Blue and Green Tartans

[OC Richard]

To expand on Matt's point, in The Setts Of The Scottish Tartans DC Stewart says:

...the majority of tartans fall into one of two almost equal groups- those with a green ground and those with a red.

A considerable proportion of the designs of the green tartans have a common structural basis, consisting of a broad blue band contained within narrower bands of black...

On this foundation is built up a scheme of black, red, yellow, light blue, or white lines. Black lines, only, are employed in the Black Watch tartan. In the others it is usual to find light lines in the green rather than in the blue band; where two bright colours are used, and distributed over the green and the blue, the lighter is usually in the green.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Black lines, only, are employed in the Black Watch tartan.

Just to clarify this statement to avoid confusion, I trust what the author meant, in discussing military tartans (which have a common blue/black/green structure), is that the Black Watch tartan contains only black stripes upon this background, whereas other military tartans will have other color stripes (red, white, yellow, etc.)

NOT that only the Black Watch has black stripes. :-)

[OC Richard]

Just to clarify this statement to avoid confusion, I trust what the author meant, in discussing military tartans...

His discussion was not specifically about military tartans, but about tartans in general. Many dozens of tartans, both civilian and military, are built upon the green/blue/black structure he mentions. A few happen to be military.

Yes he meant that only black fine lines are overlain upon this structure in the Black Watch tartan.

A glance in The Setts Of The Scottish Tartans shows the following tartans using this green/blue/black structure:

Abercrombie
Armstrong
Baird
Black Watch
Cameron of Erracht
Campbell (of Argyll, Breadalbane, Loudoun, and Cawdor)
Carnegie
Colquoun
Davidson

and that's just the first four letter of the alphabet... there are many many more.

[David White]

My favorite blue/green is my box-pleat Isle of Man by Matt-just a hint of light green.