Aberdeen District Tartan

[davidlpope]

This got me thinking, since my family name is a lowland one, Watt, maybe my next kilt should be a district tartan that has a real connection with my family heritage. Upon doing some research I do not see any mill that makes the Aberdeen tartan in 16oz heavy weight.

I think the decision to wear a district tartan is a very good one. From my personal view, I think it is much more authentic to wear a district or fashion tartan that originated centuries ago (or simply wear a tartan that you really like with no claims of familial connection) rather than to attempt the usual genealogical gymnastics ("My wife's step-father's surname was Thomas<<usually Welsh or English>>, which is a variant of MacThomas, which is a form of MacTavish, but I like the Clan Chattan tartan better than the MacTavish so since the MacTavishes were part of the Clan Chattan confederacy I wear it...")

The Aberdeen sett was designed by Wilsons of Bannockburn in the 18th century, making it older than many of the clan tartans out there, although it may have been originally been designed as a fashion sett and named "Aberdeen" in order to increase sales. Over time, though, fashion setts tend to become "adopted" by groups or areas and their original origin is forgotten. I personally think it is a very attractive tartan and has a lot more punch than many modern tartans.

Lochcarron lists Aberdeen as one of the tartans available in their 16oz. Strome range. You can check with your regular highlandwear supplier to confirm this. Another option would be to have a kilt-length custom woven by D.C. Dalgliesh in the authentic Wilsons' colors. If you're into a more historically accurate kilt style, a custom-woven box-pleat by Matt Newsome in the Aberdeen tartan would be hard to beat.

One final note: The Aberdeen sett is very wide, which means that your kiltmaker would likely have to do some creative pleating. If not, the kilt would end up with a small number of extremely deep pleats. This should be no problem for an experienced kiltmaker, but could prevent you from pleating to a specific line, etc.

I'd urge you to check out Matt Newsome's website at http://www.district-tartans.com/. There are lots of choices for someone who isn't that keen on clan tartans.

Cordially,

David