What is the Black Watch and What is a Royal Stewart

[The Wizard of BC]

The Black Watch Tartan is registered with International Tartan Index number #207. Under the Scottish Register of Tartans it is number 277.

The date of its design is recorded as 1725 by Wilson's of Bannockburn.

STA notes -

"Gov. Tartan No. 1. This sett is based on Logans 'Sutherland' tartan. Various thread counts appear in Wilsons pattern books of roughly the same proportions. Documents show that this was the tartan appointed for the Highland Companies in 1725 and later for the Black Watch in 1739. Slightly different count from 42nd Regiment. Sample in STA's Scarlett Collection. Sinclair/Brown Scrapbook (started in the 1930s) proivides a particularly dark sample with the notes: " . . . worn by Earl of Sutherland 1719 [Portrait] and known to have been used by the clan and by the Gordons in the early 17th century."

SRT notes -

In 1725, General George Wade, the commander of British forces in North Britain authorised the formation of six independent companies of troops to police the Highlanders. One company was raised by Col William Grant of Ballindalloch. The companies were known locally as the 'Black Watch' and were eventually consolidated to form the 43rd (later 42nd) Royal Highland Regiment. The Independent Companies wore a dark blue, black and green plaid which was woven by over sixty weavers in Strathspey, the country of Clan Grant. A portrait of Robert Grant of Lurg, circa 1769, is in the National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle. The painting depicts the subject in a coat and plaid in the Black Watch tartan. An early sample of the Black Watch tartan labelled 'Grant' is in the collection of Lt Gen Sir William Cockburn at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. Another swatch of this 'Grant' tartan was added to the collection of the Highland Society of London in 1822."

There are more than one version of this Tartan and this same Sett is known by many other names.

The Royal Stewart Tartan is registered with International Tartan Index number #1375. Under the Scottish Register of Tartans it is number #3957.

STA notes -

"Count, halved to show sett, for the 600 Reed from Wilsons' 1819 KPB."

SRT notes -

"A plaid from the Hepburn Collection. Said to be very faded. This is a very large sett and has been divided by four to show here which explains the odd-numbered thread counts. The blue bordering the red bocks is often shown as azure. The best known of all Scottish tartans, the Royal Stewart is the tartan of the Royal House of Stewart and the personal tartan of the reigning monarch. Theoretically it cannot be used or worn without the express permission of HM The Queen. In pratice however, this is the most popular tartan ever woven and can be seen on a huge range of products. The genie is well and truly out of the bottle so the theory rather evaporates."

There are more versions, variants and different spellings of Stewart/Stuart than any other.