The number and variety of Buchanan tartans make my head spin. I'm sure this holds true for most clans but Buchanan is the only one I care to endure a headache over. Sometime last year I complied a "quick" list of tartans by manufacturer and even those border on the confusing; reproductions, variants, "antique" and "muted" as opposed to "weathered" or "ancient". Not to mention the confusion which occurs when one does an image search via Google, for say, "House of Edgar Buchanan Hunting Weathered" and no less than five apparently distinct tartans appear! Which is which? More importantly which is "proper"?

This all started with trying to find the "right" Buchanan tartan for myself and although it's far from ended it's brought me to a complete befuddlement as I attempted to catalog with names and images of as many different tartans from as many manufacturers as I could. I'm left at a stalemate. So far, the list I have (probably woefully incomplete) is this:

House of Edgar

Modern [16oz]
Ancient [13oz]
Hunting Modern [13oz]
Modern Large Sett [13oz]
Muted Large Sett [13oz]
Muted MacGregor Hasite [13oz]
Hunting Ancient (1955) [13oz]


Lochcarron

Modern [13/16oz]
Ancient [13/16oz]
Weathered [13/16oz]
Hunting Modern [13/16oz]
Hunting Ancient [16oz]
Old Ancient [16oz]
Old Weathered [16oz]
Reproduction


Marton Mills

Ancient [16oz]
Hunting Modern [16oz]
Polyviscose Ancient (BA032T)


Strathmore

Modern [13oz]
Hunting Modern [13oz]
Reproduction [13oz]


Batley

Old Dress [13oz]


Is anyone able to add to the list? More importantly, is anyone able to explain how and why so many tartans came about? Why an Old Sett? Where did Marton Mills get their PV Ancient sett from? Where did Strathmore's Reproduction appear? Why are some setts designated as "Large" by House of Edgar? Why on EARTH are things like "Buchanan Incorrect" recorded with the Scottish Register of Tartans? So many questions... so many questions...