History of the Johnstones, 1191-1909, with ... - Electric Scotland

92 NOTE ON SCOTLAND
entreaty. Their bedsteads were like cupboards in the wall with doors to be opened and
shut at pleasure, so as we climbed up to our beds. The husbandmen in Scotland, the
servants and almost all the country, wore coarse cloth made at home of grey or sky colour,
and flat blue caps very broad. The merchants in cities were attired in English or French
cloth of pale colour, or mingled black and blue. The gentlemen did wear English cloth
or silk or light stuffs little or nothing adorned with silk lace, much less with lace of
silver or gold, and all follow the French fashion especially at Court. Gentlewomen married
wore close upper bodies after the German fashion with large whalebone sleeves after
the French ; short cloaks like the Germans, French hoods and large falling bands about
their necks. The unmarried of all sorts go bareheaded and wear short cloaks like the
virgins of Germany. The lower sort of citizens' wives and the women of the country
wore cloaks made of a coarse stuff of two or three colours in checker work vulgarly called
pladden." He sums up, that all ranks from the Court to the country girl would not be
attired like the English, and while the women preferred to follow the German, the men
followed the French.