Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 39 on 23/06/2008.

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Everything you need to know about Highland Weaponary

In an age when governments are doing their best to clamp down on the carrying of knives, it is perhaps apposite to reflect on the lawless times of long ago when individuals were obliged to carry some sort of weapon in order to defend themselves against attack. But there was more to this than self-protection. In medieval times, the sword and its accessories were seen as symbols of knightly chivalry.

Following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the newly crowned King Robert I of Scotland bestowed weaponry as gifts upon his supporters. For example, to his loyal follower Sir Henry St Clair of Herdmanstone, he gave a sword which was inscribed with the words Le Roi me donne, St Clair me porte – ‘The King gave me, St Clair wields me.’ Robert the Bruce’s own four-handed, five foot long broadsword remains in the possession of his kinsman, the 11th Earl of Elgin. Another sword – a Claymore with four ‘quillons’, or cross-guards on the handle, is housed in the National Museum of Scotland and, despite its appearance of dating from a later period, also claims to have belonged to King Robert.

Of course, it is important to remember that during the reign of Robert the Bruce, Highland dress did not exist as we know it today. Medieval battles such as Bannockburn were fought wearing body armour, chain mail and helmets with visors – a very different image from the line-up of prancing kilts depicted in the Hollywood film Braveheart. As the centuries passed, however, the tunic and tartan accessor.....

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By Sally Toms

Section : Scotland Life

Page number : 74