Highland dirk

The Scottish dirk (“Highland dirk”, Scottish Gaelic: Biodag: dagger) is the traditional and ceremonial sidearm of the officers of Scottish Highland regiments. The development of the Scottish dirk as a weapon, beginning in the second half of the 17th century (during the Jacobite Rising), is a continuation of the 16th-century bullock/roundel dagger—narrow-bladed and the handle has the shape of bullocks.

Early dirk blades were long and single-edged with “gimping” of the blade spine, an effect that makes the spine of the blade look like it has dull saw teeth. The hilts were normally of wood, and the leather sheaths often contained pockets for by-knives and forks.

The earliest “traditional” dirks seem to appear shortly after the life of Oliver Cromwell ended in 1658. The knot-work carving on the grips became intricate with small studs appearing in the gaps of the knot-work. Blades of the old single-edge tapered form made solely for dirks still existed, though cut-down sword blades. This could be an early example of recycling for cost purposes, though most experts agree it was done more because the imported blades were better tempered than those of local manufacture. When present, pockets for by-knives and forks were also metal bound, however, rather than being carried side-by-side, the by-knife/fork pair began to be carried one beneath the other. Dirks of this form enjoyed their heyday for less than a century. The disaster at Culloden in 1745 led to prohibitions of wearing highland dress and accoutrements by those not in the army.

The final stages of the dirk show a marked change from the early weapons becoming “a dress accessory.” By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the shape of the grip changed from the more cylindrical form handed down by the bullock to a shape intended to represent the thistle, the floral emblem of Scotland. The studs in the knot-work were replaced with more fashionable nails and tacks of brass and silver, sometimes gilt. The carving on the grips also evolved (or degenerated according to some historians), moving from interwoven bands of knot-work to a style looking much like a basket weave. Fancier fittings for both grip and scabbard, often of silver, became even more common after 1800. Dirks of this late form were issued to Highland regiments after the ‘45.

Dirk Dance