While the kilt may be an iconic part of Scottish identity, the tartan patterns are what sets this fabric apart. ()
While the kilt may be an iconic part of Scottish identity, the tartan patterns are what sets this fabric apart.
Prior to the 1700s, in Scotland the word tartan described the warm, wool homespun fabric worn primarily as work clothes in the Highlands. Wool has been used in Scotland since Neolithic settlers brought domesticated sheep roughly 6,000 years ago.
The Romans called people from this area Caledonians. A few rare pieces of evidence may point to their garments having distinct patterns. A written account by historian Diodorus says they wore cloaks “in which are set checks, close together and of varied hues” (V:30). In Morocco, a statue of Emperor Caracalla’s triumphs depicts a Caledonian with patterned trousers.
Over time people in Scotland used their wool tartan fabric, patterned or plain, for various clothing like trews (an older version of men’s trouser), cloaks, tunics and eventually for kilts. Made with a belted plaid (pronounced played), the first kilts evolved sometime in the 1500s. The versatile plaid, which means blanket, was used for many different garments like women’s arasaids and shepherds’ wraps. They used tartan fabric, and many were patterned.
In the 1700s, wearing the patterned tartan cloth signified allegiance to the Catholic Stuart monarchs who originated in Scotland. Rebels known as Jacobites (for James VII) actively fought against the Protestant Hanoverian monarchy who had taken over. After a decisive defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Highlanders were banned from wearing specific regional clothes like kilts, trews and great coats, all of which were made with patterned tartan fabric.
Instead of staying a generic term for wool fabric, the word tartan changed usage to mean the unique patterns on the fabric. It became politicized, with the English throne using tartan patterns and kilts as a symbol of the Scottish clan system they claimed to have subdued. As Scottish immigrants moved, or were forcibly relocated, to the U.S. and Canada, they brought their wool traditions with them and the word plaid (instead of tartan) became synonymous with the checkered patterns.
While the ban on tartan clothes only lasted 26 years, its cultural impact continued. Scottish national identity became entwined with the cloth patterns. In the late 1700s, people began to create and wear their own family patterns. Since then, many unique tartan designs have been affiliated with specific clan heritage, and in 2008 The Scottish Register of Tartans was established to preserve pattern information.
While the specific clan patterns may be an invention of the modern era there is no reason to assume clans didn’t have their own patterns passed down from generation to generation, and the current use is continuing that heritage.
Today you will find tartan clothing sold to tourists and locals alike all over Scotland. It comes as kitsch on keychains and phone covers, but also as upscale attire in scarves, dresses, jackets and kilts. American visitors on genealogy trips often find themselves seeking out their own clan tartan. But don’t worry if you can’t trace your heritage to Scotland, there are plenty of non-affiliated tartan patterns to choose from.
