Clergy/Clarke Tartan

[MacWage]

Matthews' Clergy looks darker that USAK Clark - or is it just the photo?

I think it is the actual fabric. Most mills vary in color, but I think these are further than "normal." The 16oz Lochcarron Clergy is clearly lt. blue, while the USA KILTS PV is a white. The descriptions of clark/clergy vary somewhat in the early tartan books, as different authors tried to interpret one another. The Clery Green is yet another variation of the same thing (with green stripes this time). The absolute earliest seems to have been the blue (which I believe was more of a turquoise), which was then interpreted as either white, blue, or green. Some books even refer to Clergy, Clergy Blue, and Clergy Green.

Matt Newsome (to many Matt's here) covers it well in this article:
http://albanach.org/clergy_tartan.htm
(Any differences would be from my forgetfulness this morning (5 am here) than from understanding.)

The manufacturers likely used to different sources for the coloring. Lochcarron adopted the more original light blue, while Marton Mills used the white variation.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The kilt in the picture is the Clergy modern colors, woven by Lochcarron, and is very dark. Most of the time what you see offered is the blue Clergy ancient, which uses much lighter shades of blue.

M

[Southern Breeze]

The kilt in the picture is the Clergy modern colors, woven by Lochcarron, and is very dark. Most of the time what you see offered is the blue Clergy ancient, which uses much lighter shades of blue.

M

Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know the Clergy modern was that dark.