Clan Munro 'Foulis Sett' tartan

[Troglodyte]

Two things...

Are there any Clan Munro members out there who might be interested in forming a group on this forum?

And are there any who would be interested in a re-weaving of the Clan Munro 'Foulis Sett' version of the red Clan Munro tartan?

The 'Foulis Sett' was a one-off I arranged with Lochcarron back in 2004, and was copied from a sample provided by the chief's late mother. Whilst not exactly identical to the version clan tartan worn by the chief and various members of his family, it is very similar, and uses Lochcarron's 'ancient' colours.

The main difference between the usual Clan Munro Ancient by Lochcarron and the 'Foulis Sett' is the size, but this makes it similar to the large sett seen in the MacIan and MacLeay 1840s portraits of Munro subjects.

The 'Foulis Sett' is not a stock item, but I understand that a minimum of 60m of double width (more than 10 kilts' worth) is required by the weaver. At the last gathering in 2019, several members enquired about availability at Campbell's of Beauly, and they showed a willingness to arrange another weaving run if they had sufficient interest.

I still have a copy of the original piece-ticket, which has the weaver's thread-counts and other details - copies could be supplied if anyone is interested.

[Troglodyte]

Here is a picture of the 'Foulis Sett' laid over with a sample of the regular Clan Munro by Lochcarron. I have placed them so the the three central fine green lines of both versions are aligned.





Colours of the 'Foulis Sett' are a bit richer than those of the sample - the red is a bit deeper, and the green is more leaf-green than moss-green, and the yellow is more gold than beige. But they are still from the 'ancient' colour pallet.

[figheadair]

There is no such thing as the Munro of Fowlis sett, it is simply the Munro tartan in a large (relatively) sett.
A larger setting or this, and most other tartans, was common in the 19th century. Here's a specimen c1835. Note the use of 'Rose' (pink/light red) between the triple green which was the original setting but which is often rendered in the same shade as the ground red today.

[Troglodyte]

Foulis sett is the name given to the large sett version specially woven by Lochcarron in 2004. Lochcarron wanted a name for it, so as to distinguish it from their regular Clan Munro offering, and is recorded on the original weaving piece-ticket. It is not a 'new' tartan, but a different version, and has not been recorded officially in the Register as far as I know - certainly not by me, who arranged the weaving. Ought it be, I wonder.

Foulis Sett was chosen as Foulis Castle is the seat of the Chief and the sample copied came from Foulis, which was a piece the current Chief's mother had commissioned some decades before, and has become recognised by clan members as being that worn by the Munros of Foulis family members. What makes the 'Foulis Sett' different from the more commonly-seen versions offered by different weavers, is the size of the sett - the difference can be seen in the picture.

Interestingly, none of the commercially available versions of Clan Munro tartan bare much resemblance to old versions woven to Logan's scale. I have found no record of when Clan Munro first wore the sett, but one reference dates it as no earlier than 1794 and I am sceptical of that. Research shows that the sett was previously know as Lochiel, and how it came to be worn by the Munros is a bit of a mystery. Certainly through no love of the Camerons..!

The historian and auther R. W. Munro arranged in the 1950s through Wm Anderson (Kinloch Anderson as they are now) a weaving of, and a kilt making up in, a version of Clan Munro tartan conforming to Logan's scale. The tartan was used as the endpapers R. W. Munro's 1977 illustrated book 'Highland Clans and Tartans' and the thread-count is given in the form of a weaver's 'stick'.

That kilt has been in my possesion for almost 20 years, and it regularly receives comment and enquiry. The effect or appearance of this version is less 'busy' than others, as it seems to play down the yellow and blue, while making more of the red and green bars.

[Troglodyte]

These illustrate my last post, and are variations on a theme.

The three kilts together show (from left) Clan Munro tartan by Dalgleish in reproduction colours, 'Foulis Sett' by Lochcarron in ancient colours, and R. W. Munro's kilt in ancient colours to Logan's scale. A sample of regular Clan Munro tartan in ancient colours is over-laid.

To my eyes, these show distinct differences, to the point that they appear almost as different tartans, but the colour sequence makes the sett, rather than the thread-count and shade of colour. The Logan scale version is probably the most 'original' of them.





The other picture is of kilts on display at Foulis Castle in Ross-shire, with one being close on 150 years old and has a curious fastening arrangement - a single strap on the left, inner-apron, that passes through a slot, around the back through loops or keepers, and fastens to a buckle on the right. The sporran in the Chief's and bears his crest.

[figheadair]

Troglodyte,

Thank you, some useful background information.

From correspondence with R. W. Munro’s widow, I was aware that the tartan in the endpapers of his book was taken from the length woven for their wedding in 1958. I don’t know which mill wove it but as it is simply a version of the Munro, the Register would not accept it as a unique design.

Logan’s scale was defective due to the way he recorded patterns by starting at a selvedge which was often not a pivot point. He also failed to record the use of two shades of red in the pattern at the time – see my previous post.

This tartan was almost certainly one of Wilsons of Bannockburn’s designs and was originally called Locheil as you rightly say. I am not aware of the 1794 reference to this tartan as Munro, can you confirm the source?

As an aside, the concept of a weaver’s stick to record a pattern is nonsensical and a myth in my opinion.

[Troglodyte]

A couple more...





MacLeay's portrait shows Donald Munro on the left of the trio - the size of the sett in his kilt is clear. The other picture was taken at a Clan Gathering, and shows the Chief and his brother in their large sett kilts to the right of the picture. Brig. Munro (speaking into the microphone) appears to be wearing 'normal' size sett in weathered colours.

It seems the older versions of the Munro clan tartan tended to be large sett - perhaps the smaller sett lends itself better to kilt-making or is thought to show more colour, or look 'more' tartan.

Maybe the kilt-makers and weavers on the forum could help with this...

[figheadair]

The other picture is of kilts on display at Foulis Castle in Ross-shire, with one being close on 150 years old and has a curious fastening arrangement - a single strap on the left, inner-apron, that passes through a slot, around the back through loops or keepers, and fastens to a buckle on the right. The sporran in the Chief's and bears his crest.

I've seen that style of fastening before. It tends to be later Victorian and early Edwardian and so fits in roughly with the 150 years old.

[figheadair]

It seems the older versions of the Munro clan tartan tended to be large sett - perhaps the smaller sett lends itself better to kilt-making or is thought to show more colour, or look 'more' tartan.

Maybe the kilt-makers and weavers on the forum could help with this...

Before the advent of the modern (standardised) kilt style c1900, kilt material was often woven in large settings which reflected the older plaid setting style. The Locheil/Munro kilt is c1830 and has a huge sett by today's standards.

[DCampbell16B]

Maybe the kilt-makers and weavers on the forum could help with this...

You may take anything Figheadair writes as authoritative. He is both a weaver of and consultant on tartan. He is associated with the Scottish Tartans Authority, but his relationship escapes me at the moment.