Tartans
History of the Tartan
view our some of our tartan scarves
The ancient method of describing tartan was to refer to it as mottled, chequered, stripped, sundry coloured, marled and so on, and it is aptly descriptive of the check like arrangement of tartan patterns.
When we refer to a set of tartan we mean the pattern, and a length of tartan is made up of one set repeated over and over again until the desired length is made.
For many centuries tartan formed part of the everyday garb of the Highland people and while it was also worn in other parts of Scotland it was in the Highlands that its use continued and developed until it became recognised as a symbol of Clan kinship.
It is believed that the tartans used several centuries ago were simple checks of two or three colours and that these colours were obtained from the dye-producing plants, roots, berries, and trees found in the districts where the cloth was woven. These simple checks were district tartans and were worn by the people of the district where they were made. As the people inhabiting a district were generally members of the same Clan, their district tartan was, in effect, a Clan tartan.
Martin Martin in his "Description of the Western Islands of Scotland", completed circa 1695 and published in 1703, tells us-
"Every isle differs from each other in their fancy of making plaids, as to the stripes in breadth and colours. This Humour is as different through the main Land of the Highlands, in-so-far that they who have seen those place, are able, at the first view of a Man's Lad, to guess the place of his residence..."
Weavers took great pains to give exact patterns to tartan by having the number and colour of every thread upon a piece of wood. It is well known that these Maide dalbh or pattern sticks served as guides for the weavers in making their tartans - the people of each district could be identified by the pattern of their tartan.
When chemical dyes came into use weavers were able to enlarge their range of colours and more elaborate patterns were introduced. As time passed branches of the larger clans evolved tartans of their own by adding an overstripe or other variation to the basic tartan of their parent clan.
In 1572 a housewife gave coloured wool to a weaver to make into cloth. In suing him before the magistrates she accused him of making the pattern according to his "awin fasoun" (own fashion) and not according to her instructions. She won her case and the weaver was punished; by her action she has proved that Highland housewives were not prepared to accept, without question, whatever patterns weavers provided. this is some proof against some peoples belief that tartans of any colour were worn by anyone in the Highlands.
After the battle of Culloden in 1746 the government, in an endeavour to purge the Highlands of unlawful elements, passed an act of Parliament whereby the Highlander was disarmed and the wearing of tartan made a penal offence. This act was rigorously enforced and the anxiety of the government to abolish tartan and the Highland dress suggest that they held more than sentimental meaning for the Highland people.
Clan Tartans
These are tartans for general use by clans people. It is not uncommon to find a clan tartan of recent origin described as 'Ancient clan Tartan'. The use of the word ancient is most misleading, and is merely an indication that the tartan has been woven in lighter coloured shades.
Dress Tartans
These were originally worn by the ladies of the clan who preferred lighter coloured patterns. They had a white background and were variations of the clan pattern.
Mourning Tartans
These were at one time worn for the purpose of which they were named. They were generally of black and white.
Hunting Tartans
These were worn for sport and outdoor activities. Brown or some other dark hue is the predominant colour.
Chiefs Tartan
This tartan was only worn by the chief and his immediate family.
