Questions on wearing Stewart tartans

[JakobT]

Wikipedia is an interesting source -- very helpful but often not very authoritative. According to an article stub on the Royal Stewart tartan, it says that the Royal Stewart is the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II. Further, it claims:


Is this true? What is the source of this idea? When wikipedia says "It is said" and there is no citation, it may as well be my favourite Japanese bartender who said it... Question is, is it true?

Next question. IF we were to assume the above to be true, could the same thing be said about variations on the Stewart tartan? I.e. would it be appropriate for all of Elizabeth's subjects to wear, say, a Black Stewart? Dress Stewart? Hunting Stewart? (I know that these are considered universal tartans so anyone can wear them regardless but I'm asking about appropriateness as a function of the claim in quoatations)...

The red Royal Stewart tartan is classed by the Scottish Tartans authority as a universal tartan, meaning that anyone can wear it. The other Stewart tartans you mention are mostly clan tartans, and so are not universal. There is also a Stewart fashion tartan. I'd say if you want to be on the safe side, stick to Royal Stewart or the Stewart fashion tartan.

[macneighill]

I am definitely no "authority" on tartans. So, if I get this wrong . . please don't throw me outside with the hogs :mrgreen:

For your first question:

The Balmoral Tartan is restricted and, is to be worn only by members of the Royal Family. But I believe a few of the Stewart tartans are OK. You may want to peruse through Tartan Authority's "FAQ's" section. There is quite a bit of helpful info.

Also, here are a few links that might be of help:
http://www.scotclans.com/what_tartan/
http://www.clansstewart.org/faq.html
http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tart.../royal.cfm.htm
http://www.tartansauthority.com/web/...yalTartans.asp

Final question -- a little farther from the above. I've read numerous times in this forum that some people feel that it's appropriate to write a request to a clan chief before going ahead and wearing that clan's tartan. For those who feel this way, what would be the appropriate course of action in the case of an armigerous clan (a clan with no chief) such as the Stewart clan?

If its Stewart you seek, there are Associations that exist today. As for "having" permission to wear the "Royal Stewart" tartan, none is needed (as it's a universal tartan). But, if you feel you really need to write, I commend you. The website for the "Clan Stewart Society of America" is: http://www.clansstewart.org/index.htm; the website for the "Stewart Society" in Edinburgh, Scotland is: http://www.stewartsociety.org/home.htm; and the "Stewart/Stuart Association of Nova Scotia" website is: http://www.clanstewartassociation.piczo.com/.