"Tartans of the Civil War?" Topic

Does anyone know a source/painting guide for the tartans worn by the Scots during the Civil War?

I have heard that the whole 'clan tartan' thing was invented fairly late – 18th or 19th century. Before this, any old tartan was worn.

I don't know how accurate this may be……

As Cerdic says, they wore whatever the local dyes and weaver produced. There was no clan tartans nor any uniformity until the late 18th, early 19th century when it was re-invented having been banned post Jacobite rebellion.
Plaids they would have worn would have been very simple in design, just 2 colours usually. Red with black cheque being common.

Look at natural wool colours also

Locally there are a good number of portraits from that era many are in tartan. If they are a guide there is no clan/family uniformity as brothers are depicted in wildly different patterns. Yellow seems to be a common colour (I do not recall any without some yellow) and locally there are good natural yellow dyes. This is the eastern highlands, I would believe that other areas would have their own predominant colour depending on local dyes.

I would doubt vaughan's black cheque as there were no good black dyes. Perhaps a dark blue/grey (which there is a dye) depicted by painters as black?

x42

x42, I expect the men in the portraits were gentlemen. Do you suppose the humblies dressed plainer?

house of tartan has some pattern information, but for common sma' folk, think hodden grey.

Clan Tartans were invented to help sell cloth during a depressed time in the weaving industry.

See Cannadine and Hobsbawm "The Invention of Tradition"- one of the finest history books ever IMHO.

Also many of the Scots from the highlands when in battle wore the normal grey soldier's breeches or trews.

zippyfusenet

Do you suppose the humblies dressed plainer?

Yes. Also I think that those gentlemen wore plainer gear outside the portraits but the yellow is a common local dye so would probably be used by all.

x42

My understanding follows what most are saying here about the pre-Culloden tartans. What got me asking was a statement made on the House of Gordon website (I'd been looking for examples of pre '45 patterns to get an idea of colors used)….

The first documented effort to enforce a
uniformity of tartan worn throughout an
entire clan was in 1618, when Sir Robert
Gordon of Gordonstoun, wrote to Murry of
Pulrossie requesting that he bring the
plaids worn by his men into "harmony with
that of his other septs."

This got me wondering if there might have been some uniformity among the richer clans, Gordons and Campbells most particularly. Given that the Marquis of Argyll's regiment (the first one) is the regiment I'm working on now, and it's a Campbell regiment, I wanted to see if anyone had information confirming or denying the above statement.

Thanks for the responses

I'm going to stick my neck out. If someone knows better, speak up.

plaid <> tartan

A plaid is the big wool blanket worn by Scotts highlanders as their outer garment, over the shirt. I don't think it was necessarily woven in a tartan pattern, probably wasn't in most cases. Plaid = tartan is a modern usage.

zippy

A very modern colonial usage.

x42