I only mention this to shew how we distinguished our loyal Clans from the Rebels ; they being dress'd and equip'd all in one Way, except the Bonnet ; ours having a red or yellow Cross of Cloath or Ribbon ; theirs a white Cockade". Where a thread in the warp crosses a thread of the same colour in the weft they produce a solid colour on the tartan, while a thread crossing another of a different colour produces an equal mixture of the two colours. Although the distinctive patterned cloth known as tartan is part of the national dress of Scotland, it is now widely used around the world, not only for clothing, but also for a variety of other decorative and commercial purposes – souvenirs, curtains, … Today the confusion of the past has gained some semblance of order as tartans now require registration in the Registers at Lyon Court. According to the textile historian E. J. W. Barber, the Hallstatt culture of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and flourished between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, produced tartan-like textiles. In diagram B, the sett reverses and repeats in the same way as the warp, and also carries on in the same manner vertically. In addition to the original Scottish regional tartans and modern district tartans, modern tartans have been created for regions outside of Scotland. Early tartans were simple checks of perhaps only two or three colours. Several clans have "official" tartans. [27] At this time many setts were simply numbered, or given fanciful names such as the "Robin Hood" tartan, not associated with any specific clan. One such myth is that red tartans were "battle tartans", designed so they would not show blood. And in 1587, Hector Maclean (heir of Duart) paid feu duty with sixty ells of cloth "white, black and green"- the tradition colours of the Maclean hunting tartan. In this case the thread count has to be reduced in proportion (about 3 inches).[11]. [16] Similar finds have been made in central Europe and Scandinavia. By 1785, tartan was a thing of the past, many of the weavers had died and with them the details of the old patterns were lost as their wooden pattern sticks had rotted away. [l], Many of the US states also have official tartans, with the first dating from 1988. [34][37], Twenty years after her uncle's visit to Scotland, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert made their first trip to the Scottish Highlands. It is generally stated that one of the most popular tartans today is the Royal Stewart tartan. [12], The idea that the various colours used in tartan have a specific meaning is purely a modern one. But where did the sporran originate and what was its purpose? The 7,000 figure above includes many of these variations counted as though they were different tartans. In The Mummies of Ürüm… James Ray who served in the government forces at the Battle of Culloden, wrote in 1752: "In their flight I came up with a pretty young Highlander, who called out to me, Hold your Hand, I'm a Cambell. Tartan is associated the world over with the kilt, the national dress of Scotland, and the history of both goes hand in hand. When tartan crossed the sea to the New World, “plaid” and tartan became synonymous. [34] One contemporary writer sarcastically described the pomp that surrounded the celebrations as "Sir Walter's Celtified Pagentry". They seem to spring from other countries as far away as China (the Tarim mummies dating back as far as 1800 BC), and as nearby as … In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, tartan-clad garments were featured in fashion catalogues. The popularity of tartan was greatly increased by the royal visit of George IV to Edinburgh in 1822. [3], Mourning tartans, though quite rare, are associated with death and funerals. The first and last threads of the thread count are the pivot points. [29] It is maintained by many[who?] Tartan is a material that can be woven from many colours, and originally it was a sort of 'uniform', the distinguishing feature of the many clans in the Highlands and islands of Scotland. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were only associated with either regions or districts, rather than any specific Scottish clan. [3], Each thread in the warp crosses each thread in the weft at right angles. He requested that his tailor custom-make some perfectly fitting tartan attire. [47] Tartans or tartan-like plaid patterns are also commonly worn as skirts or jumpers / pinafores in Catholic school uniform and other private school uniform codes in North America and also in many public and private schools in New Zealand. [17] The Falkirk tartan has a simple check design, of natural light and dark wool. The Falkirk Tartan; this 3rd-century fragment of cloth was discovered in the Falkirk Moss and is the oldest known piece of ‘tartan’ in the UK. Tartan is used to make a kilt A kilt is a piece of tartan, worn around the waist. One possible explanation for the word, tartan is that it derives from the French tirtenaine or tertaine which describes cloth made from a mix of wool and linen called linsey-woolsey in English. [5] Though thread counts are indeed quite specific, they can be modified in certain circumstances, depending on the desired size of the tartan. [7] Textile analysis of fabric from the Tarim mummies in Xinjiang, northwestern China has also shown it to be similar to that of the Iron Age Hallstatt culture. Diagram C, the tartan. This too may have evolved from the Romans, who displayed rank by marking their shirts with stripes; the more stripes, the higher the rank. These records refer to it as ‘mottled’, ‘marled’ and ‘sundrie coloured’, but perhaps the best description comes from the Gaelic word breacan, meaning chequered. Since the 19th century, the kilt has become associated with the wider Scottish and Gaelic cultures. However, a 'proper' kilt is usually accompanied by: A sporran - a small bag worn around the waist, over the kilt. This is the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II. According to the textile historian E. J. W. Barber, the Hallstatt culture of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and flourished between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, produced tartan-like textiles. Tartan's history is closely linked to the history of a plaid and the kilt, and also, - it has deep roots in the history of Scotland. This was because like other materials, tartan designs were produced by local weavers for local tastes and would usually only use the natural dyes available in that area, as synthetic dye production was non-existent and transportation of other dye materials across long distances was prohibitively expensive. The History of Tartan. The register itself is made up of the existing registers of the STA and the STWR as they were at the time of the SRT's launch, and new registrations from 5 February 2009 onward. The fragment, held in the National Museums of Scotland, was stuffed into the mouth of an earthenware pot containing almost 2,000 Roman coins. Tartans are sometimes differentiated from another with the same name by the label dress, hunting, or rarely mourning. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. [8] In North America the term plaid is commonly used to describe tartan. Thus, a set of two base colours produces three different colours including one mixture. They are usually designed using combinations of black and white, or by replacing bright colors such as reds and yellows in a traditional tartan with black, white, or grey. The resulting blocks of colour repeat vertically and horizontally in a distinctive pattern of squares and lines known as a sett. [p] According to the Scottish Tartans Authority — which is an establishment of the Scottish tartan industry — the Balmoral tartan should not be worn by anyone who is not part of the British Royal Family. For example, the sett of a tartan (about 6 inches) may be too large to fit upon the face of a necktie. The sett is made up of a series of woven threads which cross at right angles. The society also claims that non-royals who wear this tartan are treated with "great disdain" by the Scottish tartan industry.[84][q]. It was not until much later that a system of “striping” in certain colors became a method of identifying a Highlander ’s affiliation. ", "Which are the authentic Campbell tartans? For instance, tartan made a resurgence in its use in punk fashion. An essential piece of Highland dress to accompany a Scotsman’s kilt is the ornately decorated pouch that hangs down the front, commonly referred to as the sporran. It is said that the weavers took great pain to give exact patterns of tartan by identifying each colour of every thread upon a piece of wood known as a maide dalbh, or pattern stick. [74] In the same line of opinion, some tartan attributed to the British Royal Family are claimed by some to be "off limits" to non-royalty. [3] The word plaid, derived from the Scottish Gaelic plaide, meaning "blanket",[9] was first used of any rectangular garment, sometimes made up of tartan, particularly that which preceded the modern kilt (see: belted plaid). For example, the colour green sometimes represents prairies or forests, blue can represent lakes and rivers, and the colour yellow is sometimes used to represent various crops. Alexander Macdonald, 2nd Baron Macdonald was so far removed from his Highland heritage that he wrote to the Society: "Being really ignorant of what is exactly The Macdonald Tartan, I request you will have the goodness to exert every Means in your power to Obtain a perfectly genuine Pattern, Such as Will Warrant me in Authenticating it with my Arms. [d] As he does not mention the use of a special pattern by each family, it would appear that such a distinction is a modern one. The tartan as we know it today is not thought to have existed in Scotland before the 16th century. This is not the case. The brothers, who called themselves John Sobieski Stolberg Stuart and Charles Edward Stuart, first appeared in Scotland in 1822. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. So much so it seems that by the time the Act was repealed in 1785, Highlanders had lost all enthusiasm for their tartan garb, content to wear the same type of dress as other Scots. As clans grew and branched through birth, death or marriage, the newer clans evolved tartans of their own by adding an overstripe onto the basic pattern of the parent clan. Today tartan is mostly associated with Scotland; however, the earliest evidence of tartan is found far afield from Britain. Il s'agit d'un motif de lignes horizontales et verticales entrecroisées, de multiples couleurs. Qu’est-ce que le tartan ? It was uncovered at Falkirk in Stirlingshire, Scotland, near the Antonine Wall. The STA's database, the International Tartan Index (ITI) consists of about 3,500 different tartans (with over 7,000, counting variants), as of 2004. Sgian dubh (pronounced skee-an doo) - a small dagger which sits in the sock. Some of them were discovered in 2004, remarkably preserved, in the Hallstatt salt mines near Salzburg, Austria. The same rules apply as do to wearing any clothing that prominently displays colors with national or political significance, such as un-patterned orange or green cloth in Ireland (regardless of whether it is worn as a kilt), or red, white, and blue colors at national events in France or the United States. A hat, or bonnet of knitted wool sporting a badge of the clan, usually a plant of flower, would sit proudly on the head of the clansman. For many centuries the patterns were loosely associated with the weavers of a particular area, though it was common for highlanders to wear a number of different tartans at the same time. All but two Canadian provinces and territories has an official tartan, with the first dating from 1956. By the 19th century the Highland romantic revival, inspired by James Macpherson's Ossian poems and the writings of Sir Walter Scott, led to wider interest, with clubs like the Celtic Society of Edinburgh welcoming Lowlanders. She won her case and the naughty weaver was punished. The term plaid is also used in Scotland for an ordinary blanket such as one would have on a bed.[3]. In this way tartan, worn unconventionally, became an anti-establishment symbol. This means the warp and weft will have alternate thread counts. Dress tartans are based on the earasaid tartans worn by Highland women in the 17th and 18th centuries. These simple checks or tartans were worn by the people of the district where they were made, and as such became the area or clan tartan. How the pipes actually arrived in Scotland however, is somewhat of a mystery…. Tartan, on the other hand, is truly a fabric designed by tradition. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn. [15] Tartan-like leggings were found on the "Cherchen Man", a 3,000 year-old mummy found in the Taklamakan Desert. The great tartan revival started in 1822, when George IV visited Edinburgh and suggested that people attending the official functions should wear their respective tartans. In fact, it’s 272 years old. The Dress Act of 1746 attempted to bring the warrior clans under government control by banning the tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture. A 1587 charter granted to Hector Maclean of Duart requires feu duty on land paid as 60 ells of cloth of white, black and green colours. Historians believe that tartan originated in the Highlands of Scotland in the 1600’s. Tartan is recorded by counting the threads of each colour that appear in the sett. Scottish cloth pattern, often representing a clan or other group, Corporate tartans and commercial "tartan-ware". The unorthodox use of tartan, which had long been associated with authority and gentility, was then seen as the expression of discontent against modern society. The origins of tartan are inextricably linked with the origins of the Scottish nation. Today, books or shops dealing with tartan and Highland Dress will be mainly, if not exclusively, concerned with clan tartans. History of Tartan. Quel tartan vous convient le mieux ? Despite the name, hunting tartans have very little to do with actual hunting. The weft is woven in a simple twill, two over—two under the warp, advancing one thread at each pass. The setts painted all differ from one another and very few of those painted resemble any of today's clan tartans. . An Act of Parliament was passed which made the carrying of weapons and the wearing of tartan a penal offence. All but Quebec's are registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland. From 1725 the government force of the Highland Independent Companies introduced a standardised tartan chosen to avoid association with any particular clan, and this was formalised when they became the Black Watch regiment in 1739. Tartan (Scottish Gaelic: breacan [ˈpɾʲɛxkən]) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. [k] Tartan has had a long history with the military and today many military units—particularly those within the Commonwealth—have tartan dress uniforms. The Sobieski Stuarts claimed that the Vestiarium was based upon a copy of an ancient manuscript on clan tartans—a manuscript which they never managed to produce. Copyright © Historic UK Ltd. Company Registered in England No. Mourning tartans – generally of black and white. Tartan to them was a gargantuan wad of thick cloth, which they draped over a shirt. [36] The first publication showing plates of clan tartans was the Vestiarium Scoticum, published in 1842. [73], Since the Victorian era, authorities on tartan have claimed that there is an etiquette to wearing tartan, specifically tartan attributed to clans or families. The first known utterance of tartan came from the lips of King James V in 1538. [65] The society's register, the Register of All Publicly Known Tartans (RAPKT), contains about 2,700 different designs of tartan. A History of Scottish Kilts. James Logan's romanticised work The Scottish Gael, published in 1831, was one such publication which led the Scottish tartan industry to invent clan tartans. Nous allons répondre à toutes les questions que vous vous posez au sujet du tartan…et plus encore ! The most effective fighters for Jacobitism were the supporting Scottish clans, leading to an association of tartans with the Jacobite cause. The sequence of threads, known as the sett, starts at an edge and either repeats or reverses on what are called pivot points. In early times the kilt was a long, toga-like garment, woven of vegetable-dyed yarns, which was gathered at the shoulders. [e][f], The idea of groups of men wearing the same tartan is thought to originate from the military units in the 18th century. Light and dark wool almost all Scottish clans have several tartans attributed to their name sont ainsi quasiment toujours dans., with the “ right ” to wear tartan, worn around the world of fashion several.... ] it is woven from wool of two different sheep – one light and one.. Is purely a modern invention by rapacious 19th & 20th century weavers and city merchants eager to swell their.... Tribe in the 1600 ’ s culture and heritage youth in the and! Tartans attributed to their name from the original Scottish regional tartans are based on the other hand, truly... By many [ who? Scotland over the past has gained some semblance of order as tartans now registration! And government ). 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