*e-vil laughter*

[Monkey Face]

I think you’re welcome. Just stay away from yellow tunics....

[Ann de IL]

In the book he speaks of being a Republican and of the flack he got from various relatives. He served in the Reagan administration and when he left Reagan noted that he would not be missed. Some think he was changing even then or that the problems that caused him to leave left some bitterness and he saw the change of parties as a way to get even.

I certainly do not know the answer as to what happened, just some sorrow that the man who wrote that book seems to have turned his back on the basic ideas he presented in it.

[philled]

Mere speculation on my behalf but I wonder if some of the seeds of his partisanship came from his ultimate departure as Navy Secretary. He resisted the politically motivated shrinking of the navy and may have felt that he was sold down the river before he resigned. One of his books, Fields of Fire, was on the unoffical required reading list of Marine officers during his tenure.

He's a smart man and a leader. It pains me to see him embraced by the Dems and his testy exchange with President Bush. He is aligning himself with those that despised him- like the law school professor he had that tried to make an example of him and made the test about a soldier trying to sneak jade back in the bodies of his fallen troops.

Regardless, he is a good man and is owed a debt of gratitude. This nation was born and endures because of men like him. Hopefully he will be able to teach his Democrat brethren the meanings of honor, courage, and commitment.

[Sensei Ern]

Please, send me a PM telling me what that pic is from.

[cripplecreek]

I just searched “underwear on head” or something similar. Can’t really remember.

[potlatch]

Good post, don’t think I ever watched him in anything.

[Old Student]

“Before synthetics all dyes came from nature...Some even from dried bugs, but I never heard of horse urine being used for dye...Not strong enough except in smell...Even bark from trees were used for dye....”

I don’t know about using urine as dye, but IIRC, it IS used to fix the dye. Can’t remember what the heck... OH, “mordant” is what I remember it being called in the book(s) I read... Foxfire? Who knows...

[Old Student]

Guess I really should read to the end of the thread before posting... ;)

[Pilsner]

I don’t know about using urine as dye, but IIRC, it IS used to fix the dye

Yeah, The Worst Jobs in History had a segment on that. Collect urine. Age it a few weeks. Pour into large bucket. Dump in freshly woven wool cloth. Tread on said cloth, in bucket of urine, for several hours.

Apparently the ammonia in the urine removed the lanolin from the wool, and did something else that was beneficial. The name for this was "fulling" and the name "Fuller" means one who fulls.

[Pilsner]

Re: James Webb I certainly do not know the answer as to what happened, just some sorrow that the man who wrote that book seems to have turned his back on the basic ideas he presented in it.

I wonder what happened to that James Webb too. Best guess:

[colorcountry]

Oooh please add me to the Pipes and Drums ping list.

Thanks in advance.

[devolve]

.

He was mostly in the “Highlander” movies

I have seen him in a few more

His accent is not Scottish.....

[Vermont Lt]

I gotta tell ya.....if I had to run across the meadow and go after someone with a big sword or war hammer, you’d see a little yellow and brown tint to my garment as well.

Very messy stuff.

[potlatch]

I’d probably have liked him if I had seen him in movies. He’s just a mean looking guy, lol.

[devolve]

.

He played his Highlander part with a good touch of lighthearted humor

[sionnsar]

Fàilte (Welcome)! You are now a member in good standing of the Pipes & Drums of Free Republic ping list.

[potlatch]

Lol, anyone wearing a Kilt better have some humor. I have a photo of two little boys lying on the ground as a parade goes by.....

No patent leather shoes for them!

[colorcountry]

MY HOPE IS CONSTANT IN THEE.

I come from a sept of Clan Donald