Duncan's Brand New Website
...therefore let no woman presume to counterfeit her Sex by wearing mans apparrell under pain of the Severest punishment which law and our displeasure shall inflict.

-Admonition of King Charles I to the Royalist Army, c. 1643

Herein The true confessions and fascinating tales of a cross-dresser in the Army of King James!
Well, okay...the mostly true confessions of a cross-dressing reenactor, with hopefully a few fairly interesting tales thrown in for good measure.

The first question I'm always asked is "WHY?" Why on earth would you want to dress as a man and do military reenactments? There's a short answer and a long answer.

The Short Answer: I hate cooking. Since I was one of very few women involved in Glencarnoch's Regiment, it was inevitable that someone was going to ask me to cook lunch. I couldn't let that happen, y'see.

The Long Answer: I'm fascinated by gender roles and gender perception. I've always been interested in Vriginia Woolf's theory that our gender behavior is largely determined by the clothes we wear, and I thought it would be rather interesting to see how other people related to me as a perceived male, and if it made a difference in their behavior or treatment of me.

Also, I thought it would be way cool to run around with sharp pointy things and kill Hanoverians.


So, at the first Culloden reenactment in May of 1998, I donned a belted plaid, a hastily sewn shirt and crude sleeved waistcoat, glued on a wool crepe beard and moustache, and became "Duncan Dubh MacGregor." Initially, it was the source of great merriment within the camp, especially when a spectator called me "sir" and asked to take my picture. I freely admit that my first attempt was crude and amateurish, but I didn't have to cook.


At some point between Culloden 1998 and 1999, I made a startling discovery. Robert MacGregor of Glencarnoch, the leader of our very own regiment, had a younger brother about my age named Duncan, an Edinburgh lawyer who was shot in the foot and permanently crippled at the battle of Prestonpans. It was a rather natural fit, since the gentleman portraying Glencarnoch and I have at least 50 or 60 common ancestors, so being brothers seemed a very sane and normal thing to do.

This was alarming news; I had suddenly gone from having a jocular and extremely undefined persona to portraying an actual historical person. I also got promoted and had to scout out some better kit for myself. 1999 and 2000 were spent refining my technique, particularly in the area of "beard technology." The wool crepe had to be glued on in layers, a long and annoying process (not to mention sticky). It was also hot and soaked up liquids, so I had to duck into a tent and drink through a straw every time I got thirsty. I switched to hand-tied human hair beards and moustaches, which wick fluids much more naturally and breathe better than wool. Their only drawback is their excessive neatness, so I have a feeling that 2003 will see me learning to tie my own.



In 2001, Duncan made a somewhat radical departure from his original incarnation as a Highland soldier. Since he was a lawyer and lived in the city, I came to the conclusion that it was rather unlikely that he wore Highland Dress, and so began the experience of the coat and breeches (mind you, when I started doing living history and reenactments in 1996, I'd never sewn anything in my life, and furthermore had flunked sewing in seventh-grade home-economics class; to say that all this costuming was a challenge would be putting it rather mildly). I added a cocked hat, for no other reason than the fact that I had always wanted one.

Duncan was nearly complete. One of my main problems has been maintaining proper...leg posture, if you will. I started scouring the internet for resources on FTM (female-to-male) cross-dressing and transgendering. I eventually ended up procuring myself a soft (and extremely realistic) silicone appliance with which to 'pack' my breeches ("Mr. Softie" has become a full-fledged member of the regiment, and is the subject of much discussion). It did actually help immensely in changing the way I stand, sit, and move. Who woulda thunk it?

And yes, people do treat me differently as a perceived male (though this may be exacerbated by the fact that my other major persona is a rather excessively female courtesan named Kitty). I've found that the most amusing thing is that men who ordinarily flirt with me will continue to do so, purely out of habit...followed by a horrified expression when they turn around and realize I have a beard (luckily for me, I have a very tolerant and open-minded husband who thinks it's all pretty nifty). And for those possessed of a prurient curiosity: yes, I do use the mens' room. You just never know when appearances may deceive, eh? Bwahahahahahaha...

Duncan's old links page is gone, having been co-opted into a larger project which can be found as part of the Glencarnoch's Regiment site. Hint: look under "Links."

At some point in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future, I'm hoping to put together some information and links specifically for women reenacting as men (where to get materials and supplies, the bathroom dilemma revisited, and even some links to helpful information on FTM issues).

If you're a woman reenacting as a man, and have advice, tips, or information you'd like to see made available, email Duncan.

Copyright 2003,KezarCelts Network Group