Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney

At the table

Diet of pottage and oats

Families frequently ate pottage, a thick soup or stew made from whatever was available, such as oats, peas, beans, and vegetables like cabbage or leeks. Oat-based foods like porridge and bannocks—rough, thick cakes—formed the core of their daily diet.

What people wore

Saffron-Dyed Shirts and Waterproof Coatings

Highlanders commonly wore a long linen shirt dyed with saffron as their primary garment, sometimes coating the fabric with wax, tallow, or even tar to make it damp-proof.

Getting around

Walking and horses were primary transport

Ordinary people primarily traveled on foot, while horses were used by the wealthy; wheeled vehicles were rare and not used for general passenger travel. For river crossings, people relied on ferries or stepping stones rather than bridges.

What it cost

High Cost of Subsistence Goods

Rising costs of basic goods hit the poor harder than the rich because subsistence households relied heavily on expensive domestic agricultural products like grain and ale.

Music

Festivals, dances, and popular music

Ordinary people enjoyed diverse dances such as ring dances, where men and women held hands, and country dances like the flail or the speyde. Musicians, often called minstrels, played instruments including fiddles, bagpipes, and recorders at festivals, weddings, and local fairs.

Daily life

Small, One-Room Homes with Open Fires

Ordinary people lived in small, one-room houses with an open central fire for cooking and warmth, where smoke escaped through gaps in the roof.