X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers.

   X Marks Partners - (Go to the Partners Dedicated Forums )
USA Kilts website Celtic Croft website Celtic Corner website Houston Kiltmakers

User Tag List

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18
  1. #1
    Join Date
    6th July 07
    Location
    The Highlands,Scotland.
    Posts
    15,467
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Scotland's Oldest Tartan identified.

    A length of tartan was found in a peat bog. Yes, yes, I know its all been said before! But this is different.

    The Glen Affric tartan, as it is known, has been dated reliably by radio carbon dating to be from a broad date range of from around 1500 AD to 1650 AD, with the period of 1500 AD to 1600 AD as being "the most probable".

    I am sure our well known tartan historian will have something to say about this.
    Last edited by Jock Scot; 26th March 23 at 06:00 AM.
    " Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the adherence of idle minds and minor tyrants". Field Marshal Lord Slim.

  2. The Following 13 Users say 'Aye' to Jock Scot For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Join Date
    2nd January 10
    Location
    Lethendy, Perthshire
    Posts
    4,618
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Jock,

    Thank you for the plug. This discovery is the result of six month’s work to secure the funding for the dye analysis and C14 testing, and then the work itself. The results are more than I could have hoped for. I'd always felt that this piece was pre-1700, just but the quality of the spinning and weaving, but to have a likely 16th century date is outstanding. In fact, the highest data point was 1522!

    To put this in perspective, the Falkirk ‘tartan’ aside (that is a simple check woven with undyed yarn), this is the only known surviving specimen of pre-Jacobite tartan and dates from the reign of James V, Mary Queen of Scots, or possibly James VI.

    Attached is the article from today's Scotland on Sunday. I have a paper in Draft about the piece and will publish it in due course.Glen Affric tartan - SoS article-sm.jpg


  4. #3
    Join Date
    31st January 23
    Location
    Toledo, Ohio USA
    Posts
    35
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Link to BBC news story on it.

    Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65081312

  5. #4
    Join Date
    25th November 11
    Location
    Highland Park, Illinois
    Posts
    582
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    Ancient AND Weathered...
    Best Regards,
    DyerStraits

    "I Wish Not To Intimidate, And Know Not How To Fear"

  6. The Following User Says 'Aye' to DyerStraits For This Useful Post:


  7. #5
    Join Date
    18th October 09
    Location
    Orange County California
    Posts
    10,872
    Mentioned
    17 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by tubino View Post
    Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65081312
    Too bad I can't read the linked article, it wants me to create a BBC account.
    Proud Mountaineer from the Highlands of West Virginia; son of the Revolution and Civil War; first Europeans on the Guyandotte

  8. #6
    Join Date
    2nd January 10
    Location
    Lethendy, Perthshire
    Posts
    4,618
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by OC Richard View Post
    Too bad I can't read the linked article, it wants me to create a BBC account.
    Here's a cut and paste.

    Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century

    _129148643_tarta.jpg
    The Glen Affric tartan will be exhibited for the first time at V&A Dundee's Tartan exhibition from 1 April Image source, Alan Richardson

    A scrap of fabric found in a Highland peat bog 40 years ago is likely to be the oldest tartan ever discovered in Scotland, new tests have established.

    The fabric is believed to have been created in about the 16th Century, making it more than 400 years old.

    It was found in a Glen Affric peat bog, in the Highlands, in the early 1980s.

    The Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) commissioned dye analysis and radiocarbon testing of the textile to prove its age.

    Using high resolution digital microscopy, four initial colours of green, brown and possibly red and yellow were identified.

    The dye analysis confirmed the use of indigo or woad in the green but was inconclusive for the other colours, probably due to the dyestuff having degraded.

    No artificial or semi-synthetic dyestuffs were involved in the making of the tartan, leading researchers to believe it predates the 1750s.

    Experts have said the tartan was more than likely worn as an "outdoor working garment" and would not have been worn by royalty.

    The STA said the textile was created somewhere between 1500 and 1655, but the period of 1500 to 1600 was most probable.

    This makes it the oldest known piece of true tartan discovered in Scotland.

    _129149798_tart.jpg
    Glen Affric tartan Image source, Alan Richardson

    Four initial colours of green, brown and possibly red and yellow were identified in the tartan

    Peter MacDonald, head of research and collections at the STA, said the testing process took nearly six months but that the organisation was "thrilled with the results".

    "In Scotland, surviving examples of old textiles are rare as the soil is not conducive to their survival," he added.

    "The piece was buried in peat, meaning it had no exposure to air and it was therefore preserved."

    He said that because the tartan contains several colours, with multiple stripes, it corresponds to what would be considered a true tartan.

    Mr MacDonald said: "Although we can theorise about the Glen Affric tartan, it's important that we don't construct history around it.

    "Although Clan Chisholm controlled that area, we cannot attribute the tartan to them as we don't know who owned it."
    Historical significance

    He also said that the potential presence of red, a colour that Gaels consider a status symbol, is interesting because the cloth had a rustic background.

    "This piece is not something you would associate with a king or someone of high status, it is more likely to be an outdoor working garment," he added.

    John McLeish, chair of the STA, said the tartan's "historical significance" likely dates to the reigns of King James V, Mary Queen of Scots or King James VI/I - between 1513 and 1625.

    Due to where it was found, the piece of fabric has been named the Glen Affric tartan and measures about 55cm by 43cm (approximately 22 by 17 inches).

    It will go on public display at the V&A Dundee design museum from 1 April until 14 January next year.

    James Wylie, curator at V&A Dundee, said: "We knew the Scottish Tartans Authority had a tremendous archive of material and we initially approached them to ask if them if they knew of any examples of 'proto-tartans' that could be loaned to the exhibition.

    "I'm delighted the exhibition has encouraged further exploration into this plaid portion and very thankful for the Scottish Tartans Authority's backing and support for uncovering such a historic find."

    He added that it was "immensely important" to be able to exhibit the Glen Affric tartan and said he was sure visitors would appreciate seeing the textile on public display for the first time.

  9. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to figheadair For This Useful Post:


  10. #7
    Join Date
    31st January 23
    Location
    Toledo, Ohio USA
    Posts
    35
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by OC Richard View Post
    Too bad I can't read the linked article, it wants me to create a BBC account.
    That's odd. I tried it again and it worked fine for me, and I'm behind a firewall. (desktop machine, Chrome)

  11. #8
    Join Date
    27th October 09
    Location
    Kerrville, Texas
    Posts
    5,711
    Mentioned
    8 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    So how long will it be before we see a modern recreation of this tartan?

  12. The Following 2 Users say 'Aye' to Tobus For This Useful Post:


  13. #9
    Join Date
    18th October 09
    Location
    Orange County California
    Posts
    10,872
    Mentioned
    17 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Tobus View Post
    So how long will it be before we see a modern recreation of this tartan?
    Yes I would buy a kilt-length of that!

    However it does depend on what sort of recreation it is.

    I really like the soft muted colours of the fragment as it now appears. But what if House of Edgar or somebody "re-imagines" the tartan, using their ordinary yarns, turning it into just another modern tartan? I suppose I'd have to see what they came up with.

    Thanks Peter for taking the trouble to post that article!
    Last edited by OC Richard; 2nd April 23 at 06:50 AM.
    Proud Mountaineer from the Highlands of West Virginia; son of the Revolution and Civil War; first Europeans on the Guyandotte

  14. #10
    Join Date
    11th August 20
    Location
    Oakville ON Canada
    Posts
    292
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    There are lots of tartans that should be buried in peat bogs but that one is quite nice.
    Those ancient U Nialls from Donegal were a randy bunch.

  15. The Following User Says 'Aye' to Ninehostages For This Useful Post:


Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

» Log in

User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.0