Scottish heart brooches

a re-evaluation of the luckenbooth

Abstract

This article presents a study of Scottish heart brooches, primarily from the 18th century, using the collections of the National Museums Scotland, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, the Highland Folk Museum and those reported to the Treasure Trove Unit. By researching over 350 heart brooches it has been possible to gain a fuller understanding of their purpose and meaning, their various styles and their production centres. A re-evaluation of these objects is important because an understanding of them exists that may not be wholly accurate, such as their connection to Edinburgh through the locked booths in the High Street which has given rise to their more commonly known name, ‘luckenbooth brooches’. However, the reality from the study is that more were produced in northern Scotland, particularly from the mid-18th into the early 19th centuries. There is also a deeply ingrained romantic notion of them, and while this is certainly true in many cases, other meanings exist such as protection, religion and health. Furthermore, by studying a quantity of brooches from the 13th to early19th centuries, it has also been possible see regional variations between Inverness and Aberdeen and how the heart form changed through time.