DC Dalgliesh

[figheadair]

Stranger things have happened! Who knows, it might turn up someday.

DC Dalgliesh did state that it was "on loan" through from whom isn't stated. Was the peat cutter who found it the owner? In England such dug finds are property of the Crown, no?

The conditions of the loan are stated, viz being insured for 2,000 pounds and locked in a safe each night, but the duration of the loan is not.

So the questions are
1) did the cloth fragment ever exist?
2) if it did, who was considered the owner?
3) if DC Dalgliesh had the fragment on loan, was it ever returned to the owner?
4) if it exists, where is it now?

The fragment was said to resemble a MacDonald tartan, though which of the several MacDonald tartans isn't stated.

I sought clarification along those lines from them some years ago. I also questioned whether the piece had been verified at the time (late 1940s) by the National Museum - it was not, and whether it was photographed. Unsurprisingly, given that this has all the hallmarks of a marketing hoax, I never received a reply.

[RGM1]

I've no rolls of tartan stock from D C Dalgliesh, there were 4 large boxes of offcuts, bags of pieces, scraps etc. It will be a while before I've sorted and Inventoried, All the stuff I have was sold to me via auctioneers Sweeney Kincaid as part of one of their monthly sales, there was only the 2 lots.

Well keep my query in mind. I would not expect a large quantity to show up. Not sure how much fabric would be needed for fly.

[OC Richard]

I sought clarification along those lines from them some years ago.

I also questioned whether the piece had been verified at the time (late 1940s) by the National Museum - it was not, and whether it was photographed.

Unsurprisingly, given that this has all the hallmarked of a marketing hoax, I never received a reply.

This story does have an Allen Brothers ring to it.

However to give the Brothers due credit, had they been pressed to produce the cloth they would have done- literally.

[Patty Logan]

So what happens to their exclusive tartans? I can’t find the PEI(Canada) tartan anymore

[Adrian]

Just thought I'd let people know that some tartan is currently being woven from the yarn stock purchased from the liquidation of DC Dalgleish. There's been a lot of work over the last few months to get things going, yarn sorted and ready for weaving.
Have 2 Cunningham dancers weight tartans one in blue the other in red ready to weave in the loom this week, these weaves will be followed by 2 heavyweight tartans - MacLeod and Galloway. All weaves are doublewidth and are being contract woven in Scotland by a very experienced small team who have many decades of experience and currently contract weave to the tartan industry and others.
I'm planning on having a website available online later this month, eskdaletartans domain names have been registered. if anyone is looking for a tartan weave of at least 25m please get in touch.

[jsrnephdoc]

Practical commercial economics is at the botom of the UK wool-trade demise, but most of what now goes on seems bizarre and illogical. But it makes sense to someone, somewhere.

Another recent (on an anthrolopological time scale) reference on the topic of problems in the sheep industry comes from noted historian, poet, and reluctant Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan, to wit:

Ghenkis Khan, He could not keep

All his men, supplied with sheep

(Ducking)
Jim Robertson
(who understands this is a sad and serious problem but who cannot control the wanderings of his own ancient mind)

[jsrnephdoc]

Perhaps those thinking of buying a synthetic cloth kilt, might now re-consider their choice? I know that wool cloth is much more expensive and so on and wanting the kilt NOW is an attractive thought. However.................

We don't know, of course, if poor management was involved------- BUT.....................and nevertheless.......................the closure of this scarce part of the traditional cloth industry is in part one of the obvious and inevitable consequences of many following the synthetic cloth route.

Just saying.

I'll start by saying that every bit of yarn in my small collection (5) of kilts was woven in Scotland.

Where the sheep who surrendered their coats for those kilts grazed, I know not.

But, reading this thread stimulates me to ponder an entirely different predicament.

My Dad was likely more proud of his Celtic heritage than he was of his education or 60 years profession (Anglican Priest).
I wore Robertson Red before grammar school, and the first music I can remember came from scratchy 78 rpm recordings of Harry Lauder.

HOWEVER, I didn't become truly curious about those roots and the garments that celebrate them until relatively late in life. Living in Bozeman, MT, even when not kilted I could "top off" whatever I was wearing with a Balmorral or Glenngary, and that generated welcome genuine curiosity infused with some knowledge both from passersby and acquaintances.

But now, I've moved to Las Vegas, NV, where (although there's an annual Burns Night supper and some Highlands Games in the spring), there's also solar UV radiation and heat that would make wearing a woolen bonnet intolerable, while going hatless would be to tempt an invitation to skin cancer. So, recently I've mused a bit on the possibility of obtaining a Robertson tartan ball cap (Baseball, for the "Americans,", "Golf" for the St. Andrews residents). (Such items exist, "Made in Scotland."

I'm 1,000% aware that no one could call such an item "highlands wear," but when assembled from PV rather than wool fabric it could actually be appropriate on those frequent summer days of ≥40°C sunshine. Does that not provide SOME justification for the existence of synthetic tartan cloth?

[OC Richard]

I've moved to Las Vegas, NV, where there's solar UV radiation and heat that would make wearing a woolen bonnet intolerable, while going hatless would be to tempt an invitation to skin cancer. So, recently I've mused a bit on the possibility of obtaining a Robertson tartan ball cap.

I used to wear baseball caps but due to getting ears and back of neck sunburned I switched to brimmed hats for all-around protection.

At the Las Vegas Highland Games (and any Games in the southwestern quadrant of the USA) you'll see cowboy hats, Panama hats, Tilly hats, bucket hats, anything and everything that keeps the sun off- even the occasional Kitchener helmet!

Three X-Markers at the Sacramento Highland Games a few years back, all with Tilly hats.



More X-Markers at the Loch Norman Highland Games, where I'm wearing a tweed bucket hat, my go-to hat these days.

[User]

If my neck gets any more sun damage, they'll cut it off, and I'll have to carry my head in a jar. If you don't wear a wide brimmed hat, please use sun screen.

I've never personally compared wool vs PV for heat. But others have, with mixed results. Some say wool has near magical properties that never let them get too hot or too cold. Some find wool unbearable in heat, and switch to PV.

[Jock Scot]

What! No fore-and-aft, or deerstalker yet, OCR?