Tartan of the Month - May. What do you see?

[figheadair]

I would guess the tartan was Loudoun's Highlanders, but this sample appears to have a different warp from its weft, at least from the small sample that is available to be seen.

Bang on, well done. It is the original sample of the Sergt's plaiding sent to Lord Loudoun.

Look again though. The warp and weft are the same sett.

The herringbone edge along with the rich aniline colours might peg it near the mid-late 19th century.
Perhaps MacLeod of Gesto tartan.

At that date (1747) it's obviously natural dyes rather than aniline. In this respect it rather nicely makes the point that not all old tartans made from natural dyes were in old colours.

The sett could well be what we now call MacLeod of Gesto or it might be like MacLeod with the R & Y reversed per Jamie Scarlett's speculation for the regiment's tartan which he based on this same sample. Unfortunately the piece is too small to determine which is correct.

That is the best picture of herringbone selvedge I have seen yet. I think it looks great.

It's not a herringbone but a chevron selvedge. The technique is similar but forms a true zig zag rather than stepping on one place with every direction change as happens in a heringbone. This is the only old example I've ever come across in tartan.

I said that this piece shouldn't present too much difficulty but there's more to see yet.