SCOTTISH TARTANS
The
word Tartan describes the distinct chequered pattern generally worked
out in a woven fabric such as woollen cloth. In the past the colours
used came from vegetables and the like, by mixing an assortment of local
roots, such as mosses and flora. Nowadays, of course, chemical dyes
are used, however these can be skilfully mass-produced to convey a soft
and mellow hue which gives the latest length of tartan an "ancient”
appearance. Despite the fact that such tartan material is a typically
a Scottish product, weavers and dyers in other countries have also fashioned
attractive checked designs which are permitted to be called tartans.
The ones shown in this web site, on the other hand, are those of authentic
Scottish clans.
You will become aware of as you look through the site that a large variety
of designs are possible. Each meticulous pattern is known as a “sett”
and a length of tartan repeats this design as frequently as required.
One and all are familiar with the kilt worn by Scottish regiments and pipe bands and by countless Scotsmen. The antique dress of the Scottish Highlander, nevertheless, was not a kilt of this kind, but a belted plaid. This plaid (the feileadh-mor or “great wrap ") was a generous piece of tartan cloth about 16-18 feet long and 6 feet wide.
The upper part covered the person’s shoulders. It was belted at
the waist and the lower piece hung down to the knees. Near the beginning
of the eighteenth century the lower half of the belted plaid (the feileadh-beag
or “little wrap") was in common use as a kilt. Since then
the kilt has been the customary clothe of the Highland regimental uniform,
and nowadays at Highland Games and open-air activities, and on social
occasions such as weddings and dances. After 1745 the defeat of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his Highland followers, a range of Acts of Parliament were passed, in an endeavor to neutralize the Highlanders and to devastate the clan spirit by making it illegal to wear the traditional Highland dress. This outlawed the wearing of the kilt for thirty-six years and as a result the old techniques of using vegetable dyes to make the tartan were not passed on to the next generation. As a dress fabric tartan has an lasting appeal. Undoubtedly there are few women who can resist the appeal of a well-cut tartan kilt a masterpiece of skilled tailoring-shows the clansman at his most virile and well-dressed. |
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