Questions on wearing Stewart tartans

[CDNSushi]

I suppose, then that the real, key question might be who or what determines whether any given tartan is universal or not... Really, what makes a tartan universal?

[Morris at Heathfield]

I believe the Royal Stewart tartan was the one worn by George IV on his visit to Scotland, and it is for that reason that it is associated with the Royal Family. George IV was, of course, a Hanover. He could claim descent from the Stuarts, but not on the male line.

I seem to recall running into statements online that some monarch, either Victoria or George V, stated that all British subjects were entitled to wear the Royal Stewart tartan, but I have also found statements where George V (a Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later a Windsor) referred to the Royal Stewart tartan as his personal tartan and granted permission to the pipers of several regiments to wear it. That does not sound like he regarded it as a universal tartan. Perhaps the current monarch has said something upon the subject. If so, I have been unable to find anything about it so far, except for this statement. Depending on how you parse it, either both the Royal Stewart and Balmoral tartans are restricted to the Royal Family, or only the Balmoral tartan is. I think the latter interpretation is more likely.

However, I think I may have found the source for the Wikipedia quote here. The Scottish Tartans World Register probably inherited that information from the defunct Scottish Tartans Society.

[macwilkin]

I suppose, then that the real, key question might be who or what determines whether any given tartan is universal or not... Really, what makes a tartan universal?

Part of the problem is the word "universal"; As we all know, the Government Sett (Black Watch) is a "universal" tartan, but the term did not have the same meaning in the late 19th century.

The Black Watch was a "universal" tartan in the fact that it was at one time issued to all Lowland regiments under The Sec. of State for War. The Hon. H.C.E. Childers. Many of the Lowland regiments had not adopted Highland kit until this time. The Lowland Jocks referred to the tartan as the "Childers" or "MacChilders" tartan, and soon began to adopt other tartans -- Hunting Stewart (Royal Scots), Douglas (Cameronians/Scottish Rifles), Leslie (K.O.S.B.), Erskine (Royal Scots Fusiliers), etc.

-- http://www.scottishmilitaryarticles....le_tartans.htm

Regards,

Todd