There is no authentic information available as to when cakes baked with oatmeal first became known, but we do know that the art of doing so has been handed down from mother to daughter through each succeeding generation for centuries. Even the men-folk were quite capable of making their own oatcakes!

Historians tell us that it was the common practice, even as far back as the fourteenth century, for the Chieftain and his followers, to carry with them a small sack of oatmeal strapped to the saddles of their horses when on their foraying expeditions. An iron plate was also carried, slung over their back. This was used for the dual purpose of a shield in combat and as a cooking utensil when they made camp. A rough fireplace of stones was formed, and the oatcakes, made from oatmeal and water, were baked on the heated iron plate.

Grahame of Claverhouse's Dragoons were also amongst those who baked their own oatcakes in a similar manner, and as for the lowly Covenanters, whom they hunted, it is known that for days on end many of them were content to live on oatcakes and water, rather than disclose their hiding place by cooking a hot meal.