Triad Highland Games Weapons

John Campbell, writing in 1752 during a time when Highlanders were banned from carrying weapons, described the typical arsenal of a Highland warrior as follows:

“…to complete this grand Dress, they wear a broad Sword, which they call a Clymore, a Stoke of which , delivered from one of their Hands, would be sufficient to chop off the Head of the strongest Champion that ever lived; they wear a pair of Pistols, and a Durk, which resembles a Dagger, intended chiefly for Stabbing; this Weapon hangs before in a Scabbard, along with a Knife and Fork, and a Purse for their Money, which they term a Sparren; next they have a Large Powder Horn, that they sling cross their Shoulders, with a small Belt full of brass nails; and to finish the Dress, they wear a Target, composed of Leather, Wood and Brass, and which is so strong, that no Ball can penetrate it…Thus accoutered they make a most splendid and glorious Appearance, it being esteemed by all Judges to be the most heroic and majestic habit ever wore by any Nation…”

Typical Highlander outfit.

Conspicuously absent from his description is the musket, the weapon that was carried by many Highlanders and which brought about their defeat at Culloden.

This was written six years after the failure of the last Jacobite rebellion and five years after the proscription of arms and Highland dress went into effect, so Mr. Campbell was describing what used to be, not what was in use at the time of his work.

What Campbell describes are the arms of a front rank Highland fighting man of the era. In actuality very few Highlanders ever attained sufficient economic and social status to carry the full compliment of weapons and had to content themselves with a dirk or musket, or perhaps a sword handed down from a forbearer. But, for the purpose of this piece, we will describe the IDEAL set of arms for the Highlander.

Prior to the mid-17^th C., the Highlander was probably armed in a manner similar to his counterparts throughout Great Britain. He would have carried a sword of some sort, perhaps a musket or fowling piece and, most certainly, a dirk or dagger. He might have even carried a bow and quiver of arrows as late as the 1670s, when archery was still practiced and the equipment required was readily available and affordable. Armor was scarce in the Highlands, even in the early times, which led to the development of tactics suitable to light, mobile infantry.

The genesis of the front rank Highlander was probably the Irish kern of the mid-17^th century. Military historians now believe that the famous “Highland Charge”, the headlong assault by the Highland fighters, stopping only to fire their muskets, then at the enemy with broadsword and dirk, may have been perfected by Alasdair McColla, a County Antrim MacDonald, who was a leader of the Loyalist forces during the 1650s.

McColla is generally credited with introducing firearms and targes into the mix, as the frontal assault was common throughout the history of the Celtic warrior and was still, in 1746, the tactic of choice of Highland regiments.

For the sake of this piece, we will confine our discussion to the arms to be found on the front rank Highlander from the end of the 17^th century, to the last gasp of the Clansmen at Culloden on April 16, 1746.

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THE MUSKET

By 1700 and earlier as well, most Highlanders found a way to have access to a long arm. The smoothbore musket or fowling piece, fit the bill nicely. It could be loaded with a single ball or shot, for hunting red deer or fowl, respectively. It could also be loaded with either type of ammunition for self-defense.

Muskets were apparently never made in Scotland in any quantity, nor were many other long guns during the heyday of the Highlander. At the present time, only 28 examples of Scottish long guns made during the era are still extant. For this reason most long arms were probably imported or, after the various disarming acts, smuggled into Scotland.

The typical musket had a flintlock ignition, a long barrel (as much as 50 inches) which was smooth bored, and brass or steel fittings. Caliber varied widely, but the military muskets of the day were generally in the .75 inch range. They were quite heavy, generally weighing about ten pounds and, because of the smooth bore, not very accurate beyond 50 yards.

Fowling pieces were civilian firearms, which differed somewhat in style and execution, and were not equipped to handle a bayonet. They were generally lighter, having thinner barrels and more graceful stocks. Accuracy with ball ammunition was in line with that of the military musket.

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PISTOLS

The Highlander who could afford it, and there were relatively few who could, carried one or more pistols clipped to his cross or waist belt.

The all-metal pistol of the late 17^th to late 18^th Century is strongly identified with the Highlander. These pistols were made in several locations throughout Scotland, but the most famous center for firearms making was in Doune, near the Highland Line. Several smiths plied their trade in Doune, including Alexander and John Campbell, John Christie (who later moved to Stirling) and the Murdochs.

These pistols are made entirely of metal, either iron or brass (referred to as “gun metal”). They had flintlock ignition, a rams horn shape on the end of the grip, a ball-shaped trigger without a trigger guard and long barrels. They were also smooth bored in various calibers, but typically in the range of .50 inch. Entire pistols were sometimes covered with elaborate engraving, gold and silver inlays. But, for the average Highlander a plain but serviceable handgun would do

Other pistols were also found in the Highlands, including horse pistols and sea service pistols. Any weapon that could be obtained would be put to use.

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THE DIRK

The Highland dirk, which was a descendant of the medieval knight’s dagger, was carried by most every man of the day. They were easily crafted by the local blacksmith and consequently inexpensive enough to be purchased by even the most humble drover or crofter.

Dirks, like most other Highland weapons, varied widely in style and dimension. However, in general it can be said that the dirk had a long blade, with a single edge, which tapered to a point. There was sometimes a false edge but the blades almost always were “backed” meaning they were forged with a triangular-shaped cross section. Many early examples had a fuller, or shallow groove, running along the backs of the blades for most of their length. A number of dirks have been discovered that were made from the points of (apparently) broken swords. Dirk handle style and material also varied considerably. Dirks have been found with brass and even some pewter handles. Dirk makers also used various hardwoods, and bone and antler handles have survived. Wooden handles were frequently carved in elaborate knot work designs. Finally, on wooden-handled dirks at least, there was almost always a pommel cap made of brass or other metal.

The dirk was carried in a leather sheath hanging on the front of the waist belt next to the sporran. The purpose of carrying there was so that it could be cross drawn by the user with his “targe hand”, meaning the hand on the arm which bore his shield. The dirk was held in that hand while the sword was in the other hand. Some dirk sheaths held smaller knives or even knives and forks in special sheaths formed on the outside of the dirk sheath.

The dirk survived the “’45” as a weapon. Even during the period when arms were proscribed, the government permitted the carrying of dirks by drovers and other persons who might need to defend themselves.

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THE TARGE

The “targe” or “target” was a round wooden shield carried by Highland soldiers. Most targes are 18 inches in diameter, made of several layers of thin wood laid cross grain, covered with bull hide and decorated with brass tacks and brass plates. Some targes have been found with elaborate designs carved into the leather covers. Many targes were equipped with a central “boss” or metal dome, which had a hole in the middle. An iron spike, of varying length, was inserted into this aperture, which was threaded. The purpose of the spike appears to have been to assist in the parrying of the opponent’s sword or bayonet, although conceivably a spiked targe could also be used as a weapon.

The back of the targe was outfitted with arm and hand strap, a leather strap for carrying the shield on the back while on the march, and a sheath for the spike, which was removed when not in use.

There are accounts which insist that many targes were bullet proof. A detailed description of one such targe by Alexander Fletcher of Saltoun, written in 1716, describes the use of cork and steel plates along with hard-packed wool to make the targe withstand hits from musket balls. While this type of construction may provide some protection from bullets, it also adds weight and tends to make the targe less useful in its main context, that of a shield against the bayonet and sword.

Contrary to one’s first impression, the targe is not a holdover from medieval times when most soldiers carried a shield. Shields were generally abandoned when the use of plate armor became more wide spread, and the two-handed sword came into vogue. It appears that the targe appeared, or perhaps reappeared, some time around the early 17^th C. in Ireland, and spread to the Highlands from there. So, it was in use, abandoned and was then put back into use. It is also the one piece of Highland equipment that did not survive the end of the clan system.

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THE SWORD

The sword was the favorite weapon of the Highland warrior, at least the ones who could afford to buy such a blade. Swords were actually relatively scarce from earliest times and were never the weapon of the common man. By the time of the last Jacobite rebellion the sword as a primary weapon was finished, although it might be difficult to convince the average redcoat recruit of that. A large number of them had run screaming from the onslaught of sword-waiving Highlanders at Prestonpans and Falkirk.

The sword most commonly associated with the Highlander is the basket hilted broadsword. These swords, while also used by English troops (dragoons in particular), had been the most common pattern in use in the Highlands of Scotland since the early 17^th Century.

Broadswords were equipped with a double edged blade. Blade length varied, as did width. But, in general it can be said that these swords had blades that were long, over 30 inches, and wide, as much as two inches at the joining of blade and guard. Among common characteristics of the blades were a fuller, or groove running some length from the hilt down the blade. The interesting thing about the blades used in most Scottish swords was their origin; nearly all of them were made outside the country, with German blades from Solingen being most common. Early in the game the smiths who produced these blades began to mark them with the name “Andrea Farara” or some variant of that spelling. Highlanders came to accept the name, which belonged to a reputed 16^th C. Italian sword smith, as a mark of quality, and often demanded blades so marked.

Broadswords were not the only type of blade in use. The backsword, a single-edged blade, was also popular. It was somewhat lighter than the broadsword but was still a weapon to be reckoned with.

The most distinguishing characteristic of the Highlander’s sword was its hilt. The preferred style was the “basket hilt” which, as the name implies, enclosed the hand for protection. These hilts were mostly made in Scotland and the area around Glasgow and Stirling became the center of this industry. The hilts were most often made of steel, although brass hilts were also produced, and some very fancy presentation pieces had silver hilts. Construction of the hilts involved forge welding rods, strips and plates together. The plates were almost always pierced and the piercings were filed into various shapes, with hearts and crosses being popular. While decoration was the choice of the maker or, perhaps the buyer, the hilt maker followed a general pattern. Most hilts came equipped with quillons, thumb and wrist guards, and were secured to the tang of the blade with a pommel cap. The hilt was provided with a leather liner, often covered on the outside with red woolen cloth (but never tartan), to protect the hand from chafing. Sometimes a bit of decorative fringe was added to the pommel cap.

The sword was carried suspended on a “baldric“, or shoulder belt. Sword sheaths were equipped with “lockets” which were projections or buttons that fit through a slit cut in the frog, or leather carrying strap at the end of the baldric

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A more detailed look at the Highlander’s weapons and fighting techniques is available from Bold Blades, www.boldblades.com, in the form of Weapons and Tactics of the Scottish Highlander of the 18^th Century, by the author of this piece. It is available in CD-ROM format and is illustrated with full color photos of reproduction and antique weapons.

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