Rannoch Black XXX tartan

**RobertParker** · 9th March 08, 05:13 PM

I was looking around on the STA tartan finder and decided to look up the regional tartan for the Robertsons, Rannoch. There are two listed, but when I pull up the Rannoch Black XXX, all I get is a blank spot where the pic would be. Does anyone have a pic of it they could post. I'd love to see it. Thanks!

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 9th March 08, 05:21 PM

The Rannoch Black tartan (No. 7047 in the ITI) is a fashion tartan, not a district tartan for the region. It was woven by Pringles of Inverness sometime before 1985. The STA notes indicate that they have a woven sample on file, but the sample is not large enough to allow them to extrapolate a thread count, which is why there is no graphic of the tartan available.

I imagine, however, that it might be similar to the Rannoch Red tartan (No. 5438), which was also a fashion tartan woven by Pringles prior to 1985.

If you are looking for a district tartan in the strict sense, though, neither of these would apply.
~M

**RobertParker** · 9th March 08, 05:24 PM

Thanks Matt. So, next question: what exactly is a "fashion tartan" as opposed to a regular one (assuming there's a such thing as "regular

)?

**Wompet** · 9th March 08, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by RobertParker

I was looking around on the STA tartan finder and decided to look up the regional tartan for the Robertsons ...

As an alternative, my Robertson ancestors came from Jedburgh (Roxborough district - ITI 140).

**slohairt** · 9th March 08, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by RobertParker

Thanks Matt. So, next question: what exactly is a "fashion tartan" as opposed to a regular one (assuming there's a such thing as "regular

)?

A fashion tartan is generally one designed by a mill for commercial purposes. Sometimes they are given names, which may or may not have any real meaning behind them, other than quick identification. A regional tartan is one adopted by whatever organisation governs an area.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 10th March 08, 04:21 AM

See above. That's basically the case. There are a few nuances to consider.

If some authority has declared the tartan to be official, then it is not a fashion tartan. For example, if the cheif of the Robertson clan puts his stamp of approval on a particular tartan, it becomes a Robertson clan tartan. If a city council decides to adopt a particular tartan, it becomes that city's district tartan. And so on...

Strictly speaking, a fashion tartan is a design that someone has given a name to that has no real authority behind it. Sometimes, however, a fashion tartan becomes a de facto clan/district/etc tartan through wont and usage.

One example would be the Aberdeen district tartan. It's never been officially adopted as the district tartan for the City of Aberdeen. But it's been around since at least 1794 (that we know of, possibly earlier). And since that time it has been worn to represent the Aberdeenshire region. There is a long history of use with this tartan.

Another example might be the Irish County tartans designed by the House of Edgar in the mid-1990s. They don't have the history of the Aberdeen tartan, but they are very popular nonetheless. Even though they have never been officially adopted by the Irish government, people are wearing them to represent those counties, so in effect they are being treated as district tartans.

I don't beleive that a case could be made for the Rannoch tartans being anything other that fashion tartans, however. They have neither history nor usage behind them. On the surface, it would seem that they are simply corporate designs that the company decided to give a pretty name to. I could be wrong in that assumption, but I didn't see anything in the record to indicate a broader usage than that.