Historical references for a jacket/coat/doublet worn with a belted plaid (great kilt) in the Scottish Highlands prior to 1700.
This is before the first clear documentation for the belted plaid (1594), but certainly indicates what was worn immediately before its appearance.
Bishop Leslie, quoted in McClintock, pp. 113-114: "All, both nobles and common people, wore mantles of one sort (except that the nobles preferred those of several colours). They were long and flowing, but capable of being neatly gathered up at pleasure into folds.... The rest of their garments consisted of a short woolen jacket, with sleeves open below for the throwing of their darts....They made also of linen very large shirts, with numerous folds and wide sleeves, which flowed abroad loosely to their knees." (Emphasis mine).
John Taylor, The Pennylesse Pilgrimage: "a jerkin of the same stuffe that their hose is of, their garters being bands or wreathes of hay or straw, with a plead about their shoulders, which is a mantle of divers colours,..."
"Many Highlanders were obvserved in this town (Leith), in their plaids, many without doublets, and those who have doublets have a kind of loose flap garment about their breech, their knees bare." Sir William Brereton, see Quotes concerning Scottish Attire.
Highlanders with "long hanging sleeves", i.e. the doublets must therefore have had sleeves opening below, and, in this case, unbuttoned. McClintock, p. 127
"Above their shirt they have a single coat, reaching no farther than the navel. Their uppermost Garment is a loose Cloke of several Ells, striped and party colour'd, which they gird breadth-wise with a leather Belt, so as it scarce covers the knees...." Robert Gordon of Straloch, quoted in McClintock, p. 117
"Nor loose their doublet...." - William Cleland, quoted in McClintock, p. 127.
Martin Martin, "A Late Voyage to St. Kilda". "... the men at this day wear a short doublet reaching to their waste, about that a double plait of plad, both ends join'd together with the bone of a fulmar; this plad reaches no further than their knees, and is above the haunches girt about with a belt of leather;..."
H. F. McClintock, Old Irish and Highland Dress, with notes on that of the Isle of Man, Dundalk, Dundalgan Press, 1943. CD edition http://www.scotpress.com/, 2003.
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