Help identifying three Tartans

[The Wizard of BC]

A customer sent me an email with a picture of a kilt found while cleaning out an old storage locker of the Canadian Scottish Regimental Armory.

It may have been a pipers kilt. It may be quite faded.

No one can identify these three Tartans.

Please notice that the rosettes are made from Ribbon and not tartan fabric so the pattern is not symmetrical.

Also note that the bottom Rosette which I first thought was MacKenzie Seaforth actually has yellow stripes with black guards on either side of the center Red stripe.

Click on the image for a larger view.


As this is probably a military kilt I would expect these Tartans to be of those associated with the Canadian Military.

I have also never seen Tartan rosettes used on a military kilt. I'm not saying it was not done, just that I've never seen it before. Would any of our historians be able to help with this concept of three Tartans on one kilt used in the Canadian military?

[OC Richard]

Is the tartan Lennox? That was worn by the pipers of The Canadian Scottish Regiment up until 1927, according to Barnes.

About tartan rosettes, in Britain they're worn by pipers of The Scots Guards, Royal Scots Fusiliers, and The Black Watch (Pipe Sergeant and Pipe Major). The things the Black Watch wear look more like bows than rosettes, actually.

But I've never seen the tartan rosettes not match the tartan of the kilt, in the Army.

[The Wizard of BC]

Bingo - The kilt is Lennox.

Now, anyone figure out the top rosette?

[MacEanruig]

It looks like a variation of theRamsay of Dalhousie tartan.

[figheadair]

Yes, the kilt is Lennox. Silk and faux silk tartan ribbon often has to be woven with an amended sett, usually with different warp and weft elements, in order to get the pattern to fit. And so it is here.

From top to bottom the tartans are MacGregor and MacKenzie.

[The Wizard of BC]

Thank you Peter, I would not have gotten MacGregor in a thousand years. I looked right at it and could not make that connection.

So the bottom one is still MacKenzie even with the yellow stripes?

[OC Richard]

If I had to guess it would be that it's a pre-1928 Canadian Scottish Regiment pipers' kilt, that the bottom rosette is intended to suggest Hunting Stewart (the regimental tartan) and the top rosette is either a later addition, or the closest ribbon they were able to find to match the kilt.

[figheadair]

Thank you Peter, I would not have gotten MacGregor in a thousand years. I looked right at it and could not make that connection.

So the bottom one is still MacKenzie even with the yellow stripes?

If I had to guess it would be that it's a pre-1928 Canadian Scottish Regiment pipers' kilt, that the bottom rosette is intended to suggest Hunting Stewart (the regimental tartan) and the top rosette is either a later addition, or the closest ribbon they were able to find to match the kilt.

I'm not certain whether it's actually yellow or a faded white in one direction but the sett is MacKenzie and not Hunting Stewart IMHO - white with black guards on the green and red on the blue (purple) with double tram lines too.