The Tartan

The popularity of tartan as a cultural signifier may be one of history's ironies. The rich colors and patterns of tartans were out of style for a time before they were banned by an English government following the 1745 Rebellion. By the time the ban was lifted, the importance of this Highland cloth had multiplied, and the concept of clan tartans had taken off.
Historically, the number of colors in a tartan signified social rank. Prior to the ban, tartan patterns were less regular, dictated more often by personal whim or the availability of colors. For this reason, tartans were sometimes identifiable by the district the dyes, made from tree bark, berries, and roots, came from.
The practice of using tartans to identify clans is a modern development. It's easy to see that the world of tartans is constantly evolving, with as many as forty new tartans registered each year. Some of the newest patterns include the Millennium Tartan, and the Princess Diana Memorial Tartan. The tartan community has also embraced the technological age. Several tartan databases provide online search capability, and last year, the Clan Moncreiffe held an internet election for a new tartan to represent the clan. Maybe tartan will be the next wave in iMac designer computers!
Tartans are both a unifying symbol for all people of Scottish heritage, and unique expressions of family, and new designs are often designated for special occasions -- a special tartan was produced in honor of the Scottish soccer team at the 1978 Football World Cup. There is even a variety of tartan styles: for example, a tartan may be woven in "ancient," or slightly softer colors that create a faded effect. Some tartans represent eras or special groups. Perhaps the most well-known of these is Blackwatch, originally worn by a law enforcement team in the early 1700's. Blackwatch has a limited number of colors because it was not intended to signify any one family, and could be worn by members of any clan.

Thursday, December 26th, 2019

Attention visitors: Tartans.com is back. Please note that this is a snapshot of the site as it existed nearly 20 years ago and you may encounter broken links; we are still combing through the site and correcting those as we find them. Please also note that some sections are currently not functional, primarily the discussion forums/clan chat boards.