Will The Real Stewart Royal Please Stand Up?

[TheOfficialBren]

Why are there several variations of Royal Stewart? Some include blue. Some include green. Some include both. Some have neither. Am I missing something?

[figheadair]

The Stewart/Stuart tartan has been around a long time, certainly from the mid-1700's, but only became 'Royal' in the late 1700's. Wilsons included it as a count for the 600 Reed in their 1819 Key Pattern Book meaning that it was one of their Old Superfine tartans that they wove from around 1780 to about 1810.

As a predominately red tartan the (Royal) Stewart was extremely popular design prior to the introduction of aniline dyes and this popularity probably explains number of variations produced in the latter part of the 19th century. To many non-Scots the Royal Stewart and Black Watch are the two quintessential tartans which further explains their appearance on a vast array of products.

In addition to finding examples with blue and green, just blue or just green, it is also common to find some cheaper renditions with only white or yellow stripes rather than both. These simplifications are usually the result of production restrictions i.e. using 5 colours rather than 6 because of technical limitations and/or cost.

[figheadair]

I should have added that by Wilsons' time they were weaving several versions of Royal Stewart, Royal Stuart and Prince Charles Stuart's some with blue, others with light blue.

[TheOfficialBren]

Excellent! Thank you Peter.

I believe that I might have once seen a variation with a yellow stripe. Might I be mistaken?

[figheadair]

It's entirely possible although I can find it amongst the many variants I have on record which include versions with a black, green or blue stripe in the centre of the large red.

[TheOfficialBren]

Ah! Thank you.