Tartan Authority

[macwilkin]

While STA may be mroe prestigious and have a more extensive database, the images of Scottish Tartans World Registry at http://www.tartans.scotland.net/ are much clearer and truer to life.

I would recommend using both the STA and the World Registry in tandem, since I am not sure that the latter has been updated recently.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned our own tartan authority here, Matt Newsome, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin, NC:

www.albanach.org

Matt is a member of the STA and the Guild of Tartan Scholars.

Regards,

Todd

[davedove]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned our own tartan authority here, Matt Newsome, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin, NC:

www.albanach.org

Matt is a member of the STA and the Guild of Tartan Scholars.

No doubt about it Todd, if I had a question, Matt would certainly be one of the first people I asked.

If I just wanted to look at different tartans, though, I would look them up at one of the databases and not bother anyone.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Of the Scottish Tartans Authority database and that of the Scottish Tartans World Register, I prefer the STA only because theirs is more complete, so there is a greater liklihood that I'll find what I am looking for. Also, the information provided seems to be more up to date and accurate (though you do need to be a member to access the full data file).

One may argue that the images shown on the STWR site are crisper, but in both cases what you will see will be computer generated images, so if your intention is to see what the tartan will look like "in the flesh" both of these will be somewhat limited.

For seeing real samples of tartan, I like to use www.tartanweb.org.

This web site has photos of the actual tartan cloth from five different Scottish mills, representing the bulk of the industry. You can search to see what's available in your tartan, or you can search just the range of one mill.

Of course, this is only going to be helpful if you are looking for a tartan that is commercially produced. The STA index will have far more tartans including those that are not stock supported by the mills at present.