The Tartan

The history of tartans can be divided into two periods; the ancient, from their first recording in the fifteenth century until 1746, and the modern, from the the late eighteenth century and early ninteenth century when they were popularly revived.

The ancient tartans were said by some historians to be based on district rather than clan, although at this time there was a strong alignment between clans and districts. Ancient tartans were made from natural dyes and are more subdued than modern tartans.

After the English put down the Jacobite uprising at the Battle of Colloden in 1745, they sought to break up the clan system, and banned the wearing or displaying of tartans. This ban applied until 1782. By that time, the Scots had adopted the dress of the English, and much of the knowledge of tartans and their production was lost or forgotten.

In 1822, Sir Walter Scott, the famous Scottish author and nationalist was placed in charge of a visit to Scotland by King George IV. He turned the event into a grand display of tartans, in which even the King wore highland dress. From that point on, tartans were back in vogue. Because so many designs had been lost, new designs emerged, using modern spinning technology and manufactured dyes. These were brighter in colour and mass-produced and became known as modern tartans. Often, both a hunting version and a dress version were produced.

In some cases subdued versions of modern tartans have also been produced and labelled as ancient. A tartan marketed as ancient does not neccesarily represent a pre-1745 tartan. Today, the term plaid is often incorrectly used in place of the word tartan. Tartan is the design, while a plaid is a piece of material worn over highland dress (usually in a tartan design).

The Balsillie family does not have a tartan of its own, but by tradition, wears the tartan of the Leslie Clan.

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