Tartan Police!

[Archangel]

Should have given more info on the painting above. It was commissioned after Culloden, 1746, so, Ackwell, you're right. The piece above is just a detail. You can find more by googling Culloden or David Morier (the artist).

The point is that the painting was intended to be a true representation of the battle. The subjects on the Scottish side are actual participants, now prisoners. A lot of history has been deduced from this painting, and there has been a lot of challenges. The two that pertain to this thread are the number of different patterns and the amount of clothing worn in battle.

[jfellrath]

My own clan, Grant, is one of the few where any hint exists of there being any specified tartan for the clan prior to the 19th century. In 1704 the Chief specified that his men were to wear "red and green broad sprigged" when serving him. In 1714 two portraits were painted of his "Champion" (i.e. body guard) and his piper wearing it, and it bears no resemblance at all to the present Grant sett. Reconstructed thread counts from the portraits vary slightly, and the reconstructed setts are known as "Grant Champion" and "Grant Piper".

I got a copy of So You're Going To Wear The Kilt for my latest anniversary and in it, the author states that clans were more likely to be wearing some sort of foliage in their balmoral's pin that would designate their clan than a particular tartan. Could the term "sprigged" actually refer to a sprig of some plant?

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

I got a copy of So You're Going To Wear The Kilt for my latest anniversary and in it, the author states that clans were more likely to be wearing some sort of foliage in their balmoral's pin that would designate their clan than a particular tartan. Could the term "sprigged" actually refer to a sprig of some plant?

Jamie, wow! I don't know the answer, but a great leap to link the 2 together. I would never have made the connection

[prattw]

I got a copy of So You're Going To Wear The Kilt for my latest anniversary and in it, the author states that clans were more likely to be wearing some sort of foliage in their balmoral's pin that would designate their clan than a particular tartan. Could the term "sprigged" actually refer to a sprig of some plant?

The plant badge of Grant is pine, and that's hard to reconcile with red and green. In any event, the full text of the rescript specifies that they be _dressed_ in "red and green broad springed". "Broad springed", incidentally, meant broad, as opposed to narrow, areas of red and green.

The plant badges were the way that they distinguished friend from foe, though. The rescript of 1704 is one of the very earliest instances of everybody being supposed to wear the same colors (not actually the same exact tartan). (I seem to recall that there is a single earlier account of all a Chiefs men wearing the same tartan, but I can't cite chapter and verse.) In any event, it never caught on before the proscription. In fact, nobody blinked when someone wore _different_ patterns for kilt, plaid, waistcoat and jacket. Your foe might be wearing the same tartan as you, if he had similar tastes, and your friends might be wearing different one. The badge you could rely on, barring cheating.

Will Pratt