Jacobite era tartans still in use today

[CMcG]

Both the Cockburn (1810) and Highland Society of London (1816) collections contain samples of MacQuarrie, not those generally worn today, that are pieces typical of rural woven cloth rather than Wilsons' material which makes up the majority of both collections. The patterns differ but in both cases the rustic specimens are woven with hand-spun singles (non-plied yarn) and have herringbone selvedges. The material and setting in both specimens is consistent with Highland cloth of the mid-18th century hence their inclusion in my list. Here's the HSL specimen.

That's some deep tartan knowledge. After looking up those sources it appears that in the early 1800s, the Highland Society of London (of which Cockburn was a member), actually went to the clan chiefs and asked what their tartan was. The last chief of the Clan MacQuarrie died in 1818 and, the chiefdom having been vacant for nearly 200 years, this is an important historical point for clansmen. The most commonly seen MacQuarrie tartan is actually quite different from the one authorized by the last chief.