Weathered tartan question

[M. A. C. Newsome]

As Dalgliesh was the first to come up with this particular color scheme in the 1940s, I would say "weathered" is other mills' designation for reproduction, not the other way around.

Certain conditions do allow for textiles to be preserved buried for quite some time. The Ulster tartan is a recreation made from an outfit preserved for over 300 years buried in peat in Dungiven. So under the right conditions, fabric can be preserved in this way.

But Peter's point is valid; we don't know where the original sample came from or how old it was. I think it is very likely true that the inspiration for the reproduction colors was an old sample of tartan. Beyond that, it becomes hard to say anything with certainty without documentation.

For those interested in more about the Dungiven outfit or Ulster tartan:
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.230...21102474317287