Mythbusters: Campbell Tartan

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I hear references to books are there military or government records or the family records of the men who raised them or their agents ..does it tell who wove the plaids or where they were gotten from ..the contractor that furnished them specifically anywhere at all ? Who were the ones in the 1700's if they are known ??

th
d

From the late 18th C. on Wilsons of Bannockburn supplied to the military, and yes, we have many of their weaving records. The most prominent of which is their Key Pattern Book from 1819 which contains their weaving specs for many military setts.

[georgeetta]

how far back does wilson's go ..what other weavers were handling tartans ..and plaid making ?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

how far back does wilson's go ..what other weavers were handling tartans ..and plaid making ?

Wilsons began their business sometime in the 1760s. They were one of the first, if not the first, large-scale commercial producer of tartan cloth. There were many others in the 18th and 19th century, of course, but Wilsons was one of the major suppliers, and also prodigious record keepers, so we know more about their business than perhaps any other early tartan manufacturer.

[georgeetta]

how far do their patterns go back ..were they just a weaver and did some tartan manufacture , was it substantially more on tartan then the proscription changed the whole business ? Have they mentioned how it changed their business internally and at what dates ..ban was after 1745 ..ao ban was i effect ..so were they just cranking out cloth ?

th
d

[M. A. C. Newsome]

how far do their patterns go back ..were they just a weaver and did some tartan manufacture , was it substantially more on tartan then the proscription changed the whole business ? Have they mentioned how it changed their business internally and at what dates ..ban was after 1745 ..ao ban was i effect ..so were they just cranking out cloth ?

th
d

Yes, the Proscription ban was in effect when they opened their business in the 1760s, but as they were in Bannockburn, the Proscription Act did not affect them. As to how far back their patterns go, that depends on the pattern. Like any weaving firm, they had a variety of sources for their setts, wove some old and some new, kept what sold, and were not afraid to try variations on a theme.

Some of their patterns seem to have been obtained from traditional sources. Sometimes in their 1819 key pattern book there are notes about where the tartan may have originated from. For example, under their Logan tartan, someone wrote that they have no idea why it is called Logan, but perhaps it is named after a Thomas Logan who used to acquire patterns for them.

[georgeetta]

any idea any body ever form an opinion how much tartan plaids were "store bought" and how much were local made to furnish the run of the mill (jest) highlanders ?
th
d

[creagdhubh]

Here is an article I did specifically on the Black Watch tartan.
http://www.albanach.org/blackwatch.html

But yes, just to verify, Campbell, Black Watch, Hunting Munro, and Hunting Grant are all the same tartan. Whether modern, ancient, weathered, reproduction, muted, the color scheme does not matter.

***

A fine article indeed, Matt. I recall reading it in the past on your blog...such a plethora of good material/articles on there. I encourage those who haven't had the opportunity to peruse through it, to do so. Matt definitely possess a wealth of knowledge in regards to many things Scottish in nature - especially historically and tartan related topics!

Best wishes,