Murray of Atholl Stripe pleats

[tulloch]

Laddie, I suggest we go to Athol, MA on 6/2 and see them for ourselves! You can not only look but can ask them in person any question you have. Then we can see Prydein rock out.

[usonian]

It's already on my calendar, Tulloch! My lodge is hoping to make a presentation to the Marquess of Tullibardine during the official reception (there is a longstanding history of amity between the lodge and the Dukes of Atholl, and I want to make sure the tradition continues.) I've been planning on making a Murray of Atholl ancient kilt to coincide with Athol (sic) MA's 250th anniversary and me probably being installed as Master of the lodge next year... as I wrap up my practice kilt I'm eyeing the calendar and wondering if I want to commit to trying to make it between now and 6/2. I already have the tartan.

[usonian]

Yes, pleating to the full sett would definitely be a no-go. In Marton Mills 16oz wool the full sett is almost exactly 12 inches. The plain red stripe on the half-sett means shallow pleats and lots of them:

[usonian]

In this thread Peter MacDonald mentioned that most of the Atholl Highlanders' plaids are actually quite old, fabric woven by Wilsons' circa 1840.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

In this thread Peter MacDonald mentioned that most of the Atholl Highlanders' plaids are actually quite old, fabric woven by Wilsons' circa 1840.

***. You beat me to it. I actually like the look of the plaid and kilt in slightly different color schemes, having seen them worn thus by the Atholl Highlanders.

[crash]

So Matt and Usonian, looking at Usonian's pleating of the Athol it occurs to me that Colquhoun would be pleated to the same red stripe on the green?

[creagdhubh]

Apparently, many of the plaids are far older than the kilts (in the gorgeous, Murray of Atholl tartan) the Atholl Highlanders wear. Some of the (newer) plaids match the kilts better than others, though 'matching' isn't necessarily important with uniform regulations of this private army.

This is all according to a response made by an actual Atholl Highlander when I questioned him (whilst attending the Atholl Gathering) about the plaid colour scheme differing from that of their kilts. I have seen them on parade, as well as the Duke of Atholl's inspection at Blair Castle in beautiful Blair Atholl, several times. The year in which I posed the question regarding the plaids and kilts to one of the Atholl Highlanders, was in May of 2007, just a couple of months shy of my own clan's annual gathering 'up the road' from Atholl in Badenoch.












Cheers,

[figheadair]

With the exception of the front left plaid in picture 2 all the others are Wilsons' cloth c1830-40. It amazes me that so little care is taken of such a unique resource. During the piping competitions some plaids are used to cover the general public's seating in the Ball Room :0I

[creagdhubh]

It amazes me that so little care is taken of such a unique resource. During the piping competitions some plaids are used to cover the general public's seating in the Ball Room :0I

Oh dear!