A Very Brief History of Tartan

The history of tartan is more interesting than it has any right to be. Here is a very brief guide to give you something to talk about in the ballroom breakfast queue at 1am. 

Fun fact: Tartans were not always associated with specific clans or families. Instead people wore the tartans they could afford, made with dies that were available, and according to their personal preference. 

The passion for all things Scottish was sparked in the early 19th century by the royal visits of George IV and later Queen Victoria, as well as the poems of Sir Walter Scott. The craze saw the publication of many fanciful books about tartan, including one by John Sobieski and Charles Allen, who claimed to be the grandchildren of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The ‘Vestiarium’, as it was called, was supposedly based on an ancient manuscript detailing which clans wore which tartans. The original somehow never appeared. After a few more publications, such as ‘The Costume of the Clans’, the entirely novel idea that tartans were associated with specific clans was a firm historical fact. The Scottish tartan industry was booming, and the publications kept selling, so no one felt the need to dispel the myths.

In the 19th century, sashes were often made by the famous silk weavers of Spitalfields in bright satins lengths of several metres. Team Ballavimus had the opportunity to see one in person at the Skye gathering a few years ago and it was an insight into why Victorians liked tartan so much. By comparison the modern wool or synthetic versions in muted colours are less lovely, and harder to match with evening wear. 

Please note that the history of tartans is not agreed. For every source that says you can wear Royal tartans, other say you cannot. You are not meant to wear a military tartan if you did not serve in that regiment and yet Black Watch is one of the most commonly seen tartans. To quote Captain Jack, "They're more like guidelines than actual rules". 

If you want advice on wearing a tartan sash, please read this. 

If you need some relevant poetry to recite at a reeling ball, try this:

GENTLEMEN - THE TARTAN

Here's to it!
The fighting sheen of it,
The red, the green of it,
The black, the blue of it,
The swing, the hue of it,
Every thread of it!
The fair have sighed for it,
The brave have died for it,
Foeman sought for it,
Heroes fought for it,
Honour the name of it,
Drink to the fame of it -
The Tartan!

Murdoch Maclean