Cameron Tartan

[OC Richard]

Below is an extract from the Cameron website...

1) Basic Clan Cameron: ...this is one from the Vestiarium of Scoticum (sic) in 1834, which was accepted by the then Lochiel. It very much resembles an old red and green square sett in the West Highlands Museum in Fort William, although there are some variations.

2) Cameron of Lochiel: It was first illustrated in 1810 in Wilson's Collection.

3) Cameron of Erracht

In The Setts of the Scottish Tartans, Donald C Stewart states "the Erracht Cameron is the only one recorded by Logan" (1831).

The red "Cameron" with four equal green stripes is one of the group of similarly-arranged tartans created by the English Allen brothers and foisted upon the unsuspecting and gullible Highlanders of their day. These brother had a noticable lack of ingenuity in tartan design, and often ignored traditional ideas of design and proportion and instead favoured rigid mathematical simplicity. Here is another of these four-band tartans:



I would very much like to see the (reputedly) old authentic West Highland tartan which is said to "resemble" the Allen's ungainly Cameron design.

In Setts Stewart states that the Lochiel design first appears in Smith (1850). Is it indeed in one of the Wilson pattern-books? Under what name? (Many of the early Wilson designs were known simply by number, or by fanciful names.)

Were I a Cameron I would not hesitate to wear Erracht, an authentic 18th century tartan, instead of the four-stripe Allen creation.

[figheadair]

I would very much like to see the (reputedly) old authentic West Highland tartan which is said to "resemble" the Allen's ungainly Cameron design.

I can't think which he ment.

In Setts Stewart states that the Lochiel design first appears in Smith (1850). Is it indeed in one of the Wilson pattern-books? Under what name? (Many of the early Wilson designs were known simply by number, or by fanciful names.)

In Wilsons' 1819 KPB it's named Locheil. In the Cockburn Collection (1810-15) it's named Locheil Cameron but why is not exactly clear beyond the fact that historically the clan controlled the area and so it may have been adopted by some Camerons as 'their' tartan during the Regency era. There is no evidence for the design before about 1790 although there is a much older, similar design surviving - the subject of a forthcoming paper.[/QUOTE]

Were I a Cameron I would not hesitate to wear Erracht, an authentic 18th century tartan, instead of the four-stripe Allen creation.

***

[westy1970]

So, in being new to this type of stuff, I just purchased a modern Cameron kilt. My ties to Cameron are Taylor on my mother's side. Would I be running afoul of the Chief's wishes by wearing it?

[Jock Scot]

So, in being new to this type of stuff, I just purchased a modern Cameron kilt. My ties to Cameron are Taylor on my mother's side. Would I be running afoul of the Chief's wishes by wearing it?

As long as you are not wearing "Cameron of Lochiel" tartan you will, I am quite sure, be made very welcome at Achnacarry.

In truth if you were wearing the family tartan---Cameron of Lochiel----- you are technically doing nothing wrong-----just don't expect to get given a cup of tea by the Chief!

[westy1970]

Thanks for the clarification. Mine is the regular "modern" and I doubt I will be in his presence anytime soon.