MacDonald of Clanranald (1914)

[figheadair]

I found the MacKay book on Electric Scotland, here. Here's what MacKay said about the tartan that he calls Clanranald full dress.

"For the pattern, which we have no hesitation in giving as the Clan Ranald full-dress, we are indebted to Mr. Allan R. MacDonald of Water- nish, Skye. It is taken from a plaid spun and dyed by an ancestress of Mr. MacDonald's, a daughter of Lachlan MacKinnon of Corry, the entertainer of Dr. Johnson and Pennant, and worn by her husband, Allan MacDonald of Baile-Fhionnlaigh, Benbecula, a cadet of the Clan Ranald family, as a captain in the Clan regiment of the 45, and who was severely wounded at Culloden, whose portrait, dressed in the tartan, is shown on page 166. The plaid is a beautiful specimen of the old Highland hard tartan, and m.ade of the wool of the aboriginal Highland sheep—the colours are still quite fresh and bright. According to John MacCodrum, the bard, c. 1715, the colours of the Clan Ranald tartan were crimson with carnation in the waft."

He also has a plate of Sleat with a different backstory and one of a very similar tartan to this called Glengarry. He calls the similar tartans we know as Clan Donald, Clanranald and Glengarry hunting variants.

Here is the portrait he references. I'm not sure how the tartan is question is demonstrated here.



Edit: How reliable a source is MacKay?

Looking at the differences again I discovered that Ranald of the portrait and Allan were the 4th and 6th repectively of the Balfinlay line and that MacKay obviously conflated the two which is why the tartan of the portrait does not match the Red Clanranald. None of this helps with the origins of the latter and I find myself returning to the question of the original cited by MacKay. Where is it now?

[TheOfficialBren]

Respectfully submitted, @figheadair, but might this be an example of the chief's immediate family having woven this particular version for their personal use? I may be incorrect but I believe that I've read of chiefs in the past wearing personal tartans.

Maybe I'm entirely wrong and this speculation was pure rubbish...

[figheadair]

Respectfully submitted, @figheadair, but might this be an example of the chief's immediate family having woven this particular version for their personal use? I may be incorrect but I believe that I've read of chiefs in the past wearing personal tartans.

Maybe I'm entirely wrong and this speculation was pure rubbish...

I know of no pre-19th century example of a chief's sett and therefore conclude that it's probably a Victorian or later invention that sought to equate tartan with the Regimental Tie type social restrictions.