Mythbusters: Campbell Tartan

[TheBrus]

This forum is always good for debunking myths about Highland dress. This may be absolute bumpf, but I wanted some folks to give this the smell-test.

I was told that Ancient Black Watch Tartan = Modern Campbell Tartan and Ancient Campbell Tartan = Muted Black Watch (looks a bit grey, purple and faded green). I've also heard the name Old Campbell... but maybe that means Ancient to some merchants?

Please advise.

[Skiballa]

Ancient Black Watch = Ancient Campbell, Modern Black Watch = Modern Campbell, and as to the Muted Black Watch, it would be Muted Campbell if the Chief recognized it as such. The important thing here is that the setts are the same, through usage and association, the darker, modern colors are generally recognized as Black Watch, and the ancient colors recognized as Campbell. There is some speculation that the Campbells adopted Black Watch as the clan tartan because so many were already wearing it. Which fits with the traditional scots frugality. Old Campbell/ Old Black Watch are usually a smaller sett from what I've seen. Additionally, I would venture that most clans that recognize the Black Watch tartan as their clan's hunting sett had large numbers of clansmen who had served in the Black Watch. I wear the Campbell Ancient proudly, in the brightest damn shades I could find.

[TheBrus]

I'll click Like on that! Thanks, Skiballa!

[Skiballa]

No problem my man! Glad I could shed a small bit of light on the subject.

[Monkey@Arms]

In fact Black Watch, Campbell, Hunting Grant, Hunting Munro, and Sutherland District are all the same tartan. Don't take my word for it, consult the expert: http://www.albanach.org/tartanname.html

Best regards,

Jake

[Skiballa]

In fact Black Watch, Campbell, Hunting Grant, Hunting Munro, and Sutherland District are all the same tartan. Don't take my word for it, consult the expert: http://www.albanach.org/tartanname.html

Best regards,

Jake

Thanks for the link, good information there. Looks like the merchants win there, one tartan/sett, sold under 5 or so different names, apparently I'm in the wrong line of work.

@ Georgeetta, Do you have any links to background info on the Coarse Black Watch? EDIT: Never mind, I'll track down your thread.

[georgeetta]

I started a "coarse Kilt" thread .
may be the Murray tartan given by Lord George Murray's son head of a regt ..with red stripes looks liek Atholl fopr a phialbeg/work detail kilt ..the great kilt getting in way ..

somewhere I mind the official Black Watch selection was named as a Sutherland tartan in ealy 1700's .

see sons of the mountains or lt. col. iain macculloch in canada . author .

th
d

[David Thorpe]

..with red stripes looks liek[sic] Atholl...

I have seen the Red Hackle tartan which is the Black Watch with a thin red stripe. Are there others with this feature? I know that there are many adaptations of Black Watch with various stripes added and/or color substitutions. Could Black Watch be the most "prolific" tartan ever in that respect?

[KenB]

I have seen the Red Hackle tartan which is the Black Watch with a thin red stripe. Are there others with this feature? I know that there are many adaptations of Black Watch with various stripes added and/or color substitutions. Could Black Watch be the most "prolific" tartan ever in that respect?

I'd be interested in seeing what Mr. Newsome has to offer as to the prolific nature of the Black Watch tartan. I also wonder if Royal Stewart isn't in the same boat.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'd be interested in seeing what Mr. Newsome has to offer as to the prolific nature of the Black Watch tartan. I also wonder if Royal Stewart isn't in the same boat.

Certainly the Royal Stewart motif is repeated quite often, but not quite as prolifically as the Black Watch, and for different reasons. Many of the popular color variations of the Royal Stewart tartan retain the name Stewart (Dress Stewart, Black Stewart, Dress Blue Stewart, Camel Stewart, etc.). Others do not, such as Clodagh and Macbeth, but the origins of many of these lie in the fashion world rather than with the military or the clans themselves. There are a few so-called "Irish family" tartans that are simple color changes from the Royal Stewart, such as O'Farrell and Shaughnessy. I can imagine a weaver getting an request for a non-existing Irish name tartan and simply creating one to order by changing the colors of a preexisting tartan. (The popular Tara tartan is simply a color change of MacLean of Duart).

The many Black Watch variations were done with specific purpose in order to identify a particular military regiment, and in most cases these were later adopted by the clans. So we have tartan created for the Gordon Highlanders now regarded as the Gordon clan tartan. The tartan worn by the Seaforth Highlanders is now the MacKenzie clan tartan. The tartan designed for the Loyal Clan Donnachaidh Volunteers is now the Hunting Roberston tartan. Even the Black Watch tartan itself has been adopted by the clans Campbell, Munro, and Grant.