Quote Originally Posted by ThistleDown View Post
CG would you mind telling us to which clans you are referring? I know of a couple of black and white variations known as "Dress" tartans, but not any officially recognised as "mouring" or "funeral".
Rex,

Here's a quote from James Scarlett from the STA website concerning their dubious origin:

As to 'funeral' tartans, our old friends the Sobieskis concocted a black and white 'Mackfarlan' tartan and so paved the way for black and white versions of other simple patterns. 'Funeral' and 'Mourning' may just be fanciful descriptive names; if they were ever used for the purposes suggested it can only have been as a late affectation.

The Clans Originaux swatchbook of 1880 contains a "Mourning Stewart" tartan. I believe that these were an idea (a bit like Dress Tartans, perhaps?) that really never caught on since kilts are so expensive...


See these links:
http://www.tartansauthority.com/tart.../royal-tartans
http://www.tartansauthority.com/reso...first-casualty

Cordially,

David