Where a thread in the warp crosses a thread of the same colour in the weft they produce a solid colour on the tartan, while a thread crossing another of a different colour produces an equal mixture of the two colours.
Thus, a sett of two base colours produces three different colours including one mixture. The total number of colours, including mixtures, increases quadratically with the number of base colours so a sett of six base colours produces fifteen mixtures and a total of twenty-one different colours.
This means that the more stripes and colours used, the more blurred and subdued the tartan's pattern becomes. The sequence of threads, known as the sett, starts at an edge and either repeats or reverses on what are called pivot points. In diagram A , the sett reverses at the first pivot, then repeats, then reverses at the next pivot, and will carry on in this manner horizontally. In diagram B , the sett reverses and repeats in the same way as the warp, and also carries on in the same manner vertically.
The diagrams left illustrate the construction of a "symmetrical" tartan. However, on an "asymmetrical" tartan, the sett does not reverse at the pivots, it just repeats at the pivots. Also, some tartans very few do not have exactly the same sett for the warp and weft.
This means the warp and weft will have alternate thread counts. Tartan is recorded by counting the threads of each colour that appear in the sett. The thread count not only describes the width of the stripes on a sett, but also the colours used. For example, the thread count "K4 R24 K24 Y4" corresponds to 4 black threads, 24 red threads, 24 black threads, 4 yellow threads. The first and last threads of the thread count are the pivot points.
Though thread counts are indeed quite specific, they can be modified in certain circumstances, depending on the desired size of the tartan. For example, the sett of a tartan about 6 inches may be too large to fit upon the face of a necktie. In this case the thread count has to be reduced in proportion about 3 inches.
The shades of colour in tartan can be altered to produce variations of the same tartan. The resulting variations are termed: modern , ancient , and muted. These terms refer to colour only. Modern represents a tartan that is coloured using chemical dye, as opposed to natural dye.
In the midth century natural dyes began to be replaced by chemical dyes which were easier to use and were more economic for the booming tartan industry.
Chemical dyes tended to produce a very strong, dark colour compared to the natural dyes. In modern colours, setts made up of blue, black and green tend to be obscured.
Ancient refers to a lighter shade of tartan. These shades are meant to represent the colours that would result from fabric aging over time. Muted refers to tartan which is shade between modern and ancient. This type of tartan is very modern, dating only from the early s.
This shade is said to be the closest match to the shades attained by natural dyes used before the midth century. The idea that the various colours used in tartan have a specific meaning is purely a modern one. One such myth is that red tartans were "battle tartans", designed so they would not show blood. It is only certain recently created tartans, such as Canadian provincial and territorial tartans and American state tartans , that are designed with certain symbolic meaning for the colours used.
For example, the colour green sometimes symbolises prairies or forests, blue can symbolise lakes and rivers, and the colour yellow is sometimes used to symbolise various crops. Today tartan may be mostly associated with Scotland; however, the earliest evidence of tartan is found far afield from the British Isles. According to the textile historian E. Barber, the Hallstatt culture of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and flourished between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, produced tartan-like textiles.
Some of them were discovered in , remarkably preserved, in the Hallstatt salt mines near Salzburg , Austria. Textile analysis of fabric from the Tarim mummies in Xinjiang, northwestern China has also shown it to be similar to that of the Iron Age Hallstatt culture. Tartan-like leggings were found on the " Cherchen Man ", a 3,year-old mummy found in the Taklamakan Desert. Similar finds have been made in central Europe and Scandinavia.
The earliest documented tartan in Britain, known as the "Falkirk" tartan, dates from the 3rd century AD. It was uncovered at Falkirk in Stirlingshire , Scotland, about metres north-west of the Antonine Wall. The fragment was stuffed into the mouth of an earthenware pot containing almost 2, Roman coins.
The Falkirk tartan has a simple check design, of natural light and dark wool. Early forms of tartan like this are thought to have been invented in pre-Roman times, and would have been popular among the inhabitants of the northern Roman provinces as well as in other parts of Northern Europe such as Jutland , where the same pattern was prevalent. The tartan as we know it today is not thought to have existed in Scotland before the 16th century.
By the late 16th century there are numerous references to striped or checkered plaids. It is not until the late 17th or early 18th century that any kind of uniformity in tartan is thought to have occurred. Martin Martin , in A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland , published in , wrote that Scottish tartans could be used to distinguish the inhabitants of different regions.
He expressly wrote that the inhabitants of various islands and the mainland of the Highlands were not all dressed alike, but that the setts and colors of the various tartans varied from isle to isle.
As he does not mention the use of a special pattern by each family, it would appear that such a distinction is a modern one. For many centuries the patterns were loosely associated with the weavers of a particular area, though it was common for highlanders to wear a number of different tartans at the same time. A charter granted to Hector Maclean of Duart requires feu duty on land paid as 60 ells of cloth of white, black and green colours.
A witness of the Battle of Killiecrankie describes " McDonnell 's men in their triple stripes". From the government force of the Highland Independent Companies introduced a standardised tartan chosen to avoid association with any particular clan, and this was formalised when they became the Black Watch regiment in The most effective fighters for Jacobitism were the supporting Scottish clans, leading to an association of tartans with the Jacobite cause.
Efforts to pacify the Highlands led to the Dress Act of , banning tartans, except for the Highland regiments of the British army. Wilson corresponded with his agents in the Highlands to get information and samples of cloth from the clan districts to enable him to reproduce "perfectly genuine patterns" and recorded over setts by , many of which were tentatively named.
At this time many setts were simply numbered, or given fanciful names such as the " Robin Hood " tartan, not associated with any specific clan. By the 19th century the Highland romantic revival, inspired by James Macpherson 's Ossian poems and the writings of Sir Walter Scott , led to wider interest, with clubs like the Celtic Society of Edinburgh welcoming Lowlanders. The pageantry invented for the visit of King George IV to Scotland brought a sudden demand for tartan cloth and made it the national dress of the whole of Scotland, rather than just the Highlands and Islands, with the invention of many new clan-specific tartans to suit.
George IV was the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in years. The festivities surrounding the event were originated by Sir Walter Scott who founded the Celtic Society of Edinburgh in All the clan chiefs were asked to come out to greet the King in their "proper clan tartan. Many new tartans were no doubt created, or renamed for the occasion. From this point on, however, the idea was firmly established that in order to even be a proper tartan, it had to be a named tartan.
The story of the development of tartan lore over the course of the nineteenth century is long and complicated, and beyond the scope of this brief introduction. But with the blessing of the clan chiefs, the tradition evolved by the end of the nineteenth century that tartan was representative.
Though clan tartans are the most well known, tartans can represent many different things. Some tartans represent families, towns, district, corporations, individuals, events -- you name it! What makes a tartan "official" or "authentic" is not age or antiquity, but whether it has the approval of the governing body of what that tartan represents. If a clan chief, or a state's legislature, or the CEO of a company says this is the official tartan, it is so, whether the tartan is two or two hundred years old.
A clan tartan is one that represents your clan. It is not necessarily the tartan that your ancestors would have worn hundreds of years ago. Highlanders traditionally would have selected any tartan they likes from the available sources. You are still free to do the same! However, it is a fact that tartans today have meaning, and when you wear a tartan you are identifying yourself with what that tartan represents, be it a clan, district, or what have you. Most today would of course select a tartan that they feel identifies with some part of your heritage.
While if there is a tartan for your surname, that would be an obvious choice, there is nothing wrong with wearing a tartan for another branch of your family. Commercial suppliers today typically produce a range of some - tartan designs, enough to satisfy most of the requests for tartan patterns. However, there are well over unique tartans on record. This is a plaid for someone who likes to stand out in a crowd. But MacLeod of Lewis tartan has outgrown these origins to be universally recognised as one of the boldest fabric patterns in the world.
The Lindsay tartan is another that's been commercially successful thanks to its sophisticated beauty and flexible styling. Popular for everything from school uniforms to ladies' skirts and jackets, the Lindsay tartan has a place in countless hearts.
Descended from Danes, the first Lindsay recorded in Scotland was in and the family prospered both in both Scotland and England until they had to give up the English parts during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Now the family is found all over the world. But their tartan is found much more widely still! The Dress Stewart tartan is another plaid found in many a school uniform.
But its popularity is much wider than that, used in everything from high fashion to traditional interiors. Dress tartans are typically showy, designed of course for dress-up occasions. But Dress Stewart somehow does so in a way that's classy. Dress Stewart is nowadays so widely used for commercial production that few wearers probably even reflect on its historic links with the Stewart clan. But it remains a source of pride for many Stewart family members to see their fabrics being enjoyed all over the world.
The Scotland Forever tartan is a more modern invention by one of the Scottish weaving mills. Taking its name from a famous battle cry heard at Waterloo, the Scotland Forever was created especially to meet the need for a plaid design that could be worn by anyone, wherever they lived, and whether or not they had Scottish blood.
After all, which of us wouldn't agree: Scotland Forever! Tartans aren't only for families and clans. The tradition is really about honouring a community you belong to and love. So there are plaids for countries, cities, regions, and villages. There are tartans for companies, clubs, and events. Lots of universities and schools have their own.
Heck, you can even design your own tartan. But here's the big take-away: there's no rule to stop you wearing any old clan or family tartan! That idea's a myth.
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