Scottish late-seventeenth century male clothing: Some context for the Barrock estate finds

In 1920 the remains of a body were discovered, buried in a peat moss at Quintfall Hill on the Barrock Estate, near Keiss, Caithness, Scotland. The corporeal remains and the clothing were transferred to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh where they remain to this day. Shortly after the find, an account of the discovery appeared in the Journal of the Antiquaries of Scotland, but apart from passing reference, very little further consideration was given to these clothes. In this article, the first of two dealing with this topic, the clothing finds are described and discussed in the context of other Scottish finds of the period c. 1700 and in relation to contemporary observations and descriptions of dress found across the Scottish mainland and in its outlying islands. The garments will also be considered in relation to the dominant historical dress narrative which has been based largely on elite clothing.