Clan Chiefs and Tartan

CLAN CHIEFS AND TARTAN

originally published in The Scottish Banner, December 2008

This past October I had the distinct pleasure of playing host to Captain Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, and his wife Lady Fiona MacGregor (who also happens to write for the Banner). I had met them at the Stone Mountain (GA) Highland Games, and they came to visit the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin, NC, the week after. They are as gracious a couple as one would ever want to meet, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.

Sir Malcolm has always had my admiration for being one of the (relatively) few clan chiefs who have taken an active interest in tartan and have communicated their wishes to their clan members. Sir Malcolm’s statement regarding his clan’s tartans can be read on the web site of the Clan Gregor Society.

Reading his statement, and speaking with him on the matter in person, gives one an interesting perspective on tartan, which is both a traditional art form as well as an industry in Scotland.

For example, what is commonly known as the “Rob Roy” tartan, consisting of equal stripes of red and black, according to Sir Malcolm, should be called “MacGregor, Black and Red.” The common MacGregor tartan, consisting of three broad green lines on a red field, with a white stripe through the center green line, should be called “MacGregor, Red and Green.”

Then there is the MacGregor of Cardney tartan. Sir Malcolm relates an amusing story as to its origin. He writes, “My great uncle Alasdair MacGregor of Cardney decided to have some red and green MacGregor tartan made using wool from his own sheep and the old vegetable dyes which had been used in the 17th and 18th centuries. The red came out a ‘shocking pink’ colour and he re-dyed the wool achieving the wine colour at the second attempt. He liked the colour and had a bolt of tartan woven. The MacGregors of Cardney have worn this tartan ever since and it should only be worn by that family.”

The problem is that this same tartan has, apparently since the 1930s, been sold under the name “MacGregor Hunting.” Regarding this, Sir Malcolm states quite plainly that the MacGregors “have never gone in for dress, undress, dress down, fancy dress, hunting or any other such descriptions unlike other clans.”

In our conversation I asked him about this particular tartan, and what he thought of his clansmen wearing it. He told me that while, strictly speaking, it should be reserved for the MacGregors of Cardney, he recognizes the fact that it is widely available today and most people purchase it under the wrong name, with no knowledge as to its actual provenance. He certainly didn’t seem to want any MacGregors who proudly wear this version of the clan tartan to feel like they were causing offense.

Some people are wont to blame the “tartan retailers” for duping people so that they can sell more cloth and make a buck. I would suggest that most people in the business of selling tartan don’t have any nefarious motives. But one can hardly count on most merchants being experts on tartan. They have their samples from the weavers, and if the sample is labeled “Hunting MacGregor,” they have no reason to doubt it; nor would they suspect that there might be any reason not to wear it.

Is it the fault of the manufacturers, then? Partly, yes, but again I would reserve judgment and suggest that ulterior motives are not necessarily to blame. They more than likely simply inherited bad information. As far back as 1870 Kenneth MacLeay wrote in his Highlanders of Scotland, that the red and black MacGregor tartan has been “erroneously styled ‘Rob Roy’ in the shops.” If merchants have been selling this tartan under the wrong name for over 100 years, is there any wonder people are confused?

All of this illustrates the fact that tartan is a confusing subject, and we cannot expect all the various weavers and tailors and retailers to suddenly be on the same page as the academics and the clan chiefs. And to be fair, tartan has been an industry in Scotland far longer than it has been in the domain of the chiefs. The precedent of deferring to a clan chief regarding tartan was set back in 1815 when the Highland Society of London requested clan chiefs to donate a sample of their tartan for collection. Many clan chiefs had no idea what “their tartan” was supposed to be; so they did what people today still do when looking for tartan information. They wrote to the manufacturers and requested a sample.

The best thing for you to do then, before you buy, is to do your research and know your tartan!

Chances are, if you phone up your favorite tartan shop and ask for a length of “Red and Black MacGregor,” the person on the phone won’t know what you are talking about. But if you ask for the “Rob Roy tartan” they’ll get the correct item to you. Don’t blame them for getting it wrong; chances are they only know what’s on the label.

And tartan merchants, too, have a responsibility to help educate the public about tartan. This is harder than one might imagine. While a member of Clan MacGregor may be able to easily remember what his chief has declared regarding their tartans, the tartan merchant is dealing with hundreds, if not thousands of different tartans. It is quite a daunting task to keep track that much information.

Thankfully, groups such as the Scottish Tartans Authority are able to work with both those in the tartan industry and the tartan-wearing public to try to keep all this information straight. Their International Tartan Index is dynamic, and can be readily amended or updated when errors are discovered or new information is brought to light. And the upcoming establishment of the new National Register of Tartans will surely be another great tool for making sure that accurate information is available to the public.