Looking to buy new kilt: Clergy Modern or Ancient?

[Jumpmonkey]

I'm going to order my first wool kilt soon, I am debating between Clergy Ancient and Clergy Modern. I'm a minister (thus choice). I have seen a good bit of Clergy ancient around, but I have never really seen more than a photo of a swatch of Modern. I stopped by USA Kilts today, but they don't actually have a swatch of clergy modern on hand. I'd love if anyone here has a Clergy Modern kilt, if they could share some pictures (I've had no success with google) and their thoughts on the tartan as a whole.

Thanks!

[Steve Ashton]

There has always been some confusion about the Clergy Tartan. Some of the confusion is about the name. There are some who use the name Clark/Clergy as one Tartan and some where the Clark and the Clergy are two separate Tartans.

On the Scottish Register of Tartan there a Clark listed as no. 665 with this description -

"This is woven by Lochcarron and sold as Clark. The same sett but with the first pivot (Blue8) changed to Black8 is sold as Clergy. See that at #1221 (original Scottish Tartans Authority reference). Blue is not quite right in this graphic. Lochcarron swatch."

There is then no. 666 under the name Clark/Clerke/Clergy/Preist with this description -

"This tartan is shown, with slight variations, in the works of Logan, the Smith brothers and the pattern books of Wilson's of Bannockburn. It is called Clark, Clerk, Clerke, Clergy and Priest even within the same publication, all of which date around 1850. It is possible that a sample on sale today might be very different."

Then no. 667 under the name Clark (Clerk)e with this description -

"There is a great deal of confusion over the Clark, Clerk, Clergy and Priest tartans. Of the nine setts recorded at the Scottish Tartans Society, two are specifically named as Clark. This stems from a note book of the famous weaving firm of Wilson's of Bannockburn, dated 1847, where the Clark spelling is used. The two setts differ only in the shade of blue and red/madder. House of Edgar weave this large sett most used today. Wilsons of Bannockburn a weaving firm founded c1770 near Stirling, The Pattern books are in the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh. Copys of the Pattern books and letters in the Scottish Tartans Society archive."

Then there is one listed as no. 676 under the name Clergy with -

"Also in Smith No 64. W and A Smith Authenticated Tartans of the Clans and Families of Scotland 1850. W& A.K Johnston The Tartans of the Clans and Septs of Scotland (1906)."


Then Clergy #2, no. 677 -

'Clan Originaux' is a swatch book found in Paris in c1880 used by J. Claude Fres Et Cie. who marketed tartan designs from Alsace, It contains many variations of Scottish Clan tartans. The only copy known to exist is in America and is now in the possession of Pendleton Mills in Portland, Oregon.

Clergy #3, no. 678 -

" There are many variations of the Clergy sett, due to the vagaries of the illustrators of tartan books. Logan names the colour of each measured stripe so there can be no doubt as to his intention. James Logan The Scottish Gael, 1831."

Then Clergy/Clark, no. 679 with simply -

"Scottish Tartans Society archive."

And a couple of more.
I hope this just adds to the overall confusion. Good luck sorting it all out.

One weaver offers both Clark and Clergy. But they call both 'ancient'. The Clark (Ancient) however is darker and more of what we think of when we say 'modern' than the Clergy (Ancient).

The difference is not in the blue but in one the stripes are white and in the other they are changed to gray.

Clark (ancient)



Clergy (ancient)

[figheadair]

We owe the clery tartan to James Logan's scales from his 1831 /The Scottish Gael where he appears to have renamed Wilsons of Bannockburn's Priest tartan and changed one of the name colours from Wilsons' lavander to blue in his scale.

A reconstruction of Wilsons' Priest tartan.

[Jumpmonkey]

Thanks guys,

So, I guess the Modern doesn't really represent the original tartan that well? At this point, I should have figured that the history of any given tartan is apt to have complications. I may well just go ahead and pick up the Clergy Ancient from Loch, the tartan is beautiful.

[Steve Ashton]

Both the Clergy with the grey stripes and the Clark with the white stripes in the photos I posted above are Lochcarron fabrics.