Figure 1.--Here we see two Welsh teenagers working in a woolen factory (May 1952). We are not sure about child labor laws at the time. The factory was located in Dinas Mawddwy, a village in Gwynedd, north Wales. The girl wears a plaid skirt and the boy wears a kilt which looks like a Scottish plaid. We are not sure why he is wearing a kilt. Perhaps it was because kilts ahd skirts were made at the factory. We do not know if he normally wore a kilt or if he and other Welsh boys wore kilts to school. W have not yet noted this in the photographic record. Notice that he is also wearing school sandals and knee socks which have fallen down. A British reader writes, "In referencse to these two Welsh teenagers working, or ostensibly working, in a woolen will in Dinas Mawddwy. I doubt if they were part of the regular workforce there. It seems unlikely, especially given that the boy is wearing a white shirt and a waistcoat. I suggest they were there on a visit. I also think it unlikely, if he were working, that he would wear school sandals and socks, or that either he or the girl, who may well be his sister, would wear a kilt or a tartan dress for the purpose. If I am right about this, then the two children may not be Welsh at all, but Scots on some kind of visit, perhaps a school visit. The boy's tartan certainly looks Scots." We thought that the chikldren might be working after school in a small family enterprise, but our British reader may well be correct..

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."

National Dress

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.

Usage

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."

Types

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.

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Created: 7:16 AM 5/4/2012
Last updated: 11:30 AM 10/13/2014