timeline of tartan mills

[OC Richard]

In looking at our current commercial tartan mills, a curious thing struck me.

Wilsons of Bannockburn, as I understand, stopped production in 1924.

It makes sense in that the massive military demand for tartan (and cloth in general) ended in 1918.

However the 1920s were the very time when the large Highland Outfitters were booming in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London and selling to a worldwide clientele.

So with Wilsons closed, who was providing the tartan in the Highland Dress purple patch of the 1920s?

Most of our currently familiar mills opened in the immediate post-WWII era (Lochcarron and Dalgliesh 1947, Strathmore 1949).

One candidate perhaps is A&J MacNaughton (Pitlochry) who had been weaving tartan rugs since 1835 (Queen Victoria is said to have bought one) but I don't know if they were also weaving kilting cloth. The current firm (House of Edgar) says that the WWII years were "prosperous" for the firm, but says nothing about the WWI years which presumably would be more so, if A&J MacNaughton were weaving kilting cloth for the regiments or other woolens for the military.

[Troglodyte]

It would be well-worth looking into the production of mills south of the border - Yorkshire (wool) and Lancashire (cotton) - for comparison and the broader picture for the industry in the UK as a whole. Belfast linen production, too.

These production centres saw a catastrophic downturn in the late 1970s, in the face of fraction-of-the-cost competition in Asia.

Despite its continued polularity, tartan, like tweed, is still a niche market, and the number of UK producers now left shows just how niche it is.

[figheadair]

In looking at our current commercial tartan mills, a curious thing struck me.

Wilsons of Bannockburn, as I understand, stopped production in 1924.

It makes sense in that the massive military demand for tartan (and cloth in general) ended in 1918.

Wilsons had a carpet weaving business too and it was this that survived into the 20th century whereas their cloth manufacturing ceased around 1900 due to competition from other mills both in Scotland and elsewhere.

Other Scottish tartan Mills that were operating in the late 19th / early 20th centuries include:

Clansman Mill, Killin

Wm. Ross & Sons, Alva

Knockando, Speyside

Johnstone of Elgin

Pringles, Inverness

And quite a few more in the Highlands and Borders too.