Strathspey tartan -a misnomer

[figheadair]

Here's the original specimen of the so called Strathspey tartan.


Taken from the back of a Strathspey Fencibles waistcoat, this is a piece of old plaiding and not issue cloth. The identity of the owner is unknown but he was presumably a Grant or some such from the Strathspey/Rothiemurchus area. The piece will be the subject of a future paper but at this stage it's reasonable to suggest that the design should be more correctly called an Unnamed 18th century tartan from Strathspey.

[Tarheel]

That blue is quite vibrant. Did it survive in a cave or coffin (devoid of light)? I'm also wondering if there was some pressure involved in the dying process to saturate the fibers thus retain the color longer.

I worked one summer (1970) at Cloverdale Dye Works (High Point, N.C.) where there were huge vats to dye yarn on the spool. The darker colors were placed under vacuum while they boiled the spindles.

[figheadair]

The waistcoat was probably kept in a closed cupboard of some such from c1800. We have no idea how the original plaid was used or for how long but it doesn't look to have had much exposure to sunlight judging by the green which is always the colour that fades first. The dyes are all natural, the blue from indigo so no pressure dyeing would have been involved.

[Luke MacGillie]

Nice photo,

I take it you have identified what pattern the Fencible's were issued for kilts and or plaids and this is not that pattern?

Granted the docs I sent you are from a few decades earlier than this, but did you see how only waistcoat fronts were issued in subsequent years after raising a regiment? Perhaps that is how a waistcoat has a back of something other than what should be linen?

Looking forward to the article for sure

[Orvis]

Interesting photo - the sett somewhat resembles the Government tartan.

I have a interesting book by H.B. Macintosh entitled "The Grant, Strathspey or First Highland Fencible Regiment 1793-1799 (Elgin, 1934). Chapter 2 (Details of Uniform) describes the tartan as similar to that of the undifferenced Black Watch sett, but with a red stripe inserted. The book contains footnotes, but this generally does not include sources of where information was obtained. As to waistcoats, "The waistcoats were of white cassimere or cloth, plain and fastened by a single row of regimental buttons in pairs." A footnote adds that waistcoat fronts were supplied every two years. Although there is no information as to the fabric used for the backs, the re-use of old plaiding for the waistcoat backs would have made sense.

In another book from my library (H.B. Macintosh, "The Inverness Shire Highlanders, or 97th Regiment of Foot 1794-1796", Elgin, 1926) states that this regiment wore the same tartan as the Strathspey Fencibles, which received the 97th's stocks of the cloth when the 97th was disbanded. It is my understanding that some of the 97th's uniform items (such as grenadier caps) ended up in storage at Castle Grant and can still be accessed. I don't know if any of the OR's uniform clothing or cloth survives there, as the OR's clothing was paid for by them and went with them when the regiment was disbanded. As noted in the first book, the Strathspey Fencibles took over the 97th's supply of tartan (identical in sett to the Strathspey's) when the 97th disbanded.

[Luke MacGillie]

I do believe those Grenadier caps are the ones featured in the article in Military Collector and Historian, and that someone has uploaded each page as an individual jpg on Pintrest. Of course the proper thing to do is join the CMH and buy a back issue, not just troll the internet for information........