16thC Distraction - Huntly's men

Huntly's Men.

The Earl of Huntly was the preeminent nobleman in North East Scotland. He controlled or had influence over most of what is now Aberdeenshire, parts of Moray and Badenoch. Until however his family began to fall from favour. 

At Corrichie, Huntly led between 500-800 men. Some were drawn from his family heartlands around Strathbogie (now itself called Huntly), some from Donside and Deeside and some from further afield. However despite being associated with the "clan" Gordon, Huntly's force should not be considered as one made of Highlanders. 

The most populous parts of the areas under Huntly's influence and the areas where he was able to draw his men were not the highlands. Some were only a few miles from Aberdeen. It's probably that only the men supplied by the Earl of Sutherland and some of the more distant tenants from Huntlys own lands around Ruthven and Badenoch were Gaelic speaking highlanders. The rest were lowland farmers and tenants, servants and liege men who owed too many favours or were too closely involved to say no to being called out without worry about the consequences. 

What did a 16thC Highlander look like? In the furthest west amongst the isles they probably looked much like the Irish with whom they shared a common culture and close language. They wore a saffron or undyed linen tunic called a leine. To say it's simply a shirt isn't doing it justice. They probably had a cloak, mostly likely plaid or tweed patterned, which they may have belted about their body and pinned over the shoulder. The redshanks who fought in Ireland at this time probably looked most like your typical highland Scot. The more contact they had with lowland Scots the more this style of clothing would have been mixed with doublets, hose, beret like bonnets, etc. Their language would have been the main differentiator and as time went on, religion began to differ too. 

This is a great source of images for Scots of all varieties - http://warfare.cf/Scot.htm

These chaps http://www.claiomh.ie/16th-century-c-1504-1607.html and this guy in particular are good impressions of highland warriors. 

Mark Hanna - from the Redshank blog 

(http://theredshank.blogspot.com/2013/04/redshank-dress-in-1500s-and-early-1600s.html)

For modern illustrations of Scots of the period, specifically the lowlanders, have a look at Border Reiver 1513-1603 in the Osprey Elite series. It's illustrations are excellent and the photos of reenactors particularly good.

How to represent this in the table top. 

Wargamers are well used to the concept of Jacobite clan units comprising a front rank of gentlemen and a rear rank of humblies with everything else in between the two. Huntly's men should be portrayed similarly. The front ranks of his units should be lowlanders wearing normal clothing, equipped with a pole arm , long spear, or sword and targe (no basket hilted claymores though) . Border Reivers and Elizabethan English are best for these. The ex-Vendel castings D'Arlo /Thistle and Rose figures Hoka-Hey Miniatures sculpted by Jim Bowen and English Tudor ranges from TAG are the best. 

The rest of the unit, depending on its origins should be more lowland foot from the same ranges, or some leine wearing caterans preferably draped in a plaid cloak. This isn't easy as no one does highland Scots for this period in 28mm. Elizabethan Irish, kern and possibly a few lochaber axe, bow or spear armed ECW Highlanders would have to do for the rear ranks. Perry and Antediluvian do very nice Irish and Eureka and Foundry have a few ECW Scots who would suit. 

Perry WOTR Kern mixed with ex Vendel figures. One or two of my units for Huntly's force will have highland Scots amongst them the others will be lowlanders