Allowed tartans

[James]

Firstly I'm sorry for I should have picked this up before:

Hamish cited Balmoral as being the only tartan that is 'reserved', this is wrong for there are others-here I would cite my own clan where there is a reserved tartan for the chief and their immediate family.

However as mentioned in my earlier post, there are conventions rather than rules. Sadly people are looking for rules-specific rules: not realising that here in Britain and to be more specific in the actual clans-such conventions are oft stronger than any rules.

So whilst allowances are made for ignorance-and such people as dancers-scouts and the like: the convention is that an individual wearing a tartan to which they do not have a link under the convention concept is a bit of a rotter. Probably nothing would be said-but people would know.

So the right thing to do is to wear either a tartan to which one has a genuine claim-or look to one of the many excellent district tartans and the like.

This in turn leads to something else, oft on this board one reads about the 'highland heritage' which gave birth to the kilt and tartan as we know them today-that in turn leads to the clans. Looking to the clans-I appreciate the arguments about the evolution of clan tartans-now that evolution of linked tartans goes back to at least the raising of the Black Watch, and was later reinforced by the infamous royal visit-so we are looking at at least 200-250 years: long enough for a tradition to become a genuine tradition*. [Think here on a time span the USMC-do they not claim traditions!]

So rather than looking to rules, or a lack of rules, and ignoring convention: it might be better to make every effort to support that heritage, and if that means being selective as to which tartan to wear-so be it. For if we do not support that heritage-it will be lost.

So please do look to the genuine link twixt tartan and clan before getting a kilt-you will be supporting our shared heritage.

*My personal 'guess' is that clan tartans evolved from local weaves and colouration-so the actual clan tartans we see today are the product of evolution. Though I accept that some were lost, and as a consequence created at a later date.

In an earlier post I claimed the role of curmudgeon to this board-quite right: but in justification please remember that instead of coming to the kilt at a later age, I've worn it since infancy-and am now seventy. My sources for tartans and how to wear the kilt etc, come not from books/rules or this or that society: rather from the words of parents and clan elders-and looking to their example both as to how I should dress, and think.

James

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Hamish cited Balmoral as being the only tartan that is 'reserved', this is wrong for there are others-here I would cite my own clan where there is a reserved tartan for the chief and their immediate family.

James,

Which clan is that? I'm asking out of curiosity for I know of a few clans that supposedly have "cheif's tartans" but in reality the cheifs have never said any such thing.

Aye,
Matt

[James]

Donnachaidhu-think Red with a white added stripe.

I've actually seen it being worn by our chief-so it is not a question of theory: I've never noticed it in any of the weavers lists.

I cannot broaden this in respect of tartans, but I know that military tailors would hold special weaves of khaki that would only be released to officers of a particular regiment-and so details would never be available to the general public-the wider military market. So I'd not be amazed if there were not similar arrangements in respect of some tartans.

To put this another way, If all of a sudden I got rich and decided to have a personal tartan-I'd arrange with the weavers that firstly it would not be listed, and second it could only be released for making up on my say so.

I think this well illustrates the minefield-for there is public/written information: then there is much that is by convention-handed down-which is not in the public domain. So only bobs up when someone trips over it.

James

[cessna152towser]

Personally I believe I have plenty of nice tartans to choose from, ancestor family names, fashion tartans, affinity groups etc., without needing to wear a tartan with which I have absolutely no connection though its no business of mine to criticise someone who chooses to do so. Most of my kilts are either single colour or camo. but I do also wear the following tartans:-
Cunningham (my surname);
Black Watch (a government sett and I am retired from a thirty year local government career)
Teviotdale (District tartan from the district where I live, which was traditionally Elliot territory and the tartan includes the blue and brown of Elliot)
Dark Island (fashion shadow tartan)
Spirit of Scotland (fashion tartan)
Royal Air Force (in honour of my late father who served in the RAF)
Royal Stewart (a cheap tourist tat kilt, just because I wanted to have one in my collection).
My next tartan kilt will probably be University of Glasgow where I studied for my law degree from 1969 to 1973.

[emolas]

I think that restrictions on what "colors" you can wear is a bit gang-like and juvenile. That being said, which one of you can get your hands on some Balmoral tartan? It's pretty sweet looking and the fact that it's forbidden makes it that much more enticing.

[Kilts_Knave]

majdan,

I find myself coming back to this Site:

http://tartans.byair.net/index.php

...

for reference. There are many snippets of historical information as well as connections to other tartans,the time they were created and/or discovered, etc. I hope it helps.

~Reece

[Kilted-Marine]

I agree that there are many tartans a person can wear and make a claim to or wear in honor of and those would be the first I would suggest a person get.

But if there is one you like and you have no connection - well if your scottish chances are either they are related to you some how,, OR your families used to steal cattle together at one time or another.

I am a traditionalist in that I think kilts should be tartan, but that is only my preference and I dont think it is wrong to wear a leather one, or a camoflague one, I would never wear one myself but I would never ever criticize a person for wearing one.

I have a MacPherson Dress and wear it from time to time becasue it is a sharp looking kilt. (My great great great great uncle Angus used to steal cattle with William MacPherson)

[ccga3359]

My great great great great uncle Angus used to steal cattle with William MacPherson

There is much to be said about true romance. My great great great great uncle Argyle had to pay a dowry!

[davedove]

OR your families used to steal cattle together at one time or another.

Ah, the good old days!

[majdan]

majdan,

I find myself coming back to this Site:

http://tartans.byair.net/index.php

...

for reference. There are many snippets of historical information as well as connections to other tartans,the time they were created and/or discovered, etc. I hope it helps.

~Reece

Thanks Reece.

The lable "Official" really has no meaning in this tartan discussion truefully and I have no issues with anyone wearing any sort of Montgomery at all. Just another person to buy a drink. I just prefer the Montgomery Anicent because all the purple in the modern kind of puts me off. Being an Infantry officer I have a preferance for light Blue(the color of the Infantry) and green.

Thanks for the link BTW

Dan