An honest question

[figheadair]

An interesting question but your synopsis contains some inaccuracies.

While the first part of the following post, the "history" part, is a bit jocund (because you all know it), the question at the end is sincere.

Somewhere along in here the word “tartan” was introduced, not sure where from, and became synonymous with “blanket” and/or “plaid”.

The word tartan was certainly in use by the 16th century. It is thought to derive through French to an Old Spanish word that described a type of cloth irrespective of the design.

Fast forward to 1746: The Jacobites were defeated at Culloden (hate that part). After which one of the Kings advisors declared that, “All of the members of this and that Clan were all wearing the same tartan.”

I think you're mixing up Sir Walter Scott's organisation of King George IV's visit to Edinburgh in 1822. He urged the chiefs to turn out in their true clan tartan but by that time commercial weavers had already started to move from setts with District names to Clan one. There was no immediate change to clan setts post Culloden.

The civilian wearing of tartan is banned.

No, the ban was on the wearing of Highland clothes, including the belted plaid and kilt, by males other than those in the Army.

1782: The civilian ban on wearing of tartan is lifted. Kilts and tartan is back. Sir Walter Scott pours gas on the fire. Clans adopt “Clan tartans”.

See above comment about the ban. Scott's influence was some 40 years later.

Fast forward to today: The short kilt is the de-facto standard, from casual to very formal. For the most part, here on this forum and elsewhere, the belted plaid (or “great kilt” as it’s now mostly known) is looked down upon, called “sloppy”, and deemed, “OK for a Ren Fair, but not a real kilt.”

Nathan has effectively answered this.