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BREACAN NA’N CLERACH
– The Tartan of the Cleric
©2005 Matthew A. C. Newsome, FSA Scot, GTS
published in the Scottish Banner, September 2005
I had been thinking that it might be good to feature a particular tartan in
this space. I wanted a tartan that would be of general interest, with a use
and history that merited attention. But which one? In the past month, I have
received requests for information about the Clergy tartan from a Benedictine
monk, a Pentecostal minister, and two Orthodox priests (one in America, one in
New Zealand). Well, I call that an ecumenical mandate – God wants me to write
an article on the Clergy tartan!
The Clergy tartan has been described as the only occupational tartan. It is
seen in a few variations, including a blue and a green version. Why the
different tartans? Do they represent different types of clergy? Let’s look
at what we know.
There is a tradition that Highland clergy wore Highland clothing, but were
instructed not to wear bright colors. As to the veracity of this statement, I
cannot say. Regardless, this is the tradition that has been handed down. The
first evidence we have of a tartan for clerics is from the records of the
weaving firm Wilsons of Bannockburn, c. 1830. They called their tartan of
black, lavender, and light blue “Priest.” Why they called it that is anyone’s
guess, but most likely they though “Priest” was a suitable name for a tartan
in muted colors.
Tartan researcher James Logan next illustrated the design in The Scottish
Gael, published in 1831, under the name “Clergy.” He changed the light
blue and lavender of the Wilsons’ design to white and gray, and one pivot was
different. The tartan is next seen in The Authenticated Tartans of the
Clans and Families of Scotland, published in 1850 by William and Andrew
Smith. They attempted to reproduce the tartan as given by Logan, but with
Wilsons’ coloration. However, there were problems with the production methods.
Sometimes lavender was mistakenly used for stripes that should have been
black. And the light blue in some copies of the book turned out a green-gray.
Variations occurred from one edition to the next, and sometimes between copies
of the same edition. If anyone wonders why there are often different versions
of the same tartan in circulation, this sort of occurrence is usually to
blame!
By 1850, and the publication of the Smiths’ work, the tradition had already
been established that this was the tartan early worn by clerics. They write,
“Down till a very recent period, this pattern was generally used by the Clergy
in the Highlands for their week-day habiliments; and even now the secular
mantle or plaid of the priesthood in the North is not unfrequently made of
this, or similar kinds of stuff.”
The Clergy tartan was next illustrated by James Grant in 1886, in The
Tartans of the Clans and Septs of Scotland. He used blue in place of
lavender, including for two lines that should have been black, (apparently
copying the error from one of the Smiths' books). In his text, however, he
says that the tartan was white, black and grey. This would indicate that he
intended to illustrate the tartan from Logan's work, but the publisher
substituted a different illustration. In later editions of his book, the text
described the tartan as dark blue, light blue, and black, but in the
illustration this time light blue was rendered as green!
Lastly, in the first edition of The Setts of the Scottish Tartans, D.
C. Stewart attempted to make a compromise between Wilsons’ and Logan's
settings. This had the undesired effect of creating yet another variation.
In later editions this was amended.
Where does the Clark family tartan come into all this? Both “clergy” and
“clark” have the same root in Latin – clericus. The Clergy tartan
seems to have been used by the Clark family for that reason. In fact, in some
nineteenth century records, the tartan is identified by both names. The
practice today that many tartan weavers follow of rendering the Clergy tartan
in more muted tones than the Clark tartan is a convention adopted to allow for
distinction between those wearing the tartan for family connections, and those
wearing it because they are ordained ministers.
As I have stated many times, there is no such thing as a “right” or
“entitlement” to wear a tartan. However, when you wear a named tartan, you
are identifying yourself with whatever that tartan represents. As the Clergy
tartan is widely recognized as representing the ministry, I certainly would
not recommend it be worn by anyone who did not fit the bill! Just ask
yourself if you would feel comfortable wearing a Roman collar, or a monk’s
robes.
Finally, the Clergy tartan does not represent any particular sect or
denomination. While it is perhaps most popularly used by ministers of the
Church of Scotland (Presbyterians), there is no evidence to suggest that its
use was ever limited to one group. Keep in mind that until the Reformation of
the sixteenth century, all of Scotland was Catholic. Even after that time,
the Highlands of Scotland remained Catholic much longer than the Lowlands.
And while Presbyterians are most common among Protestants, you also have the
Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and many other denominations
in more recent times. Yet the Clergy tartan was never mentioned in
association with one particular sect. It was always simply said to be used by
“Highland Clergy.”
The only denomination-specific tartan that I know of is the Episcopal Clergy
tartan designed by Rev. John B. Pahls in 1966. This tartan honors the clergy
of the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church in the USA, and
marked the bicentenary of the death of the Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury, first
American bishop of that church.
So, if you are Episcopal Clergy, you might choose to wear that tartan. But
other than that, any Clergy tartan can be worn by any cleric of any stripe.
But don’t feel limited to that! I know many ministers and priests who wear
their clan tartans, and I have often thought that a solid black kilt would
look stunning with clerical dress.
