Some of them were discovered in , remarkably preserved, in the Hallstatt salt mines near Salzburg , Austria. 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.
Tartan-like leggings were found on the " Cherchen Man ", a 3,year-old mummy found in the Taklamakan Desert. Similar finds have been made in central Europe and Scandinavia. The earliest documented tartan in Britain, known as the "Falkirk" tartan, dates from the 3rd century AD.
It was uncovered at Falkirk in Stirlingshire , Scotland, about metres north-west of the Antonine Wall. The fragment was stuffed into the mouth of an earthenware pot containing almost 2, Roman coins.
The Falkirk tartan has a simple check design, of natural light and dark wool. Early forms of tartan like this are thought to have been invented in pre-Roman times, and would have been popular among the inhabitants of the northern Roman provinces as well as in other parts of Northern Europe such as Jutland , where the same pattern was prevalent. The tartan as we know it today is not thought to have existed in Scotland before the 16th century.
By the late 16th century there are numerous references to striped or checkered plaids. It is not until the late 17th or early 18th century that any kind of uniformity in tartan is thought to have occurred. Martin Martin , in A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland , published in , wrote that Scottish tartans could be used to distinguish the inhabitants of different regions.
He expressly wrote that the inhabitants of various islands and the mainland of the Highlands were not all dressed alike, but that the setts and colors of the various tartans varied from isle to isle. 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. 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.
A charter granted to Hector Maclean of Duart requires feu duty on land paid as 60 ells of cloth of white, black and green colours. A witness of the Battle of Killiecrankie describes " McDonnell 's men in their triple stripes". From 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 The most effective fighters for Jacobitism were the supporting Scottish clans, leading to an association of tartans with the Jacobite cause.
Efforts to pacify the Highlands led to the Dress Act of , banning tartans, except for the Highland regiments of the British army. Wilson corresponded with his agents in the Highlands to get information and samples of cloth from the clan districts to enable him to reproduce "perfectly genuine patterns" and recorded over setts by , many of which were tentatively named.
At this time many setts were simply numbered, or given fanciful names such as the " Robin Hood " tartan, not associated with any specific clan.
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. The pageantry invented for the visit of King George IV to Scotland brought a sudden demand for tartan cloth and made it the national dress of the whole of Scotland, rather than just the Highlands and Islands, with the invention of many new clan-specific tartans to suit.
George IV was the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in years. The festivities surrounding the event were originated by Sir Walter Scott who founded the Celtic Society of Edinburgh in Scott and the Celtic Society urged Scots to attend festivities "all plaided and plumed in their tartan array".
One contemporary writer sarcastically described the pomp that surrounded the celebrations as "Sir Walter's Celtified Pagentry". Following the Royal visit several books which documented tartans added to the craze. James Logan's romanticised work The Scottish Gael , published in , was one such publication which led the Scottish tartan industry to invent clan tartans.
The first publication showing plates of clan tartans was the Vestiarium Scoticum , published in The two claimed to be grandsons of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his wife Princess Louise of Stolberg , and consequently later became known as the " Sobieski Stuarts ". 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.
The Vestiarium was followed by the equally dubious The Costume of the Clans two years later. The romantic enthusiasm that Logan and the Sobieski Stuarts generated with their publications led the way for other tartan books in the 19th century. Twenty years after her uncle's visit to Scotland, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert made their first trip to the Scottish Highlands. The Queen and prince bought Balmoral Castle in and hired a local architect to re-model the estate in " Scots Baronial " style.
Prince Albert personally took care of the interior design, where he made great use of tartan. He utilised the red Royal Stewart and the green Hunting Stewart tartans for carpets, while using the Dress Stewart for curtains and upholstery. The Queen designed the Victoria tartan, and Prince Albert the Balmoral , still used as a royal tartan today.
Victoria and Albert spent a considerable amount of time at their estate, and in doing so hosted many "Highland" activities. Victoria was attended by pipers and her children were attired in Highland dress.
Prince Albert himself loved watching the Highland games. Ironically, as the craze swept over Scotland the Highland population suffered grievously from the Highland Clearances , when thousands of Gaelic-speaking Scots from the Highlands and Isles were evicted by landlords in many cases the very men who would have been their own clan chiefs to make way for sheep.
It is generally regarded that "clan tartans" date no earlier than the beginning of the 19th century, and are an example of an invented tradition.
It is maintained by many that clan tartans were not in use at the time of the Battle of Culloden in The method of identifying friend from foe was not through tartans but by the colour of ribbon worn upon the bonnet. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. We always find a few plaids to wear with pride. But what tartans are there for non-Scots, or if you've no connections with Scotland?
Here are seven ideas for universal tartans that can be worn by everyone. And we'll save the best for last! Today some tartans are seen as universal, so anyone can wear these plaids whatever their background.
Most famous is Royal Stewart tartan, originally designed for Queen Victoria. Then there's Black Watch tartan, which now commemorates Scotland's most famous regiment. Other examples include Macleod Dress or 'Loud Macleod' to its fans. Lindsay which is so popular it's almost public property. Dress Stewart is much loved for womenswear. And Scotland Forever is Scotland's gift to the world. Lastly wait for it! Want to know why? The Royal Stewart tartan is the best-known plaid on the planet.
Commoners soon highjacked the Royal Stewart plaid to show their royalist loyalty. So the royal family later adopted the Balmoral tartan said to have been designed by Prince Albert which convention dictates is worn only by them and the Queen's piper!
Nowadays Royal Stewart is the most widely produced tartan commercially thanks to its striking red colour scheme. These were not only tartans of Wilsons' designs, but patterns that they had collected from all over Scotland. In the early nineteenth century, the idea began to gel that the names borne by the tartans represented actual connections to these clans.
Scots expatriates who grew up outside of the Highland line began to get interested in preserving Highland culture. It was assumed that tartans had always been named and these represented actual affiliations. In the Highland Society of London wrote to the clan chiefs asking them to submit samples of their clan tartans.
Many chiefs had no idea what "their clan tartan" was supposed to be and so either wrote to tartan suppliers such as Wilsons, or asked the older men of their clan if they recalled any particular tartan being worn. All the clan chiefs were asked to come out to greet the King in their "proper clan tartan. Many new tartans were no doubt created, or renamed for the occasion. From this point on, however, the idea was firmly established that in order to even be a proper tartan, it had to be a named tartan.
The story of the development of tartan lore over the course of the nineteenth century is long and complicated, and beyond the scope of this brief introduction. But with the blessing of the clan chiefs, the tradition evolved by the end of the nineteenth century that tartan was representative.
Though clan tartans are the most well known, tartans can represent many different things. Some tartans represent families, towns, district, corporations, individuals, events -- you name it! Hunting tartans — dark in colour and worn for sport, especially suitable when a clan possessed a brightly coloured tartan, making it unsuitable for hunting. Tartan has now gained international popularity with people selecting and sporting a design of his or her fancy.
A word of warning however, the Royal tartan is for the exclusive use of the royal family and woe betide anyone who dares to break with this tradition! Nothing defines the sound of Scotland quite like the great Highland bagpipes! How the pipes actually arrived in Scotland however, is somewhat of a mystery….
Each year almost 50, people from across the world meet in Edinburgh, to celebrate Scottish culture and heritage. Perhaps nothing captures the spirit of Scottish culture better than the sight of Highland dancing being performed at some Highland gathering in some far flung corner of the world.
But where did the sporran originate and what was its purpose? Related articles. The Great Clans of Scotland.
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