Arisaid

An arisaid (Earasaid
" at '' Dwelly's Gaelic Dictionary'' or ) is a draped garment historically worn in Scotland in the 17th and 18th century (and probably earlier) as part of traditional female Highland dress. It was worn as a dress – a long, feminine version of the masculine belted plaid – or as an unbelted wrap. An might be brightly coloured or made of (dun or undyed) wool. Quoting: Some colours were more expensive than others. The garment might be single-coloured, striped, or tartan"The usual habit of both sexes is the pladd; the women's much finer, the colours more lively, and the square much larger than the men's, and put me in the mind of the ancient Picts. This serves them for a veil and covers both head and body." William Sachceverell, of the Isle of Mull, in 1688; quoted i
A chronological list of tartan-related source texts
/ref> – especially of black, blue, and red stripes on white. White-based tartans influenced later dance and sometimes dress tartans, as well as household-item tartans in a style called "barred blanket" tartan.

Overview

In cut, it was a large rectangle, longer than the wearer was tall, and wider than the wearer's waist circumference. The bottom edge was ankle length and the top edge, when not being used as a hood, might hang cape-like behind. The width might be pleated until it wrapped around the waist, and the pleats held under a belt. In this case, the cloth below the belt hung like a skirt; the cloth above the belt might be pinned or pulled over the head. The plaid could also be worn unbelted; and it seems it was also later worn at waist-width .

Near the beginning of the 18th century, Martin Martin gave a description of traditional women's clothing (i.e. dating at least well into the 17th century) in the Western Islands, including the and its brooches and buckles.

The ancient dress wore by the women, and which is yet wore by some of the vulgar, called ''arisad'', is a white plaid, having a few small stripes of black, blue and red; it reached from the neck to the heels, and was tied before on the breast with a buckle of silver or brass, according to the quality of the person. I have seen some of the former of an hundred marks value; it was broad as any ordinary pewter plate, the whole curiously engraven with various animals etc. There was a lesser buckle which was wore in the middle of the larger, and above two ounces weight; it had in the centre a large piece of crystal, or some finer stone, and this was set all around with several finer stones of a lesser size. The plaid being pleated all round, was tied with a belt below the breast; the belt was of leather, and several pieces of silver intermixed with the leather like a chain. The lower end of the belt has a piece of plate about eight inches long, and three in breadth, curiously engraven; the end of which was adorned with fine stones, or pieces of red coral. They wore sleeves of scarlet cloth, closed at the end as men's vests, with gold lace round them, having plate buttons with fine stones. The head dress was a fine kerchief of linen strait (tight) about the head, hanging down the back taper-wise; a large lock of hair hangs down their cheeks above their breast, the lower end tied with a knot of ribbands.

The 1845 illustration is a reconstruction based on this description, then a century and a half old. Somewhat older drawings from life do not show details of the garment:

File:Munro officers wife.png, Scottish officer's wife in Flanders, 1743, in an ankle-length unbelted arisaid, pinned with a small fastening at the throat, worn over a bodice and possibly a skirt, with a headcloth and bonnet
File:Munro highland soldier and wife.png, Highland soldier's family, 1754; the woman wears a belted arisaid, apparently bloused and pinned on one shoulder, and she also appears to have tailored sleeves.
File:Urquhart (R. R. McIan).jpg, "Urquhart", by R. R. McIan, from James Logan's ''The Clans of the Scottish Highlands'', 1845; this reconstruction is from a written description of ~150 years earlier
File:Sinclair (R. R. McIan).jpg, "Sinclair", another reconstruction from ''The Clans of the Scottish Highlands'', 1845

Descriptions of women's plaids

One early (early 19th century) dictionary definition of describes it, in the past tense, as full-length and worn without underclothing. Martin Martin describes it a full-length and worn over a sleeved top. Later descriptions (notably Burt) use the word ''plaid'' to describe, at first, wraps that cover the whole body, and then garments that cover only from head to waist. Poorer people are described as wearing full-length blankets.

Historical example

Christina Young spun, dyed, and wove a surviving tartan plaid; it has the year "1726" and the maker's initials stitched into the edge; it dates from before Highland dress was banned (though the ban did not apply to women, anyway). A reconstruction in the Scottish Tartans Museum is displayed worn as an , although there is some doubt as to whether this is accurate.

References

{{reflist

External links

Before the Clearances: 17th- and 18th-century Scottish costume

Musings on the Arisaid and other female dress



Highland dress
17th-century fashion
18th-century fashion
Shawls and wraps
Dresses