Quote Originally Posted by Don Patrick View Post
For some reason the clan chiefs and the Lord of Lyon seem to believe they have that right.
I'm sorry I brought the Lord Lyon into this discussion. His area of concern is heraldic matters. He does't busy himself with tartans, aside from recording official clan tartans at the wishes of the clan chiefs, as far as I know.
In addition, I was saying that the Clan Chiefs have no right to control tartans. They have authority to do so, but it is by the authority of the clan they represent that they might do this. They do not have the authority of the government, for example. If a Clan Chief says that a certain tartan should not be worn by clan members, then this surely extends to those who view him as an authority figure, namely clan members among others. The Chiefs can not actually prevent those outside their authority from donning the tartan.

As for allegiance, I was trying to point out that the fealty mentioned in the original post was a little outdated. Indeed pledging alliegance as you described it might leave one open to charges of treason. This is not to say that people putting on a tartan are not signifying a certain closeness with the Clan Chief and acknowledging him through their tartan. But no one can expect feudal allegiance any more.

I never said we should bear no regard for tradition. Indeed, I appealed to good taste at the end of it. I believe that being mindful of others traditions is important and it shouldn't be disregarded. If a clan chief wishes to have a certain tartan reserved for himself and his family (a rare occurance), then one should bear that in mind. But I don't feel completely bound by everything a Chief says either. Different horses, if you will...

Anyway hope that cleared up what I was trying to say.