Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HIGHLAND COSTUME SET

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

WOOL, SATIN, LEATHER

No. Pieces

14

Description

.1 SCOTTISH BONNET. WOOL, SATIN, RIBBON AND NICKEL PLATE. 2 PIECES. SCOTTISH BONNET OF KNITTED WOOL WITH SATIN RIBBON BINDING AND SATIN LINING. "WARRANTED INDIGO DYE (CREST) LOHME" INSIDE OF BONNET. BACK SEAM TORN. PIN: NICKEL PLATE AND BRASS, MAN HOLDING X "THE ROYAL SCOTS BELOW". .2 DRESS JACKET. 46(L) X 43(W) (DIMENSIONS DO NOT INCLUDE SLEEVE LENGTH). BRASS, NICKEL PLATE, WOOL, SATIN, LEATHER. SIZE: S. RED DRESS JACKET WITH NAVY BLUE CUFFS AND STAND UP COLLAR WITH WHITE TRIM. NICKEL PLATE AND BRASS BUTTONS. "WM SCULLY LTD. MONTREAL" ON BACK OF BUTTONS. THREE BUTTONS ON EACH CUFF. "REX TAILORING CO. LTD. TORONTO" LABEL ON INSIDE OF JACKET. .3 SCOTTISH CAPE. WOOL, LEATHER, CHROME. RECTANGULAR CAPE WITH PLEATED PIECE WHICH ATTACHED TO BELT IN BACK AND PLEATED PIECE WHICH COMES OVER SHOULDERS. ROYAL STEWART PLAID. ATTACHED TOP LEATHER BELT WHICH HOLDS CAPE AROUND WAIST. HANDWRITTEN TAG: "G. TIFFIN" .4 CAPE PIN. SILVER. ROUND PIN WITH THISTLES ENGRAVED ON FRONT. CENTER HAS FOUR MARKS WHICH APPEAR TO HAVE HAD SOMETHING ATTACHED TO THEM AT ONE TIME. "EPINS" STAMP MARK ON BACK. .5 SCOTTISH KILT. WOOL. SIZE: S. ROYAL STEWART PLAID KILT AND KILT PIN. THREE BUTTONS ON RIGHT SIDE. FEW SMALL HOLES. .6 SCOTTISH SPORRAN. SILVER, LEATHER, HORSE HAIR, CHAIN. 2 PIECES. SILVER TOP WITH THISTLES ENGRAVED ON FRONT. BLACK LACQUERED LEATHER BENEATH. WHITE HORSEHAIR BACKGROUND AND TWO BLACK HORSEHAIR TASSELS. BROWN LEATHER BUCKING. "MADE IN SCOTLAND" ON BACK. BLACK LEATHER BELT WHICH MAY BE A REPLACEMENT. .7 SOCKS AND GARTERS (SET). WOOL, ELASTIC, COTTON. 4 PIECES. ROYAL STEWART PLAID KNITTED WOOL SOCKS. GARTER WITH RED COTTON TABS AND ELASTIC. .8 SCOTTISH SHOE BUCKLES. 3.8 CM WTH., 6.4 CM LTH. NICKEL PLATE BUCKLES WITH PATENT LEATHER AND LEATHER INSERTS. THISTLE DESIGN. "MADE IN SCOTLAND" ON BACK.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

ETHNOGRAPHIC

History

"THE ROYAL TARTAN" THE PERSONAL TARTAN OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF SCOTLAND, NOW CONSIDERED TO BE THE ROYAL TARTAN OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING AN ETHNIC UNIFORM/HIGHLAND COSTUME SET DONATED BY R. PATTERSON. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD AND AN INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY TIFFIN, FORMER OWNER OF THE DONATED KILT. RODERICK MCKENZIE PATERSON WAS BORN AND RAISED IN DUMFERLINE, FIFESHIRE, SCOTLAND. HE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1922 AND REMAINED HERE UNTIL HIS DEATH. HE WAS MARRIED ON OCTOBER 2, 1939 TO CHRISTINA ARMITT. DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, RODERICK SERVED OVERSEAS WITH THE CALGARY HIGHLANDERS AND HE WAS LATER EMPLOYED BY THE BANK OF MONTREAL FOR 23 YEARS. HE STARTED AND DIRECTED THE BOONIE DOON PIPE BAND, WHICH IS WHERE THIS ETHNIC UNIFORM COMES FROM. RODERICK PASSED AWAY ON DECEMBER 15, 1976. AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 10, 1954 DISCUSSES THE RECENT FORMATION OF THE BONNIE DOON ASSOCIATION: “A REVIVAL OF SCOTTISH GAMES, PIPING AND DANCING IS THE AIM OF THE BONNIE DOON ASSOCIATION, RECENTLY ESTABLISHED IN THE CITY … PRESIDENT OF THE GROUP IS ROBERT POTTER … COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE MRS. RODERICK PATERSON…” THE ARTICLE CONTINUES SAYING THAT THE “FIRST ACTIVITY PLANNED BY THE GROUP IS A CORN ROAST AND DANCE ON SEPT. 24 FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE BONNIE DOON PIPE BAND.” AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON JUNE 20, 1960 “GOGGLE-EYED YOUNGSTERS” RELAYS DETAILS ABOUT THE BONNIE DOON PIPE BAND’S TRIP TO SCOTLAND: “BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, THE BONNIE DOON PIPE BAND, COMPOSED OF 16 GOGGLE-EYED YOUNGSTERS AND FOUR SLIGHTLY WEARY ADULTS WILL BE IN INVERNESS, SCOTLAND, PREPARING FOR THE COMPETITION IN THE JUNIOR SECTION OF THE WORLD PIPE BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD IN THE CAPITAL OF THE HIGHLANDS ON SATURDAY JUNE 25, AFTER A TRIP OF MORE THAN 6,000 MILES BY TRAIN, JET PLANE AND BUS … THE TRIP ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A SPECIAL CPR COACH WAS AN ADVENTURE THAT WILL LIVE WITH THE PARTY FOR MONTHS TO COME. MOST OF THE YOUNGSTERS, FOUR GIRLS AND 12 BOYS, WERE RIDING ON A TRAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME AND EVERYONE TRAVELLED LIKE LITTLE CHAMPIONS.” “KILTED BONNIE DOONS” PUBLISHED ON JUNE 24, 1960 ELABORATES FURTHER AND LISTS THE BAND MEMBERS: “THE ‘BONNIE DOONS’ SCATTERED THROUGOUT THE PLANE, LISTENED INTENTLY. ROBIN MALLALIEU, STEWART MCMILLAN, GORDIE EARL, HEATHER RENNIE, ROXY RHODES, MAUREEN MCLAUGHLIN, HARRY LOWE, AND HIS CURLY HEADED DRUMMER BROTHER, MYRIN, AGED 10, AND THE YOUNGEST IN THE BAND, ALL WATCHED WITH EYES ABUG AS TORONTO, SPRAWLED OUT BELOW, FADED INTO THE DISTANCE. ELSEWHERE IN THE PLANE THE REST OF THE BAND WAS THRILLED TO A NEW ADVENTURE AS THE PLANED ROARED ALONG TO 19,000 FEET … GEORGE SHANKS, JOHN PATERSON, LAYNE BACEDA, BOBBY SEAMAN, TOMMY PONECH, BRENDA JEACOCK, DWAYNE MATHESON AND GREG TIFFIN WERE BUSY ASKING QUESTIONS AND CHATTERING LIKE MAGPIES AS THE PLANE ROARED THROUGH THE NIGHT TO OVERTAKE THE DAWN.” A PHOTO AND CAPTION PUBLISHED ON JULY 2, 1960 INDICATE HOW WELL THE BAND PERFORMED: “YOUNGEST MEMBER OF THE ‘BONNIE DOON’ PIPE BAND FROM LETHBRIDGE, MERYIN LOWE, 10, IS SEEN BEFORE THE COMPETITIONS AT INVERNESS, SCOTLAND. HE WAS BILLED AS ‘THE DRUMMER BOY FROM ALBERTA’ IN THE SCOTTISH PRESS. THE GOODWILL AMBASSADORS FROM LETHBRIDGE CAME FOURTH IN THE JUNIOR PIPE BAND COMPETITIONS AND CREATED A PLEASING IMPRESSION WHEREVER THEY WENT.” THE FOLLOWING DETAILS COME FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY TIFFIN: “I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 12 TO 13 … [WHEN WE WENT] TO SCOTLAND FOR TWO WEEKS. THAT WAS A LOVELY TRIP, I STILL REMEMBER IT … IT WAS CALLED THE TEN THOUSAND PIPER AND AWE AND THERE WERE THAT MANY AND IT WAS A COMPETITION THAT WE HAD ENTERED AND WE WERE THE ONLY FOREIGN GROUP YOU KNOW. CONSEQUENTLY WE WERE UP AGAINST SOME PRETTY GOOD TALENT, BECAUSE WE WERE JUST KIDS AND LOTS OF THEM WERE ADULT BANDS, SO WE COMPETED JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM. AND IT WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE DRUM MAJOR, THE FELLOW THAT WALKS OUT FRONT AND HAS THE BIG MACE, ANYWAYS THEY HAVE A COMPETITION FOR THEM AND THEN THE BANDS HAVE TO PERFORM AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD A LITTLE BOOTH SET UP WHERE JUDGES SAT INSIDE AND THEY DIDN’T SEE THE BAND, BUT THEY LISTENED TO THE BAND.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT RODERICK PATERSON, GREG HAD THE FOLLOWING TO SAY: “HE WAS A STAUNCH LITTLE SCOTSMAN … HE USED TO LOSE HIS TEMPER ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN WE DIDN’T BEHAVE, BUT WE WERE 12, 13, 14 YEARS OLD, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM US?” HE CONTINUED: “ROADIE WAS A GREAT OLD CONDUCTOR, WE USED TO PRACTICE IN ROADIE’S BASEMENT, I THINK IT WAS ON 12B STREET NORTH, AND ABOUT BETWEEN 8TH AND 9TH AVE. HE HAD THIS LITTLE WARTIME HOUSE AND WE USED TO CONGREGATE DOWN THERE AND HE HAD A BIG TABLE, MUCH LIKE THIS ONE, EXCEPT A BIT SMALLER, AND THE PIPERS USED TO SIT AROUND WITH JUST THEIR CHANTERS, WHAT THEY CALL THE CHANTER, MAKES ALL THE RACKET AND THEY’D PLAY THEIR TUNE. AND THEN THE DRUMMERS, WE HAD A GLASS TOP TABLE IN THE BACK AND WE PRACTICED OUR RUDIMENTS BACK THERE. THAT WAS EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT GOING BACK AND FORTH AND WE MARCHED. EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT, WE WOULD MARCH UP AND DOWN 12B STREET NORTH.” GREG GAVE DETAILS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF DRUMMERS IN THE BAND: “THERE WERE THE BASS DRUMMER, TWO TENOR DRUMMERS WHICH IS A SMALL VERSION OF A POM-POM TYPE OF DRUM PLAYED WITH ROUNDED MALLETS, TWIN STICKS. AND THERE WERE FOUR SNARE DRUMMERS. SO THAT WOULD MAKE SEVEN AND SO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT NINE PIPERS I GUESS.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, AS WELL AS A TRANSCRIPT FROM THE INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY TIFFIN.

Catalogue Number

P19738784000

Acquisition Date

1969-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail