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Wales unlike other parts of the United Kingdom has no national dress. The destinctive red cloaks and tall hats for women were 19th century creations based on styles worn by village women at the time. There is no comparable outfit for men. We have no historical information about Welsh kilts. Many believe a Welsh kilt has never existed. We do not know if the Welsh/Kelts wore kilts in ancient or medieval times. Wales is part of the Celtic fringe of Europe. It was the area to which the invading Anglo-Saxon tribes drove the Roman-Celts after the departure of the Roman Legions. But until this Scotland was not unhabited by the Celts, but war-like tribes of Picts and others. As far as we can tell, kilts were not commonly worn in Wales. As far as we know, kilts were not commonly worn by the Welsh in modern times. We note unidentified children wearing kilts. We thought it was Scottish, but it could be Welsh. The bonnets the girls are wearing look a little Welsh to us, but our British readers will know more about this. We're not sure to what extent Welsh boys wore kilts. We do note a Welsh boy working in a weaving facility during the 1950s. The kilt is often seen as a kind of Celtic garment rather than just Scottish. And for that reason as the Welsh in recent years have become more interested in reconnecting with their Celtic roots nationalism is becoming more pronounced. And some see the kilt as a way of expressing their Celtic heritage. We note Welsh sources sometimes using the term 'cilt'. There seems to be little or no difference with Scottish and Irish kilts. One Welsh source tells us, "Well apart from the tartan, the only other difference is that the fabric can sometimes be woven in such a way as to not have a selvage (the uncut edge of the fabric as it comes out of the loom) and in such a case the kilt then has to be hemmed. I am reliably informed that hemming the kilt does not in any way spoil how the garment hangs, or how it looks so this need not be a deterrent if you are contemplating buying one. Also these tartans tend to be woven a litter looser, and therefore can have a softer feel than the Scottish or Irish tartans."
Wales unlike other parts of the United Kingdom has no widely recognized national dress. The destinctive red cloaks and tall hats for women were 19th century creations based on styles worn by village women at the time. There is no comparable outfit for men. We have no historical information about Welsh kilts. Many believe a Welsh kilt has never existed. We do not know if the Welsh/Kelts wore kilts in ancient or medieval times. Wales is part of the Celtic fringe of Europe. It was the area to which the invading Anglo-Saxon tribes drove the Roman-Celts after the departure of the Roman Legions (5th-6th centuries AD). But until this Scotland was not unhabited by the Celts, but war-like like tribes of Picts and others. As far as we can tell, kilts were not commonly worn in Wales. As far as we know, kilts were not commonly worn by the Welsh in modern times. We note unidentified children wearing kilts. We thought it was Scottish, but it could be Welsh. The bonnets the girls are wearing look a little Welsh to us, but our British readers will know more about this.
We're not sure to what extent Welsh boys wore kilts. We do note a Welsh boy working in a weaving facility during the 1950s. The kilt is often seen as a kind of Celtic garment rather than just Scottish. And for that reason as the Welsh in recent years have become more interested in reconnecting with their Celtic roots nationalism is becoming more pronounced. And some see the kilt as a way of expressing their Celtic heritage. We note Welsh sources sometimes using the term 'cilt'. There seems to be little or no difference with Scottih and Irish kilts. One Welsh source tells us, "Well apart from the tartan, the only other difference is that the fabric can sometimes be woven in such a way as to not have a selvage (the uncut edge of the fabric as it comes out of the loom) and in such a case the kilt then has to be hemmed. I am reliably informed that hemming the kilt does not in any way spoil how the garment hangs, or how it looks so this need not be a deterrent if you are contemplating buying one. Also these tartans tend to be woven a litter looser, and therefore can have a softer feel than the Scottish or Irish tartans."
There are two basic types of kilt outfits worn by boys. One is the Highland kilt most notable in Scotland and popularized by Queen Victoria and the royal family. This is the true kilt as woirn iun Scotland. Two is the kilt suit, perhaps most commonly worn in America than either Scotland or England. Many would not consider this a true kilt. We notice that both these garments were worn in England and we suspect that conventions were very similar in Wales. Other clothing trends were similar. Given our small Welsh archives, however, we can not yet make any valid assessments of Weksh trends and conventions. Thus the images we have found may well be simoly a reldection of English fashion trends insored by Queen Victoria than Celtic-related trend of wearing kilts or other skirtd garments in Wales.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
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[The 1900s]
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[The 1920s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Lace collar types]
[Knicker suits]
[Knee pants]
[Short pants suits]
[Socks]
[Eton suits]
[Jacket and trousers]
[Tunic]
[School sandals]
[Flat caps]
[Sailor suits]
[Pinafores]
[Three-quarter socks]
[Strap shoes]
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