Why didn't Robert Burns wear a kilt?

Answer 1

Robert Burns was born in 1759. For the first 23 years of his life it was against the law for Scotsmen to wear a kilt (the Dress Act of 1746), unless he was in a Scottish regiment. It was repealed in 1782.

Also, the kilt was the dress of the Scottish Highlander, not the Scottish Lowlander, and Burns was a Lowlander. The kilt only became the national dress of Scotland in the early 19th century, after Burns was dead.

Answer 2

Robert Burns did not wear a kilt because kilts were not commonly worn by lowland Scots during his time. Kilts were traditionally associated with Highland clans, while Burns was from Ayrshire in the lowlands of Scotland. Instead, he likely wore the typical clothing of the lowland farmer or poet of his era.