Wicker Man

[Sir Didymous]

I need help identifying what tartan Sir Christopher Lee is wearing in The Wicker Man. Anyone have an idea?

[OC Richard]

The tartan has me stumped.

I have seen that sporran, a lovely old pattern you don't see any more, with a shield where there's a thistle nowadays.

Here it is

[Sir Didymous]

Everyone I've asked keeps saying it's Royal Stewart. If that were the case, I'd recognize it. This is a real stumper.

[AbernethyCameron]

It is Morrison Red Modern, widely available, you can see it here https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/morriso...xoC2DQQAvD_BwE

[OC Richard]

Good eye! That's it.

I wondered why it's not in my tartan books, then I looked it up and it seems to date from the 1960s, after my tartan books were written.

It's based on one tiny fragment supposedly from the 18th century? There seems to be much controversy around it.

[Micrographia]

Another of those cautionary tales that mean we shouldn't take clan tartans too seriously . We always used the modern green version in our family, which has its own odd backstory, but I'd happily have a kilt in the House of Edgar muted red.

Regards, EEM.

[figheadair]

It's based on one tiny fragment supposedly from the 18th century? There seems to be much controversy around it.

Indded there is. Despite searching, I've never seen an image of the supposed 18th century specimen. I suspect that it was a later addition and that someone has simply conflated the date of the bible with the material.

[Jock Scot]

Another of those cautionary tales that mean we shouldn't take clan tartans too seriously . We always used the modern green version in our family, which has its own odd backstory, but I'd happily have a kilt in the House of Edgar muted red.

Regards, EEM.

I could not agree more. I quite understand that if tartans are your thing then thats fine. But in all honesty most Scots might be able to recognise, at a guess, their own tartan and maybe five more , I doubt if many could identify 10(see Food For Thought and Food For Thought 2 threads). Further more, I really doubt that any more than a very few could tell you when or who designed it. If asked some might know that most---not all---- Clan tartans are only, at best, a couple of centuries old.

So yes, take an interest in a particular tartan if you wish, but don't fuss too much on its age. Concentrate on the history of the particular Clan/institution of your interest that could go back many centuries, or perhaps not, before the tartan existed. Nevertheless many in Scotland attach great loyalty to "their" tartan. .............................. In spite of having at best, a very hazy idea of its provenance.

[Ninehostages]

The lion's share of those patterns are quite new and do not go back into the mists of time. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with any of that. Celebrate our creativity. I'm sufficiently taken with one of the new Welsh tartan patterns for a specific purpose and may even purchase it.

Sacrilege? Of course!

... but no, it's not at all.

[ThistleDown]

I could not agree more. I quite understand that if tartans are your thing then thats fine. But in all honesty most Scots might be able to recognise, at a guess, their own tartan and maybe five more

That struck a note with me, Jock, and I thought I'd follow up with a bit of a look at my own knowledge and that of my family. I'm a historian, but have limited knowledge of tartans. So, which ones could I readily identify? Family ones: Davidson, Davidson of Tulloch, Mackintosh Red and Green, Oliphant; related ones: Macpherson Hunting and Red and Dress, Macgillivray, Shaw, Macbean, Farquharson, Clan Chattan.

But the unrelated ones are interesting, too: Black Watch (Campbell, Grant, et al), Seaforth (Mackenzie), Royal Stewart, Balmoral, Macleod of Lewis, Macgregor, Buchanan, Ogilvie, Wallace, Clergy. Ten in all. I recognise them all. I am sure there are others.

Overnight I asked my nearest and dearest for their recognitions. Eleven of thirteen responded thus far. All recognised the prime lot (except for Oliphant, that only five knew). Of the 'related' batch, they knew them all and of the 'unrelated', they recognised them all except for Clergy.

Jock, I am sure you are right that here we recognise our own 'tartans', but I think we recognise many, many others, as well.

Now back to the Wicker Man?