Why don't more people wear old non-clan tartans?

[figheadair]

With the immense increase in the wearing of the kilt and related items I'm interested why people don't wear many of the older, pre-Repeal, tartans particularly when they own more than one kilt. Many of these old patterns are extraordinarily beautiful and connect us to a culture and history in a unique way by virtue of the fact they were there. They would make excellent kilts and for re-enactors we actually have examples of old plaid, kilt and jacket patterns. There are also a number of clan tartans that fit into the same category. The few such patterns offered by the manufacturers are usually completely wrong and they don’t seem to be interested in historical accuracy.

Is it that:

1. People want to wear something with which they have a connection?
2. They don't know about these old patterns?
3. The material is not generally available?
4. The material is, or is perceived to be, more/too expensive?
5. Some other reason?

[Jock Scot]

With the immense increase in the wearing of the kilt and related items I'm interested why people don't wear many of the older, pre-Repeal, tartans particularly when they own more than one kilt. Many of these old patterns are extraordinarily beautiful and connect us to a culture and history in a unique way by virtue of the fact they were there. They would make excellent kilts and for re-enactors we actually have examples of old plaid, kilt and jacket patterns. There are also a number of clan tartans that fit into the same category. The few such patterns offered by the manufacturers are usually completely wrong and they don’t seem to be interested in historical accuracy.

Is it that:

1. People want to wear something with which they have a connection?
2. They don't know about these old patterns?
3. The material is not generally available?
4. The material is, or is perceived to be, more/too expensive?
5. Some other reason?

Nos 1 to 3 cover your excellent question well I think. As a local who is moderately interested in tartans and would like to think is reasonably well informed have no real idea where to easily access a view of these "forgotten" tartans. By easily I don't mean delving into dusty archives in some museum, or trolling around the Internet after some "will 'o the wisp" idea. So your Question no 5 could be; where can all these " unknown" tartans be easily found for us to see what is available to us?I have little idea what choice there is for this traditional single clan tartan wearing fellow. Once those questions have been covered, then your question 4 comes into play!

Basically us mere mortals don't know about these old patterns.

[Whidbey78]

Nos 1 to 3 cover your excellent question well I think. As a local who is moderately interested in tartans and would like to think is reasonably well informed have no real idea where to easily access a view of these "forgotten" tartans. By easily I don't mean delving into dusty archives in some museum, or trolling around the Internet after some "will 'o the wisp" idea. So your Question no 5 could be; where can all these " unknown" tartans be easily found for us to see what is available to us?I have little idea what choice there is for this traditional single clan tartan wearing fellow. Once those questions have been covered, then your question 4 comes into play!

Basically us mere mortals don't know about these old patterns.

I agree. I think that #4 plays a big role as well. Money always comes into play...and even if one wishes to save for it the desire to get a rare tartan (usually a special order item with a longer wait than others) may get trumped by the desire to get something more readily available though still seldom seen. Of course, this option is usually a bit less expensive as well. I would rather be able to get it sooner and cheaper given my 'druthers.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I would say it is a combination of those factors, Peter. Even for those who know about them, the fact that they are not stock supported by the mills means they are going to be a bit more difficult for the average person to obtain. Even though having a tartan custom woven for you doesn't have to be as expensive as many people perceive it to be, it does require a bit of extra cost and effort. And in my experience, few people are going to go the extra mile of having a tartan custom woven simply because they like the design. For the most part, if they are going to the trouble of ordering something custom, it is going to be a tartan that has personal significance to them (i.e. a clan or family tartan, or something else for which they have a connection).

I mean, I went through the effort of recreating the tartan worn in this 1859 painting, "Sheep Washing in Glen Lyon."


(The colors turned out a bit lighter in the cloth than they appear in the painting, but I'm happy with the way it looks nonetheless).

I'm a "tartan geek" though, and I think things like this are pretty cool. :-) I recognize the fact that I'm in a minority. Plus I'm in the business. I get my cloth at wholesale pricing and I make my own kilts. Which means it can be relatively easy for me to follow a wild hair and do something like this. If I was paying regular retail pricing for a custom weave of tartan, plus paying a kilt maker to tailor the kilt for me, I certainly wouldn't own as many kilts as I do and I sincerely doubt I'd own this one!

So yes, I think it is partly just people not knowing about the existence of these tartans, but more than that I believe it is the unavailability and the cost, coupled with the fact that people will always give precedence to tartans that "mean something" to them.

[Jock Scot]

Just suppose that I was in the market for a new kilt and I fancy the idea of something different(its alright chaps the old boy is not going senile----I hope-----yet) to what we all know. I think I know all my clan tartans---but is there something lurking in the "old" tartan file? Is there a district tartan that I might like, lurking somewhere?Is there an un-named tartan that might take my fancy? How do I find names, samples, or better still, pictures of these masterpieces?

[Tobus]

How do I find names, samples, or better still, pictures of these masterpieces?

These are the sources I generally use. It's fun to just browse the tartans and read their descriptions. There are many which are described as historical, having been registered after finding a piece of fabric in a bog or whatnot. I wish I knew a way to look at only the historical tartans, though. You kinda have to dig for them.

http://www.tartans.scotland.net/

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/az.aspx

[Jock Scot]

These are the sources I generally use. It's fun to just browse the tartans and read their descriptions. There are many which are described as historical, having been registered after finding a piece of fabric in a bog or whatnot. I wish I knew a way to look at only the historical tartans, though. You kinda have to dig for them.

http://www.tartans.scotland.net/

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/az.aspx

Thank you for that. Now here is the tricky bit------how do we know about these "old" unattributable tartans if we laymen don't know the names or numbers? Whilst I am interested in tartans and history I really am not prepared to wade through umpteen hundred/thousand tartans. Which is of course, precisely why many of us are not wearing these "old" tartans!

[Micric]

Jock,
There may be some on here who just love wading through hundreds and thousands of tartans, so Maybe a service could be offered?........as in, could a reduced tartan list be drawn up for interested parties to view?
I only get a quick visit here of a morn over my coffee, then my day's gone, but if such a list Could be made, or even partial list, I'd certainly have a look at it!!

[Jock Scot]

Jock,
There may be some on here who just love wading through hundreds and thousands of tartans, so Maybe a service could be offered?........as in, could a reduced tartan list be drawn up for interested parties to view?
I only get a quick visit here of a morn over my coffee, then my day's gone, but if such a list Could be made, or even partial list, I'd certainly have a look at it!!

Bingo! Bullseye! Give the man a cigar!

[BEEDEE]

Try The Unclaimed and Unnamed Tartans by James A Bullman.

Available on CD from Unicorn Limited: http://scotpress.com/catalog/index.p...word=unclaimed

Brian