Tartan proliferation -- good or bad?

[Detroitpete]

We all have opinions, and I'm of the opinion that all opinions carry similar weight Sure some are more informed while others may seem more emotionally based, but in my mind, all are valid to the person expressing them. Its up to the person considering the opinion as to what influence it may have in their thoughts or actions.

All that being said, I'd guess you'd call me one of those responsible for 'weakening' the majesty of tartans and contributing to the madness of all these newly registered vanity tartans.

I created and registered a tartan as a way to honor my grandfather, my family history, my surname and my ethnicity. Sure, I used a tartan design software at first to work out the basic sketch, but guickly afterward I began holding the fabrics and colors in my hand.

In the tartan I designed, each color has specific meaning for my family. Each color is sized and placed in a specific manner to reflect its meaning and interaction with the meanings of the colors around them. I borrowed heavily from my previous career in cryptology and in my work as an amature historian to create a pattern which expressed my family history 'code' if you will.

Once satisfied with the colors and pattern, I sought input form others, some very informed who have created tartans and are experts in tartan history, some others I sought input from were historians, still others were just avid kilt wearers. I took thier input and decided on if I would make modifications based on the information they gave me.

What I came to in the end was a woven history that I believe would make my grandfather proud. I have heard from many family members regarding their support for this and their gratitude. I have also heard from others with my surname about thier pleasure that this tartan was created.

Sure, I could have stayed with a clan tartan that considers my surname as a sept--but that would assume the validity of septs, and for some, the jury is still out on this point. I am a member and covenor for said clan and wear the tartan with pride. My creation of a surname tartan to honor my family and surname in no way is a slight against this clan or tartan.

I'm an American. I am the product of a geneaological stew of many spices, yet they blend themselves together to make me and my family. I see tartan, and my development of a tartan in much the same way. Different colors, different meanings, different peoples woven together to make a fabric. Just the information I have from my work and others, shows a family history I can trace back in some places to 1590. In this fabric is woven the Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English, German, Nordic and Italian strings of my ethnic garment. My attempt to create a tartan that any in my family or surname may consider thier 'own' is something I thought a worthy piece of work to accomplish.

Sure, this may be unprofessional, bold, naive and possibly seen as self serving. So be it. That does not change in anyway my pleasure in attempting to honor my family by weaving our history into cloth.

For those interested in a universal tartan...for those interested in a surname tartan...for those interested in one person's attempt to blend color and pattern with specific meaning, feel free to see #10127 at the Scottish Register of Tartans.

This tartan was designed to be woven--and it has been. The first kilt was produced via Locharron and Matt Newsome.

In the end, you will either see this as a ridiculous action which somehow has contributed to the weakening of tartans; or perhaps you see this as an interesting experiment, or perhaps you see the effort and rationale for doing this. It is all yours to have any opinion about. For me, I'm glad and proud to have done this bit of work for my family.

Respectfully,
Mark

[DenRugger01]

Hmm, IMHO, is it not true that long long ago tartans didn't necissarily hold any specific meaning? It was a gradual evolution that took place which connected certaintartans to certain clans and septs. For that matter, those clans had to have a start somewhere, and many of those clans split as they grew and spread out. For instance, through my own research, my family is defended from Fletchers. The clan Fletcher has it's own tartan but is also considered a sept of many different clans.

I think, especially for those of us in the States, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine which tartan is best for us and would mean the most. I have a very strong notion of family and heritage. However, it seems that due to the increasing distance from my ancestors it would seem only right that a new tartan would develope that would mean something to our branch of the family.

Furthermore tartans are a form of folk art. They are an expession of culture and heritage. It is hard for me to beleive that a group would not want to grow in influence. That being said, I do think someform of regulation needs to be in place to protect the meaning and intent of it all.

In short I am all for new tartans as long as they have regulation in place to preseve the cultural significance there in.

Thank you for your time.

[Lallans]

I feel Forrestermodern's pain (and/or joy) on this one, and he mine, because I have what appears to be the OTHER Forrester Hunting kilt in existance. As I think I stated one other time on this site, I do catch the odd comment from Older Scottish Ladies (and last year one such man, come to think of it) about the modernity of my tartan, this generally comes in the form of a 'Can It Be Found In This Official 1906 Tartan Guide I'm Holding?' type of question at the local highland games. Before my present one, I was perfectly entitled to wear MacDonald of Clanranald but I'm happy to have a lovely green one with my name on it, even if (as older family members of my own family- darn those oldsters!) darkly predicted, it does sometimes get mistaken for Irish National and others. That sort of thing just doubles the love! So count me as both a fan and a user of new tartan design, and one should remember that if something stands still for a long time, it's probably because it's dead.

Oh yeah, and many sources do say that the whole idea of specific clan tartans was an invention of Sir Walter Scott as he was getting ready for a royal visit to Scotland. And he was a Lowlander!

[Tim Little]

Fascinating discussion, folks; I really do appreciate the truly heartfelt thoughts on this topic.

Matt -- I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your article on this topic; please do post a link when it's available. (It's been many years since I subscribed to the Banner.)

[ForresterModern]

I feel Forrestermodern's pain (and/or joy) on this one, and he mine, because I have what appears to be the OTHER Forrester Hunting kilt in existance.

Cousin Canuck

I guess then there must be at least three, as there is also one in some photos posted in the Forrester Family/Clan website album, unless you happened to be at one of the Grandfather Mountain games a couple years ago wearing yours.

But really, is a tartan that is only 20 or 30 years old from a clan that is not really a highland clan (and so much a Border family that many are actually English), any less important or dear to that family and its wearers than a 100 year old or 200 year old tartan from one of the original true highland clans is to members of that family? It may have less historical value and validity, but then again so did all tartan up until the clans started selecting their own patterns and basically made up the whole tartan for clan system, well after the clans themselves were already in existence.

Each tartan has its own intrinsic value warranting its existence, and then additional value added thereupon by its family members investment, its history and popularity, and other factors that accrue over time and space. But I for one would find it hard to try to restrict the existence and registration of a tartan by requiring it to meet a "valuation" or "validation" test. I believe that the existing rules about registering a tartan requiring it to be woven and a sample submitted are sufficient----otherwise we would not have the IOS to look at, one of the most beautiful and relatively young tartans out there in mass wear.

jeff

[Lallans]

Cousin ForresterModern,

You are of course correct about the third such kilt. I actually thought of that after posting, and in fact I used that very photo to persuade the women in my life that green was the way to go, but was avoiding going back and correcting myself because it's so very hard to do that on Xmarks at present. I'm entering more passwords on this site than on some Level 5 security ones I have access to. The relevant keyboard keys are going to wear down and allow others to have access to my username by observing them! Or is it just that I'm posting too much in general...!

PS: Beautifully said, above.

[O'Callaghan]

Apart from those named after the Highland regiments of which they formed part of the uniform (such as the Gordon Highlanders, MacLeod's Highlanders, Seaforth's Highlanders, Fraser's Highlanders, etc.) the earliest tartan patterns to be called after clans were named by commercial tartan weavers and merchants, most notably William Wilson and Sons, and among the tartans manufactured and named by them by 1819 were those with names such as Baillie, Clark, Rae, Leith, Wilson, etc. When the Sobieski Stuart brothers compiled their Vestiarium Scoticum between 1829 and 1842, they included many Lowland and Border names, such as Armstrong, Bruce, Chisholm, Crawford, Cranston, Dunbar, Dundas, Erskine, Hamilton, Johnston, Kerr, Lindsay, Maxwell, Ramsay, Rose, Wallace, and Wemyss, which makes many of the Lowland named tartans as old as many of the tartans named for Highland clans (though one would be hard pressed to show how legitimacy is added to anything by virtue of how many times the earth has revolved around the sun since first being thought up in someone's imagination).

I think Matt has pointed out before that there were I think about a dozen clan tartans that existed before Wilson's catalogue, but otherwise you are substantially correct. The flip side of that last statement is, of course, that most clans had no clan tartan when the clan system was actually in effect. As for the revolutions of the Earth around the Sun, I agree with you on that as well.

[jordanjm]

More is better, people do not always want to wear their clan/family tartans, so tartans for states, countries, military units, individual families is a good thing.

[Andy Proffitt]

I am of two minds on the subject. I love that there is enough interest in tartan and in Scottish culture that people would go to the trouble to design a tartan from scratch. I would love to have a tartan registered for my bank or other companies.

I am also aware that most of our set tartans come from Wilson's of Bannockburn, so tartans were, in some instances, made up and lent credibility by clan chiefs some of whom knew as much about their traditional tatans (if any) as a fat Hanoverian.

I think it stretches credulity to think the rules that are so often espoused here and by other "authorities" on highland dress, would have mattered to the Highland clansman whom we are emulating in our dress. These tough fierce individuals, who lived in a hard, desolate land, fending for themselves against man and beast,this Highlander,if he didn't like a particular color or line in a tartan, I doubt that he would have let rules of tartan or dress codes bind him, he might have even worn a fur sporran in the day. If he was a MacDonald highlander liked yellow better than red, you can bet he would get what he wanted and laugh at anyone who told him he broke the tartan rules.
So if someone wants their own unique tartan or customized traditional tartan, how does it hurt us?
However
The people who wear a one off, Tony Hawk tartan will never be "in a clan." They will walk around a games and may look great and have fun, but there will be no one else with their tartan, no camaraderie with the their other clansmen. They won't have the thrill of their clan tartan jumping out at them from someone in the crowd. They will be participating in a thing which today is about connecting, forging bonds, enjoying the company of an extended family....and they will be alone. They may have the enjoyment of the tartan itself, but not what it embodies. They are, metaphorically, bodies without souls...we should feel sorry.

[Andy Proffitt]

But I m spoiled as I already have the greatest tartan in the known universe, MacLean hunting. Having attained perfection, why would I try my own designs.