Sgian Dubhs

The Sgian Dubh Origins

The sgian dubh is a small ceremonial knife worn in the stocking of the Traditional Highland Dress (Carpenter, 2023). It first appeared as a longer, simplistic tool with a round antler handle. It developed features of its partner blade, the dirk, including traditional basket weave carving and ebony or ivory handles. These handles were flattened to rest against the leg. It was adopted by the military and evolved elaborate adornment. Where earlier iterations featured a clipped point blade, the later sgian dubhs feature a spear point and scalloped file marks (MacCorkill, no date).  

In later years the sgian dubhs featured in the uniform of the Highland regiments of the British army (Scobie, 1921) resulting in a stable market for the craft with high demand for regimented designs. The sgian dubh was originally considered a blade of the lower-class (Grancsay, 1931). When it was included in military dress there was some initial objection from colonels that saw it as “the weapon of a ghillie and not of a gentleman” (Scobie, 1921). However, it is later described as a common weapon of noblemen (Cannan, 2009, p. 95) showing a shift occurred in its status and market with the increase in Scottish romanticism (MacCorkill, no date). Paintings of the upper-class wearing sgian dubhs can be seen from the start of the 19th century (National Galleries Scotland, no date).

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The sgian dubh has changed forms throughout history, with a flatter handle, different blade shape and a shift in market and purpose due to its pairing with the dirk and its introduction to military uniform. However, the true origins of the blade are complex and debated.

The history of Scotland has impacted on documentation of Scottish arms, as described by James Charles Mcnab of Mcnab: “With its violent and war-torn history, the impact of arms and armour and their production in both the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland cannot be exaggerated. It is therefore surprising that so few scholars of Scottish history have paid anything but passing attention to the subject” (Cannan, 2009, p. 6). The 1931 Museum of Modern Art Publication states: “In trying to seek something of the origin and history of the Scottish stocking knife (sgian dubh, or black knife) one is beset with difficulties. Notices concerning it are scattered in inaccessible works, and there is little material to help one assign dates to extant examples” (Grancsay, 1931). These sentiments demonstrate the main issue with identifying the origins is the lack of collated, reliable documentation available. However, a variety of theories have been developed.

One such theory suggests it originated with the 17th and 18th century Scottish tradition of revealing arms when entering a host’s home. A dagger called the sgian-achlais (or armpit dagger) was worn concealed in the upper sleeve of the jacket beside the armpit. This would have been removed from its hiding place and tucked into the top of the stocking. The Scot was still armed if they needed self-defence, but there was no deception or threat to the host as the blade was visible 13 (Hayward & Stott, 2020). This placement of the blade in the stocking would then have developed into the recognisable sgian dubh placement (Grancsay, 1931).

Some argue that the secret to the sgian dubhs origin comes from the translation of its name to ‘black dagger.’ Black could translate to ‘secret,’ referring to the blades typical nature of being hidden. Others argue the name refers to the dark coloured wood used on some early sgian dubh handles.

An alternative theory suggests that the sgian dubh developed from hunting knives called Gralloch knives. They feature antler handles as seen on earlier sgian dubhs which gives some credit to this idea. They were also used by the hunter’s ‘ghillie’, meaning ‘boy’ in Gaelic (MacCorkill, no date). This is reminiscent of language used to describe the sgian dubh as the “weapon of a ghillie and not of a gentleman” upon its inclusion in military garb (Scobie, 1921).

Some argue the sgian dubh developed from the Highland dagger and the Drover’s knife, an earlier form of Gralloch knife. This theory suggests the sgian dubh was only formalised into the blade recognised today with the standardisation of Highland Regimental forms in the 19th century.

Due to the lack of reliable evidence available on the origins of the sgian dubh, these theories are generally based on circumstantial evidence and so cannot currently be proven or disproven. What can be concluded is that the heritage of the blade is rich and complex, but at risk of embellishment and romanticism in the absence of accurate history.

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The sgian dubh is ingrained in Scottish history, so the hardships of Scotland have impacted the blade. A notable challenge faced by the sgian dubh was the legal implications of the Jacobite uprisings. This period of unrest resulted in the implementation of the Highland Services Act 1715 and the Act of Proscription 1746 (Cannan, 2009, p. 91). These acts known as the Disarming Act and Dress Act included limitations on the use of weapons and traditional highland dress in Scotland, impacting the craft of sgian dubhs.

The clan way of life had already been on the decline before these acts. “Everywhere the story was the same – history had moved briskly on, and the age of the clan gobha and the ‘men of art’ came to an end” (Cannan, 2009, p. 55). These legal limitations on the highland dress still had a negative impact, with an oath against the use of arms or wearing of highland dress being specifically designed to prey on the values of the Highlanders: family ties, the connection to their land and ancestors, and the importance of bravery. These strong values are held against the person giving this oath, emphasising the force with which these laws were initially maintained and the negative impact on the Scots (North, 1892). It is suggested however that this enforcement was not applied to the upper-class, which could support the shift to an upper-class market (UK Parliament, 2021).

Recorded moments of defiance demonstrate recognisable Scottish spirit. Instead of tartan kilts, blue green or red cloth was worn like a skirt. Some stitched together the kilt to make it resemble 18 trousers, or just carried around trousers as the law did not state where on the body they should be worn. There was defiance to the Disarming Act too, with sticks being carried in the place of dirks or sgian dubhs (North, 1892). Despite less law enforcement by the 1760s (UK Parliament, 2021) and defiant Scottish spirit, the Scottish Highland Dress could not be maintained. The subsequent generation of Scottish people were accustomed to the laws, so few learned the craft of banned objects. By the lifting of the law in 1782, few returned to the traditional dress (North, 1892).

As the clan period reached its close and Highland Dress was worn less, Scottish sgian dubh making was endangered. However, the inclusion of the sgian dubh in the uniform of the highland regiments created a market that contributed to its survival. “In time many absurd and meaningless changes and innovations were made in the uniform of the army … stocking knives were introduced, much against the wishes of at least one Highland colonel (Sir John Macdonald)” (Scobie, 1921). This negative review of the sgian dubhs inclusion in the military uniform could be influenced by the perception of the blade after the Disarming Act or could support MacDonald’s theory that suggests the sgian dubh was a new invention. What can be learned is that changes made in the military garb influenced civilian dress.

Sgian dubh designs and popularity have also shifted through more recent history. Queen Victoria promoted a romantic revival of Scottish dress. “After Victoria arrived, every noble and large castle or mansion owner got his very own tartan and had made for his family; the “strange Highland Dress” he so despised prior to Victoria. Victoria made it the fashionable thing to do” (MacCorkill, no date). This fondness for Scottish attire included the sgian dubh, leading to highly decorative versions being crafted through her reign (Carpenter, 2023).

World War 1 often saw the inclusion of the sgian dubh as part of the Scottish regiments military garb, which influenced their design. After World War 1 the military sgian dubhs production reduced, but current sgian dubh designs are influenced by this period. This shows the sgian dubhs historic adaptation to challenges, each adding to its rich history.

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Sgian Dubhs may no longer be used in the way they once were, and have changed greatly over their history, but the blade maintains its Scottish spirit and heritage. Worn tucked into the sock alongside the kilt, often to ceilidhs or special events, the sgian dubh is a staple of Scottish traditional dress. A little knife that is quite, distinctly, Scottish.