Tartan authority - what can I wear?

**Shedlock2000** · 22nd February 13, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by neloon

Shedlock,
As I understand it, firth appeared first in Scotland from Norse and then passed into Old English. It may be related to "frith" which I think did mean calm/safety etc. Both words go away back into early Norse and have nothing to do with Gaelic.

Alan

Quite right, Alan, I remember now - Frith did mean safety/protection, but came to mean clearing (I once lived in a village 'Chapel-en-le-frith', the translation was 'chapel in the clearing'.

I am getting my friths and firths confused! - easily done!

**mookien** · 22nd February 13, 11:47 AM

I suggest that you take advantage of the search features on the Scottish Register of Tartans web pages to help you identify "candidate" tartans. Yes, the computer renderings of the tartans are only approximate, but they will give you a decent of idea of how they look. Link to ...

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/search.aspx

For those in which you might have further interest, you can always get a better idea of how they really look in a variety of ways, eg. Google images, weaver web sites, kilt-maker web sites, et. al. Finally, if you are really picky, you can obtain a swatch and examine the tartan itself.

Good luck.

**Shedlock2000** · 22nd February 13, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by mookien

For those in which you might have further interest, you can always get a better idea of how they really look in a variety of ways, eg. Google images, weaver web sites, kilt-maker web sites, et. al. Finally, if you are really picky, you can obtain a swatch and examine the tartan itself.

Good luck.

Excellent link. I am impressed with the Dalgleish weavers website. But I can't save their larger image to compare side by side. I will keep looking and see what takes my fancy.

**mookien** · 22nd February 13, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by Shedlock2000

... I am impressed with the Dalgleish weavers website. But I can't save their larger image to compare side by side. ...

Have you tried using a screen capture tool to place the image in a separate file for comparison with other such images? Windows systems generally support the "snipping tool" (a free download, I think), and there are many other such tools.

For example, I chose a tartan at random from the Dalgliesh Tartan Library (Damson) and snapped the picture below.

Damson Snap.JPG

It looks small in this post, but if you click on it, it should expand to its original size. Of course, if you find larger pictures you can snap those for an even more refined comparison.

**Shedlock2000** · 22nd February 13, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by mookien

Have you tried using a screen capture tool to place the image in a separate file for comparison with other such images? Windows systems generally support the "snipping tool" (a free download, I think), and there are many other such tools.

For example, I chose a tartan at random from the Dalgliesh Tartan Library (Damson) and snapped the picture below.

Damson Snap.JPG

It looks small in this post, but if you click on it, it should expand to its original size. Of course, if you find larger pictures you can snap those for an even more refined comparison.

I have a mac, and I couldn't get it to do that this morning when I played with it. I can get it to sort of work on my iDevice, but it showd the browser bar at the top - which is not ideal.....

**Dangerdean** · 22nd February 13, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by Shedlock2000

I have a mac, and I couldn't get it to do that this morning when I played with it. I can get it to sort of work on my iDevice, but it showd the browser bar at the top - which is not ideal.....

That was using Command-Shift-3? If I remember correctly Command-Shift-4 will do the same thing while giving you the option of cropping the image, which you could do easily enough in Preview anyway.

**mookien** · 22nd February 13, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by Shedlock2000

I have a mac, and I couldn't get it to do that this morning when I played with it. I can get it to sort of work on my iDevice, but it showd the browser bar at the top - which is not ideal.....

If you navigate to ...

http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0...type=downloads

there are 33 downloadable snipping tools available from CNET, some of which are designed for use with the mac. Good luck.

**Shedlock2000** · 22nd February 13, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Dangerdean

That was using Command-Shift-3? If I remember correctly Command-Shift-4 will do the same thing while giving you the option of cropping the image, which you could do easily enough in Preview anyway.

Excellent!! Thanks for the advice! I'll try that when I head home tonight!

**Shedlock2000** · 22nd February 13, 10:43 PM

Originally Posted by Dangerdean

That was using Command-Shift-3? If I remember correctly Command-Shift-4 will do the same thing while giving you the option of cropping the image, which you could do easily enough in Preview anyway.

That worked!!!

**Shedlock2000** · 22nd February 13, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by tripleblessed

Tweedside, Teviotdale, Border Check. Standing Council says Roxburgh and Kelso would be clan Kerr,though that's
quite bright also.

Who is Standing Council? - clan Kerr..... Does that mean we have some sort of association with them?

The following comes from the tartan registry website, any suggestions for the name Firth?:

"By the 1700's the majority of Scots lived in areas with territorial or land-rent obligations more important than a mythical common ancestry. They were expected to follow their lord, whatever his name might be. On the Borders, men were required by the March Law to identify with one of the major families and be a "clannit man" no matter what their own surname or be "put to the horn" as an "outlaw.""