JUST KILTS, Eskbank, Scotland presents
Scottish
Clans
and
Tartans
Part
1: Clans ANDERSON - FRASER of LOVAT
Part
2: Clans GORDON - MacDONELL of GLENGARRY
Part
3: Clans MacDONELL of KEPPOCH - MacQUARRIE
Part
4: Clans MacQUEEN - WALLACE
A short
history of Tartan
The history of tartan is proved by the many
references in early Scottish literature and travellers who visited the
country hundred of years ago. In those times the tartan was described as
"mottled", "striped", "marled" etc. The Gaelic word is "breacan"
meaning chequered and is actually very descriptive for the the check-like
arrangement of the tartan patterns. These patterns are also called "setts",
and the length of a tartan is made up of one sett repeated over and over
again until the desired length is completed.
For many centuries the tartans formed part
of the daily life of the Highland people. Of course it was also worn in
other parts of Scotland but it was particuarly in the Highlands that the
use of the tartan was developed until it became recognized as a symbol
of clan kinship.
The tartan was especially used for belted plaids,
the so-called philabegs, kilts and trews which
are trousers with tartans. With these were worn shoes of untanned hide
and the so-called "cuarans", boots of horse or cow hide reaching
almost to the knees and kept in position with leather belts. Beside this it was
also common to go bare-legged or bare-footed.
Generally the Scottish also wore a bonnet
of knitted wool with a clan badge on it which often depicted a flower like
a thistle. The sporran was worn in front of the kilt to serve either as
a purse or as a container for oat meal because the Highlander liked to
make his own oat bread after a long walk before he spent the night at the
camp-fire. It was usually made of leather and was often ornamented. The Sgian
Dhu, the traditional Scottish "black knife", completed the Scottish outfit.
The women wore a kerchief made of linen called
"curraichd" which was fastened under the chin. The "tonnag"
was a small square of tartan worn over the shoulders, and the "arasaid"
was was a long garment of various colours or tartans, reaching from the
neck to the ankles, pleated all around and fastened at the breast with
a large brooch and at the waist with a belt.
It is believed that the ancient tartans
which were used centuries ago were simple checks of two or three colours
which were obtained from the dye-producing plants, roots, berries and fruits
found in the districts where the cloth was woven. Therefore these simple
tartans were district tartans worn by the people of these districts only.
As these people were normally members of the same clan, their district
tartan was their clan tartan. The weavers took much care to produce exact
patterns of the wanted tartans by using a so-called "maide dalbh"
which was a piece of wood with all coloured threats they needed on it.
When chemical dyes came into use weavers were
able to enlarge their range of colours and more elaborate patterns were
made. It is believed that as time passed by branches of the same clan developed
tartans of their own by adding an overstripe or other variations to the
basic pattern of their clan.
The earliest known reference for the use of
a royal tartan is contained in the accounts of the treasurer
of King James III. in 1471, where a purchase of a tartan for the king and
his queen is mentioned. King James V. wore tartan when he was hunting in
the Highlands in 1538, and King Charles II. wore tartan ribbons on his
coat at his marriage in 1662.
In a Crown charter of 1587, granted to Sir
Hector MacLean of Duart, the duty payable on the lands of Narrabole on
the Isle of Islay was sixty ells of cloth of white, black and green colours.
These colours correspond with the colours of the MacLean tartan but it
is possible that this old tartan was somewhat different from the today´s
pattern of the clan. Nevertheless this tartan is considered to be the first
clan tartan.
The antiquity of the tartan has never been
doubted but some historians believe that the wearing of a particular pattern
by all members of a clan as a common clan tartan is a modern custom dating
back to the late 18th ct. They also claim that prior to that time there
were no definite tartans and that the clansmen wore whatever patterns the
weavers supplied.
From old Highland burgh archives we know that
in the 16th and 17th ct. Lowland merchants came up to the Highlands to
purchase tartans and that the baillies of these burghs fixed maximum prices
of them to prevent overcharging. The prices were determined by the number
and shades of colours in the cloth. It is also known that, in 1572, a house
wife in a Highland burgh gave coloured wool to a weaver to make into cloth.
She later sued him before the magistrate in accusing him of making the
pattern according his own fashion ignoring her instructions. She won the
trial, and the weaver was punished. That proves that Highland house wifes
did not accept everything a weaver provided.
In other literary sources one can read of
clansmen dressed in the livery of their chiefs, and it is reasonable to
infer that this livery was a tartan. One of the best known instances was
the accusation of Lady Grange, who claimed in 1742 that her abductors were
dressed in Lord Lovat´s livery. It is known that the clans were organized
in military lines and that there were clan regiments. In 1704 the fencible
men of Clan Grant in Strathspey were ordered to meet and to wear Highland
coats, trews and shorthose of red and green tartan. This company men were
therefore all dressed in the same tartan, and there is reason to believe
that other clan regiments were dressed in the tartan or livery of their
chief too.
After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the
government in London, in an endeavour to purge the Highlands of all rebels,
passed an Act of Parliament whereby the Highlanders were
disarmed and the wearing of the tartan was a penal offence. This Act was
rigorously enforced and the anxiety of the government to abolish tartans
and the Highland dress suggests that they doubtlessly were afraid of another
rising with help of this sign of solidarity.
This Act was repealed in 1785 when it was
clear that the Highlanders had become accustomed to wearing the same type
of dress as Lowlanders, and they actually showed no great enthusiasm that
they now were allowed to wear their old tartans. As many of the old weavers
had died without giving their knowledge of the old tartans to their successors
tartan has become a thing of the past. The wooden pattern sticks had rotted
away and the few old tartans that had survived up to now were to worn and
perished to give a clear survey of the tartans worn before 1745.
The first great tartan revival took place
in 1822. King George III., when visiting Edinburgh in that year, suggested
that the people should wear their old tartans. Unfortunately this resulted
in many "original" tartans being made, since those who had no tartan could
always find a tailor to invent one for them. It was the publication "Vestiarium
Scoticum" of the brothers Sobieski Stuart that helped to augment
the numbers of spurious tartans, and indeed many tartans existing today
owe their existence to this disputed book. Other publications of the 19th
ct. added to this confusion but they made no claim to antiquity regarding
the tartans they showed.
Today the confusion is being regulated into
some semblance of order, and patterns are being standardized into recognized
settings. The registration of tartans in the Registers at Lyon Court should
do much to avoid confusion in the future.
Tartans are described according to the purpose
for which they are named. Clan tartans are patterns for general
use by clansmen. It is not uncommon to find a clan tartan of recent origin
described as "ancient tartan clan". The use of the word "ancient" is most
misleading as it is merely an indication the the tartan has been woven
in lighter-coloured shades.
Dress tartans were originally
worn by the women of the clan who preferred lighter colours. They had a
white background and were variations of the clan pattern. In recent years
there has been a tendency to refer to clan tartans woven in light-weight
materials as "dress tartans". This causes confusion and should be avoided.
Clan who do not possess a dress tartan usually wear the clan pattern, in
light-weight material, for evening wear, but this does not justify the
description of a clan tartan as a "dress tartan".
Mouring tartans at one time
were worn at funerals. They were generally made of black and white colours.
Hunting tartans are worn for sport and outdoor activities.
Brown or dark blue is the predominant colour. When a clan possessed a brightly
coloured tartan it was unsuitable for hunting purposes. Hunting setts were
devised to make the wearer less conspicious. When concealed in the heather
the tartan blended with the surroundings.
Chief´s tartans are the
personal tartans of the clan chiefs and should never be worn except by
the chief and his immediate family.
While tartans continues to excite the admiration
of people everywhere, it is impossible to lay down fast rules regarding
the choice of tartans. In all probability the would-be wearer of tartan
will select the "tartan of his fancy". But one caution should
be told. The royal tartans are for the use of the royal family only and
should not be worn by anyone outside the royal family!
Part
1: Clans ANDERSON - FRASER of LOVAT
Part
2: Clans GORDON - MacDONELL of GLENGARRY
Part
3: Clans MacDONELL of KEPPOCH - MacQUARRIE
Part
4: Clans MacQUEEN - WALLACE
|