Chapter V: Part 5

Tradition associates this tartan with the amiable, ill-fated James Drummond, Duke of Perth, who was conspicuous in the ’45, and who died on board a French frigate while attempting to escape in the succeeding year. The early collections nearly all contain this pattern, which is variously styled Drummond of Perth, Drummond, and Perth. Portraits of the Duke in tartan garb are in the possession of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon at Gordon Castle, and of Lord Ancaster at Drummond Castle, but in neither case is the painting sufficiently distinct for the confirmation of details. The Murray-Threipland family preserve at Fingask Castle a cloak said to have been left there by Prince Charles Edward; and its design, reproduced in Plate XL., is the Drummond of Perth, with the exception of a narrow line. It is probable either that the garment belonged to the Duke, or that it was made for the Prince from some of his tartan. The pattern now commonly worn by the Drummonds is likewise claimed by the Grants, the sett of the latter varying only by the shade of a blue line; but there is no proof of the early adoption of either by the families concerned. The introduction of the two setts last referred to was long posterior to the use of the example illustrated, and they seem variations of the Drummond given by John Sobieski Stuart in _Vestiarium Scoticum_. In the table to Logan’s _Scottish Gaël_ the Drummond scheme agrees with the present plate; but the manufacturers, no doubt to avoid a multiplicity of patterns of the same name, have, probably unwittingly, dropped the older of the two designs.

DRUMMOND OF STRATHALLAN.

There is every reason to esteem this tartan of early date. Possessing many characteristics of old design, it figures as Strathallan Drummond in most of the trustworthy collections, including those of The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, the Campbells of Craignish, and Messrs Romanes & Paterson, Edinburgh. An example of undoubted antiquity is held by the Editor. In 1812 David, sixth Earl of Airlie, head of the house of Ogilvy, married Clementina, only child of Gavin Drummond, Esq., the third son of James Drummond of Keltie by Clementina, sister and co-heiress of Alexander Graham of Duntrune, who was heir male of John, Viscount of Dundee. On this event the tartan here represented, up to that time known as Strathallan, appears to have been adopted by the Earl and some other branches of the family, and in the course of time the design came to be styled the Ogilvy, which is now its customary designation; the ground has sometimes been made blue instead of green. The appropriation is somewhat extraordinary, because the Ogilvys possess a fine tartan of their own (Plate XXX.), which can be traced at least as far back as last century. Mr and Mrs Nisbet-Hamilton-Ogilvy have an interesting portrait (ascribed to Allan Ramsay) of David, Lord Ogilvy, afterwards sixth Earl of Airlie (attainted), who raised a body of cavalry for Prince Charles Edward and fought at Culloden. The coat displays a simple check in red and blue, and the plaid an effective tartan scheme in these colours. Indeed, the picture is supposed to represent the uniform of Ogilvy’s Horse of 1745-46.

FRASER.

The accompanying reproduction is taken from a specimen in a collection formed about 1790, where the pattern is first recorded. Different Fraser families appear originally to have had each their special designs, but for a long time every important section (save that of Lovat, whose tartan forms the next plate) has recognised this as the _Breacan Friosalach_. Collections following one another at brief intervals from 1790 to 1850, comprising those of the Highland Society of London, the Campbells of Craignish, the late Dr. W. F. Skene, and The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, present it unvaryingly as the clan tartan. Paintings, both early and important, of branch representatives disclose variations which seem to indicate that certain families were wont to have the details slightly altered for their own uses. The pattern usually offered as Fraser, while bearing some resemblance to that illustrated in Plate IX. as Fraser of Lovat, is most likely an old tartan of Clan Grant (see the Grant, Plate X.), and its association with the Clan Fraser is based on its occurrence in the _Vestiarium Scoticum_. Some account of the Fraser and other family portraits showing Highland costume was contributed by the Editor to _The Scottish Antiquary_, Vol. VIII. See also the notes on the Fraser of Lovat tartan.

FRASER OF LOVAT.

Confirmation of the supposition that various branches of Clan Fraser wore tartans similar in scheme but different in detail is furnished by the family portraits. In a fine presentment of Major James Fraser of Castle Leather (whereof a replica hangs in Inverness Town Hall), painted about 1723, a red pattern is shown in the plaid, while the rest of the dress is a simple check in red, green, and blue. Portraits of the Hon. Sybella Fraser of Lovat and the Hon. Mrs Archibald Fraser of Lovat, executed after the middle of last century, in the collection of Sir William Augustus Fraser of Ledclune, have different red setts in the plaids. Miss Fraser of Abertarff possesses an interesting likeness of her father, dated 1808, that supplies yet another arrangement in red. The present illustration depicts the earliest authenticated Lovat pattern, which is accepted, moreover, by the leading collectors. In 1849 Lord Lovat wrote of the tartan generally styled Fraser (though, as already mentioned, it is most probably Grant—Plate X.), that he had ascertained it to be that of his clan prior to 1745. It is difficult to accept the statement, since no trace of the design appears in the Fraser paintings either at or before that period. On the other hand, the pattern was undoubtedly in use then by a prominent member of Clan Grant, of whom it is said that he continued to wear the Highland dress for almost a century, as stated in the notes on the Grant tartan.

GRANT.

Reproduced from a portrait of Robert Grant of Lurg (1678-1777), in the collection at Troup House. This example, as mentioned in the note to Plate VIII., is identical with that now commonly styled the Fraser. It was accepted by some only of the Fraser families in 1842, because it was illustrated under their name in the _Vestiarium Scoticum_. Of the Laird of Lurg there is another likeness, in the possession of Lady Seafield at Castle Grant, which represents him in the Black Watch tartan. The explanation offered is that he was an officer in the Clan Grant Company of the Black Watch; that since his clan supported the Government the prohibition against the national dress would not be enforced in his case; and that it is but reasonable to suppose he wore the tartan of his clan when not in military uniform. In connection with the Grants occurs one of the earliest descriptions of a distinctive clan design. It is dated 1704. It has been partially, though inaccurately, quoted in Sir William Fraser’s _Chiefs of Grant_ (Edinburgh, 1883), and on account of its interest it is given in the Introduction to this work. The illustration is not in absolute harmony with the description, and appears, indeed, to be a modification of it. Attention may again be directed to the resemblance between the Grant and the Fraser tartans. The wide dissimilarity in the tartans depicted in the Grant family portraits preserved at Castle Grant and elsewhere is referred to in the Introduction.

HUNTLY.

The present example is designated Huntly and Brodie in certain early collections, and, like those of Dunblane, Strathearn, and Atholl, it appears to belong to a district rather than to a family. Tradition shows it to have been in use during a considerable portion of last century by such families as Gordon, Brodie, and Forbes, or at least by members of these touched with Jacobitism, who appear to have assumed this tartan in common, just as many families of different name adopted a uniform wear in various localities. On the raising of the Gordon Highlanders in 1794 a yellow stripe was introduced into the Black Watch pattern for their regimental use; and since then the Gordons have discontinued the use of the Huntly except on full-dress occasions. In a beautiful painting of Miss Rebecca Forbes, daughter of Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo, married in 1802 to Alastair Ranaldson Macdonell, fifteenth of Glengarry, there is a dress of this tartan which is known to have been used by her family in Aberdeenshire. From information supplied by the late Dr. William Forbes Skene to Mr Elphinstone Dalrymple, it is ascertained that the present Forbes tartan was designed for the Pitsligo family in 1822 by another Miss Forbes of Pitsligo. It was done by merely adding a white line to the Forty-second; the Gordon was similarly obtained by the addition of a yellow one, and this is now the sole difference between the wear of the two principal families, Forbes and Gordon, who formerly wore the Huntly.

KEITH AND AUSTIN.

Despite the uncertainty concerning the origin of this design, it is included in every complete early collection, like that of the Highland Society of London, of the late Dr. Skene, of Messrs Ogilvie & Co., and of Messrs Romanes & Paterson. The last-mentioned firm has supplied it from the early years of the present century to various families of Keiths and Austins, including the house of Keith-Falconer, Earls of Kintore. The Austins appear first on record as allies and supporters of the Keiths. The name was variously spelt, though in ancient records it was generally begun with Ou or Ow. Of curious interest as showing an early connection between the families is the occurrence in 1587 of the name of Alexander Ousteane, burgess of Edinburgh, as one of the cautioners for George Keith, Earl Marshall, in an action raised against him by Margaret Erskine, Lady Pitcarie. In the same year Alexander Oisteane, no doubt the same person, was a Parliamentary representative of the Burgh of Edinburgh. In 1589, Walter Oustene, a tenant in Lochquhan (a possession of the Keith family), was one of the subscribers to a Bond of Caution imposed on a number of the landed men in the shires of Aberdeen and Kincardine, binding them to keep the peace in the struggles with the Catholic party headed by Huntly.

KENNEDY.

The tartan seems to have been first worn by Kennedy families in the Lochaber district. Tradition avers that some centuries back Ulric Kennedy, a scion of the Ayrshire Kennedys who came originally from Ireland, settled in Lochaber, and that all bearing the name in this locality are descended from him. In the Highlands they are known as Mac Ulrics or Clan Ulric, and are said to have once mustered considerable force. The design has been accepted by the Kennedys in Carrick, many of whom adopted it last century as an emblem of their Jacobite sympathies. Several early examples of the pattern are in existence, and one of these is here reproduced in the exact tints of the original. As will be seen in the plate, the single red stripe is scarlet and the two fine red lines are crimson; but manufacturers, to save themselves trouble, have been accustomed to vitiate the design by failing to mark this distinction. It is noteworthy that the tartan bears little resemblance to any other Lochaber design of ancient date, and that the Kennedys, while generally allied with the Camerons, have ever maintained their own colours. They regard as their chief the Marquis of Ailsa, who is head of the Kennedys of Ayrshire.

LOGAN.

The pattern here given is included in the collection formed by the Highland Society of London, and it occurs in numerous others, including that at Moy Hall, while it has borne this name for many years. Great confusion has somehow arisen concerning the tartan of the family. James Logan’s table in _The Scottish Gaël_ furnishes a design totally unlike the one afterwards illustrated in his joint work with Mac Ian, _The Clans of the Scottish Highlands_. Messrs Smith, in their usually trustworthy _Authenticated Tartans of the Clans and Families of Scotland_, present the Logan designated as the Skene, with the comment: “It appears in Mr Logan’s book, but we must confess it is a pattern about the antiquity of which we entertain some doubts.” In point of fact, Logan gives no Skene tartan in _The Scottish Gaël_, while the pattern of Clan Donchadh of Mar or Skene supplied in the Logan-Mac Ian collaboration is entirely different. That it is not Skene tartan is attested by the fact that an example which belonged to the late Dr. W. F. Skene (now in the possession of the Editor) is described as “Logan” in his own handwriting. Its early and general use under that name clearly justifies its inclusion in this collection.

MAC CALLUM.

Well-nigh forgotten and rarely encountered, save in the old pattern-book or in the tartan collector’s museum, this design is early, though its origin cannot be fixed with any certainty. It has been supplanted by a comparatively modern pattern, known commonly as the Malcolm but occasionally as the Mac Callum, which is the ancient form of the name. The new scheme has existed some forty or fifty years at least, as the Editor has received from a lady in Skye a specimen in a portion of a silk dress her family has owned for about that period without knowing the name of the tartan. In the collection of the Highland Society of London (1822), in that at Moy Hall, and in every other important repository of the kind, the Mac Callum as here illustrated is ranked, and the Malcolm is wanting. It its believed that the family, having lost trace of the old sett fifty or sixty years ago, had the modern design prepared from the recollection of old people in Argyllshire; but, as has frequently happened in similar circumstances, the recovery of the original design shows that considerable deviation had been made.

MACDONALD.

One of the most romantic stories associated with tartans is attached to the fragment now reproduced. In the Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh, is a collection of MSS. in ten black-edged volumes bearing the title of _The Lyon in Mourning_, the reference being to the misfortunes of the House of Stuart. Fastened to the inner sides of the boards are many relics of the pathetic experiences of Prince Charles during the interval between his defeat at Culloden and his escape to France. The documents were written and the mementoes gathered by Bishop Robert Forbes, an enthusiastic Jacobite. Under a scrap of tartan with a bit of red lining he has noted:—

The above are pieces of the outside and inside of that identical waistcoat which Macdonald of Kingsburgh gave to the Prince when he laid aside the woman’s clothes. The said waistcoat being too fine for a servant the Prince exchanged it with Malcolm Macleod. Malcolm, after parting with the Prince, and finding himself in danger of being seized, did hide the waistcoat in a cleft of a rock, where, upon his returning home in the beginning of September 1747, he found it all rotten to bits, except only as much as would serve to cover little more than one’s loof, and two buttons, all of which he was pleased to send to me. The waistcoat had lain more than a full year in the cleft of the rock, for Malcolm Macleod was made prisoner sometime in July 1746.

In the MSS. a copy of Macleod’s letter is given, and it runs thus:—

Reverend Dr. Sir,

You’l received from the bearer all that was to the for of the weast Coat that the P. gave to me, because no Body cou’d get it where I put it till I came home my self likwise tow of the Buttons that wor in it. I cou’d get that from Kingsborrow you desired me ——. However he has it. I have more to tell you when I see ——. Writ to me by the Bearer mind me most kindly to Lady Bruce & all aquantance Especiall Lady Balmirina & her sister.

I’m your very humble servant,
MAL MACLEOD.

Rasay, October 13, 1747.

The MSS., sold by the bishop’s widow to Sir Henry Steuart of Allanton, were acquired by Robert Chambers, who presented them to the Library. An account of the MSS. appears in _Chambers’s Jacobite Memoirs_. Edinburgh, 1834.

MACDONALD OF KEPPOCH.

The Macdonalds boast more tartans than any other clan, in consequence of many branches having adopted setts differing from the clan pattern. The Macdonalds of Keppoch, or Siol Mac Mhic Raonuill, did so. This sept was not numerically strong as compared with others, for in 1745 its fighting men were estimated at three hundred. The illustration represents a portion of the plaid the Keppoch of ’45 gave Prince Charles Edward, long preserved at Moy Hall, but many years back divided among various families. Of this chief it is recorded that, when the Macdonalds refused to charge the Hanoverian army at Culloden, and stood irresolute, slashing the turf with their claymores, he exclaimed, “My God! Have the children of my tribe deserted me?” and dashed forward on the enemy, to be immediately shot down. Recently the pattern has fallen into desuetude, many entitled to wear it preferring the quieter colours of the pattern now commonly known as Clan Macdonald. Several variations of the Keppoch scheme exist, and old specimens differing from the illustration are held by some to be authentic setts; but this has always been admitted by leading authorities to be the Keppoch, since the plaid presented to the Prince was presumably in the chief’s pattern.

MACKINTOSH.

The extensive variations in the tartans styled Mackintosh are attributable to the fact that Clan Chattan embraced many septs, more or less nearly allied, who changed the pattern at will. But the chief’s and the clan designs are now accepted as authoritative examples of the early scheme. To the example here illustrated peculiar interest attaches, since it is the sett worn by Prince Charles Edward in the Mackintosh country. The Rev. A. Thomson Grant, of the Rectory, Leven, from whom the specimen was obtained, writes: “The piece of tartan I sent you was given me in September 1860 by Mrs Christina Mackintosh or Grant, widow of the Rev. James Grant, minister of Cromdale. I was at the time on a visit to Coulnakyle House, some miles above Grantown, where Mrs Grant and her family then resided. Mrs Grant produced a piece of tartan, which she confidently assured me was a piece of the kilt worn by Prince Charlie while in the Mackintosh country. The kilt, she added, was religiously divided among the then members of the chief’s family and near relations, and the piece she possessed had come down to her by regular descent from her ancestors of that time. When I was bidding good-bye, Mrs Grant halved the piece of tartan, and gave me that which is now in your possession.” The illustration reproduces the colours and the dimensions in the original, which, though a small, is yet a fine specimen of old hard tartan.

MAC INTYRE AND GLENORCHY.

Wherever authentic records of tartans are preserved this design appears, generally as Mac Intyre and Glenorchy, though occasionally as Glenorchy alone. It seems to have partaken of the nature of a district tartan, for the locality whence the title is taken was only partly occupied by the Mac Intyres, who appear never to have attained the strength of a clan. No Mac Intyre arms are matriculated in the Lyon Register. They are found, however, in Burke’s _General Armoury_, and the individual contributing them evidently regarded his family as a sept of the Mac Donalds. The pattern in the illustration occurs in the collection of the Highland Society of London (1822), and in reproductions made in Edinburgh about 1820 from examples of ancient designs procured in the Highlands near that time. In a collection formed in 1790 there is a scheme differing very slightly from the present illustration. Of the antiquity of the name Mac Intyre in Lorn evidence is furnished by the traditions of a family who “possessed the farm of Glenoe, in Nether Lorn, from about the year 1300 down to 1810. They were originally foresters of Stewart, Lord Lorn, and were continued in their possession and employment after the succession of the Glenorchy and Breadalbane families to this estate, by a marriage with a co-heiress of the last Lord Lorn of the Stewart family in the year 1435” (Stewart’s _Highlanders_, third edition, Vol. I. p. 82). General Stewart, writing in 1822, observes: “In like manner the Athole, Glenorchy, and other colours of different districts were easily distinguishable.” Doubtless this statement refers to the example here given, because it is shown in all collections of importance gathered at that date, when what is now commonly known as the Mac Intyre appears to have been non-existent.

MAC LACHLAN.

The accompanying tartan is one of two ancient designs bearing the same name. It figures in all the collections formed in the early years of the century, and an excellent example (the precise date of which, however, is unknown) has been procured from Messrs Romanes & Paterson. The other design, to be found in a collection made in 1790, is shown in an ancient piece of hard tartan with a simple check in red and green about five-eighths of an inch square in the Editor’s possession. In the _Vestiarium Scoticum_ the Mac Lachlan is depicted as a brilliant combination of yellow and black, being the sett in use by the present Mac Lachlan of Mac Lachlan. The clan generally use a red and dark blue design, which cannot be traced further back than 1850 to the Smiths’ and Smibert’s works. The existence of the tartan illustrated appears to have been generally overlooked by the clan, a fact greatly to be regretted, as it is one of the finest of the old clan setts. That the illustration represents an early and authentic clan pattern of the Mac Lachlan cannot be doubted, for it is the only example occurring under that name in the collections of the Highland Society, the Campbells of Craignish, The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, and many others. Several members of a minor sept of the Mac Lachlans, followers of the Stewarts of Appin, were slain in the campaign of 1745-46 while fighting in the Appin Regiment. (See note under Stewart of Appin.)

MAC LAINE OF LOCHBUIE.

One of the few tartans concerning whose antiquity no doubt appears ever to have been suggested, the Mac Laine of Lochbuie ranks in every extensive collection of old patterns, though till recently it was not represented in any published work. Particularly fine examples are preserved in the Willis collection and in that of The Mackintosh. The design is generally woven in an open sett, which produces an admirable effect. It is unique among old patterns, by reason of the quantity of pale blue in its composition, that colour being usually reserved for narrow lines. The date of its introduction is unknown, but its use in the Western Isles last century is authenticated, and tradition points to its early origin. Despite the fact that the clan followed the Marquis of Montrose and joined the rising of ’15, it took no share in the ’45; and it may consequently be presumed that the members, like others in similar cases, continued to wear their tartan and dress after these had been formally proscribed. The present Mac Laine of Lochbuie wears also the hunting Mac Laine of Lochbuie, which, as he himself points out, is of modern invention.

MACKEANE (MAC IAN).

The _Vestiarium Scoticum_, already acknowledged as the earliest and the most elaborate illustrated publication on tartan designs, was edited by the late John Sobieski Stuart from a MS. stated to belong to the sixteenth century. The MS. was printed and published in 1842, with plates executed from drawings by Charles Edward Stuart, the editor’s brother. Of course the drawings are but a development of the descriptions in the MS. It need scarcely be added that the volume is now rare and costly. The MS. was transcribed and illuminated in 1829 by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, for whom Charles Edward Stuart prepared a series of drawings which included several tartans not illustrated in the published work. One of these is here reproduced, and Sir Richard Urquhart, Knycht, the reputed author of the MS., thus describes it: “Mackeane hethe four stryppes of Blak upon ain scarlett feilde, and upon the scarlett sett ain spraig (sprainge) of yellowe of saxteen threidis, havand thereto ain bordure of Blak of twa threidis.” The Mac Ians, whose name is variously spelt in the early clan rolls and elsewhere as M’Kane, Mac Coin, Mac Eoin, Clanayioun, &c., were a branch of the Clan Macdonald. That the use of the design was not confined to this branch is evidenced by a contemporary portrait of Alastair Ruadh of Glengarry (who was prominent in the ’45), in which he is depicted in this tartan. The painting is in the possession of John Alastair Erskine Cuninghame, Esq. of Balgownie, Perthshire, the last lineal descendant and heir-general of Alastair Ronaldson Macdonell of Glengarry.

MAC LEAN: HUNTING.

The traditions, songs, and records of the Mac Leans contain references of a much earlier date to this tartan than do any authenticated collection of, or published work on, particular designs. In a charter of 1587-8 granting Hector Mac Lean, heir of Duart, certain lands in Islay, the feu-duty is made payable in the form of sixty ells of cloth of white, black, and green colours. On the suppression of the religious houses the impost is again mentioned in connection with the assets of the churches. This very curious feu-duty exigible in tartan is dealt with, and the references contained in the charters printed in full, in the Introduction. The old Gaelic song, “Moladh rann do Shir Eachainn Mac Gillian Trath Dhubhairt,” has the following verse:—

Bu mhian leam am breacan tlàth,
Breacan uain’ ’us dubh ’us geal:
Datha sar Mhich-Ghillian am flath—
Sud an laoch a fhuair mo ghaol.

Dear to me the tartan plaid,
The plaid of green and black and white:
The colours of the brave Mac Lean—
The hero of my love.

The pattern is universally acknowledged by the clan.

MAC LEOD.

Diversity of opinion prevails concerning the tartan of the Mac Leods; and, unfortunately, nothing was done to settle the dispute when the Clan Mac Leod Society recently discussed the claims of rival patterns. The inspection of important collections from 1785, the date of the repeal of the statute against tartans, till the present day, proves that the design here given invariably occurs under the family designation. Certain Mac Leods claim and wear the Mackenzie tartan as their own, though the appearance of both, under their respective names, in old collections proves this to be an impropriety. The mistake doubtless arose from the fact that when the 73rd Regiment was raised in 1777 it was commanded by a son of the Earl of Cromarty, whose courtesy title was Lord Mac Leod, though his family name was Mackenzie, and whose tartan was the dress of the corps. Of comparatively recent date, the assumption has yet taken considerable hold, in consequence of its adoption in several works relating to clan patterns. The Mac Leods of Raasay wore a design in brilliant yellow whose authority is the _Vestiarium Scoticum_. An examination of the portraits and relics at Dunvegan Castle in Skye, the seat of Mac Leod of Mac Leod, has been made in search of records of the tartan of the clan. It has revealed the singular circumstance that in the only early portrait in tartan dress, that of the chief painted by Allan Ramsay in 1768, red is the predominant colour of the tartan plaid, while coat and trews are in “Rob Roy” check. Logan has stated, from recollection, that the plaid is in the Fraser pattern; but here he is in error. It is to be hoped further investigation will elucidate the history of the tartan in the painting referred to.

MAC NEILL.

To establish the antiquity of this pattern of the Mac Neill it is but necessary to mention that it occurs in many old collections, including those of Craignish, Moy Hall, the Highland Society of London, and Messrs Romanes and Paterson. Several branches of the clan have other designs, but none is found in the ancient repositories either so early or so often as that now illustrated. A hitherto unnoticed reference to what is possibly the distinctive tartan of the Mac Neills appears in _The Grameid: an Historic Poem descriptive of the Campaign of Viscount Dundee in 1689, by James Philip of Almerieclose, 1691_, translated by the Rev. Alexander D. Murdoch, F.S.A. Scot., for the Scottish History Society, 1888. It reads: “The illustrious son of warlike Mac Neill comes from the winding shore of Barra’s isle, around whom, as their chief, a great company of the youth of his name presses on the right hand and on the left. Carrying his battle-axe, he advances on foot, panting as he goes, leading his tall clansmen, himself the tallest, and his shoulders covered with a Tyrian mantle. He displays as many colours woven into his plaid as the rainbow in the clouds shows in the sunlight.” Whether or not the tartan here presented was that worn by the chief in Dundee’s campaign cannot be determined, but, at least, it is the sole pattern associated with the name having any trace of red. The writer of the poem was a close observer, and many of his descriptions of dress and arms are highly valuable; while the allusion to “the winding shore of Barra’s isle” evinces an intimate knowledge of the peculiarly indented character of that island.

MACPHERSON.

The Macpherson tartans present unwonted difficulty in consequence of the multiplicity of setts, each having claims of its own. These are (1) the Chief’s, (2) the Cluny, or full dress, (3) the Hunting, and (4) the Clan tartans. The first, though one of the oldest designs, has often been wrongly presented. Of the second, which was illustrated in the _Vestiarium Scoticum_, the Cluny Macpherson of 1850 wrote to Messrs Smith, then compiling a book of tartans, that:-

The design was known as the Breacan Glas’ long before John [Sobieski] Stuart was heard of in this country, although I rather think the addition of the yellow stripe was introduced by him, or rather taken from his MS., but, at all events, the tartan is an old Macpherson.

The _Vestiarium_ had only been published eight years before (1842), though strenuous efforts had been made to issue it in 1829. It is evident from an unpublished correspondence between Sir Walter Scott and Sir Thomas Dick Lauder that the chief of Cluny received his first drawing of the tartan from the brothers Stuart—a fact obviously unknown to his successor of 1850. Sir Thomas, writing to Sir Walter on 1st June 1829, observes:—

The Messrs Hay [the name at first borne by the brothers] have already instructed several of the chiefs of clans who have had webs of the true tartans made, and, as an instance of this, I may mention that Cluny Macpherson appeared at the late fancy ball at Edinburgh in his beautiful and genuine tartan as taken from the MS. ... which excited universal admiration. Mac Leod has got a sketch of his splendid tartan.

There is no evidence of this second pattern having been in actual use prior to 1829, the only authority of earlier date being the MS. above referred to. The third design is identical with that illustrated here, except that the ground is grey instead of white. In use for many years, the fourth appears in some of the early collections. The only Macpherson (other than that peculiar to the chief) found in the earliest collections is that here given, and there is every reason to believe it the pattern worn by the clan from the repeal of the prohibitory statute to the middle of the present century, when the white ground was exchanged for grey. It is not known why the alteration was made.

MAC RAE: HUNTING.

The present illustration reproduces the pattern of a piece of old hard tartan from a kilt believed to have been worn by a member of Clan Mac Rae at the battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. The fragment, now in the author’s possession, bears internal evidence of great age, the style of manufacture attesting its connection with the period to which it has been assigned. A tartan somewhat akin to this, and having the same name, is supposed to have been founded on an imperfect acquaintance with the pattern here given. The design is poorly represented in the _Clans of Scotland_, by Mac Ian and Logan. It has been styled Hunting to distinguish it from a red Mac Rae, which agrees exactly with the Prince’s Own (Plate XLII.) The Editor was unable to account for the connection between the two latter till he discovered a plaid preserved in a carefully authenticated collection in Inverness-shire, with the description: “Mac Rae tartan plaid worn by Prince Charles Edward in 1745.” The plaid being a complicated sett, a large specimen is required to show the complete design, and, either through inadequate patterns or insistent copying, the portion containing the yellow lines has been omitted from all representations of the tartan hitherto published. Captain John Mac Rae of Kames Castle has furnished the following note regarding a sett of tartan which has been worn in his family:—“When my great-great-grandfather, John Mac Ra of Conchra, Lochalsh, was on his way to Sheriffmuir from Kintail, some of his followers being without stockings, the occupants of a shieling in which some of them lodged spent the night in cutting out stockings for them from a web of cloth which they had in the place. A piece of this web was in the possession of my grand-aunt, Miss Flora Mac Ra of Ardintoul, from which she knitted the accompanying hose when a girl at the end of last century. Unfortunately, the original piece of cloth has been lost.” The tartan may be described as consisting of squares of sapphire-blue and white, a line of yellow passing through the former and one of red through the latter.

MENZIES: HUNTING.

From early times the war-cry and motto of the Menzies clan has been “Geal ’us dearg a suas,” “Up with the red and white,” and this has been held to refer to the tartan; but, as other hues are found in old specimens, it is at least probable that both phrase and design may be traced to the heraldic shield of the chief, which is argent, a chief gules, the colours of the tartan as commonly known. In the hunting pattern here reproduced the only change is the substitution of green for red in the ground, and red for white in the stripes. The pattern of Menzies tartan, signed and sealed by the chief of that day, in the collection formed by the Highland Society of London in 1816-17, is an arrangement of red, green, blue, and white, and an example of last century date in the Editor’s collection is identical in sett. The use of the red and white Menzies tartan as a design for hose was common throughout the Highlands, as the ancient portraits of various families prove, and this use of the sett is probably of earlier date than its special adoption as the Clan Menzies wear.

MONTGOMERIE.

The frequent use of tartans by non-Highland families during a long period—certainly throughout the eighteenth century—has been noted elsewhere. It is not suggested that these wore the dress to the same extent as the inhabitants of the Western Highlands and Islands, but, nevertheless, the use of tartans was popular in the South of Scotland at the time of the Union of the Kingdoms, and for long afterwards. About this period, probably, the design here illustrated came to be adopted by the Montgomeries of Ayrshire. A fine example in old hard tartan, from Dr. Skene’s collection, has been employed as a guide in the reproduction of the sett. An examination of the historical relics in the possession of the Earl of Eglinton, the head of the Montgomerie family, at Eglinton Castle has furnished ample evidence of the early use of the tartan as here illustrated. In 1757 the Honourable Archibald Montgomerie, son of the Earl of Eglinton, received letters of service to raise a regiment in the North. It was known as Montgomerie’s Highlanders. The uniform, as appears from the Eglinton portraits examined by the author, consisted of the Highland dress, but the tartan worn was the Government or Black Watch sett, and not the Montgomerie pattern.

An interesting record of the encouragement by this family of the manufacture of tartans in Ireland about the year 1600 will be found in the Introduction.

OGILVY.

As has been indicated in the notes on Drummond of Strathallan, that pattern has been generally worn by the Ogilvys since the families became connected through marriage in 1812. The present illustration shows what was known as the Ogilvy (see Drummond of Strathallan, Plate VII.) before that date, though it has gradually sunk into abeyance. Of its origin nothing is known. It was revived as late as 1850 in _The Clans of Scotland_, by Thomas Smibert, but it was then imperfectly represented. The collection of Mr and Mrs Nisbet-Hamilton-Ogilvy at Biel contains, as has been said, a fine portrait of David, the Lord Ogilvy of the ’45, who commanded Ogilvy’s Horse. It is a half-length figure, and, while the coat is in simple red and blue check, the plaid is more elaborate in design. Clearly limned is an effective arrangement of red and blue, which are the only colours either in coat or plaid. Mrs Nisbet-Hamilton-Ogilvy suggests that this tartan may have been a special variety provided by Lord Ogilvy for his regiment. Careful investigation of old collections, however, reveals no earlier pattern attributed to the family than the one here given.

OGILVY: HUNTING.

Generally styled the hunting Ogilvy, though sometimes merely the Ogilvy, this example is found in all early collections. That of the Highland Society of London (1822) contains an especially fine example. In the Moy Hall collection the specimen is labelled Ogilvy of Inverquharitie—its only appearance under that name. Nothing authentic has been ascertained as to its first introduction, but traditions of its long use are plentiful among the families entitled to wear it. An ancient legend of the Ogilvys concerning their tartan has been deemed to apply to this pattern, and to prove its antiquity. It is averred that the fairies, displeased at the appropriation of so much of their favourite colour (green) in the design, cast their influence against the clan in one of its feuds, and brought about its overthrow. Hence, according to the legend, the adoption of the pattern shown in the preceding illustration. The tale has likewise been attributed to the tartan commonly known as the Ogilvy, but restored to its proper designation in this volume as Strathallan Drummond, where the same hue is also predominant. But as that design was not adopted by the Ogilvys till 1812—long after the date of the legend—this application is obviously recent.

ROBERTSON.

Careful and extended examination of the various authorities establishes that the example here represented illustrates the earliest tartan worn by members of the Clan Donnachie having red as the dominant colour. The qualifying clause as to colour is introduced because, since the plates for this work were prepared, the author has been indebted to Mr Charles Robertson of Kindeace for a specimen of the recognised sett worn by his family and other Robertsons in the North, wherein the colours are mainly green and blue, with red and white lines. Familiar enough to connoisseurs, this design was not generally esteemed ancient; but Kindeace mentions that his family and others have long regarded it as their oldest clan pattern, and he adds: “The late Strowan told me the red was made in Atholl, and presented to his father, who never used it. In those days it had a white line, which is never seen now.” And this confirms the view that the illustration given is the earliest form of the red tartan. That it is an early clan pattern there can be no doubt, for it is duly recorded as such in the Craignish and Moy Hall collections, and in others formed from ninety to one hundred years ago by manufacturers and dealers in high repute.

STEWART.

The use of this design as Stewart tartan for a period extending back to 1745, at least, is vouched by the records of manufacturers and collectors alike. Specimens gathered about 1790, now in the author’s possession, include an undated example, whose manufacture indicates great age. It is titled Clan Stewart, and in many collections the design appears as Old Stewart, so that it was obviously recognised as the clan pattern. Probably it was employed, for the most part, as a hunting tartan, by way of relief from the brilliancy of other designs of the same name. The strong resemblance between this scheme and that of the Atholl district tartan (popularly styled the Atholl-Murray), suggests that at one time they were identical. It is known that the pattern was much worn by the Stewarts of the Western Highlands, and as these, with the Stewarts of Atholl, formed the clan, there is, at any rate, a presumption in favour of a community of tartan at an early date. A remarkable example of the old belted plaid, of a design differing from the above in certain particulars but having the same dominant features, has been shown to the Editor by Mrs Stuart of Dalness. It is reported to be two centuries old, and to represent the original sett of the tartan.

STEWART OF APPIN.

For the source of the present illustration reference must be made to the notes on the Stewart of Atholl tartan (Plate XXXIV.) The pattern is identical with the Royal Stewart as now worn, except that the present sett has four narrow green lines running through the large red squares. In the _Grameid_ (pp. 142-3) it is stated, in connection with Dundee’s gathering at Lochaber in 1689, that “brave Stewart of Appin, ... with the whole body of his clansmen, leaves the shores bordering Leven, ... carrying blue banners charged with yellow figures, ... and wearing on their lofty heads fur bonnets.” The passage, unlike portions dealing with other clans, contains no mention of the tartan colours. During the ’45 the Appin Regiment bore itself gallantly for the Prince. The roll of the killed and wounded in the campaign supplies interesting evidence of the variety of minor septs often included in the larger clans. It is compiled from memoranda made by Charles Stewart, nephew of Fasnacloich, Captain in the Highland Army, and sometime Quartermaster-General and Secretary to Prince Charles Edward. The list is as follows:—

ABSTRACT OF NAMES IN THE APPIN REGIMENT, WITH KILLED AND WOUNDED, IN 1745-46.

KILLED. WOUNDED.

Camerons, 0 0
Carmichaels, 6 2
Hendersons, 1 1
Macarthurs, 1 0
Maccananichs, 5 1
Maccolls, 18 15
Maccombichs, 5 3
Maccorcadills, 1 0
Macdonalds, 0 1
Macilduies, 1 0
Macinishes, 4 2
Macintyres, 5 5
Mackenzies, 2 3
Maclachlans, 2 0
Maclarens, 13 14
Macleas, 4 1
Macrankens, 1 0
Macuchkaders, 0 1
Stewarts, 22 25
—— ——
91 74

STEWART OF ATHOLL.

Five tartans described in the MS. whence the _Vestiarium Scoticum_ was derived are omitted from that work. The illuminated transcript of the document by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder and the drawings of designs by Charles Edward Stuart, brother of the editor of the _Vestiarium_, were kindly placed at the disposal of the Editor by Miss Dick Lauder. In the Introduction will be found a lengthened reference to this work, while some notes regarding it also appear in the list of works hitherto published on the subject of tartans. It is believed that the reproduction of these patterns will prove of interest; and, accordingly, they are illustrated in Plates XXII. and XXXIV. to XXXVII. of the present volume. The _Vestiarium_ is enough of a bibliographical rarity to be known to comparatively few, while the original MS. is meanwhile quite unavailable. The scheme here represented bears considerable resemblance to certain early setts of Royal Stewart, but no record yet discovered indicates the period of its general use in Atholl. There is reason to believe, however, that it constituted the basis of the red tartan of Clan Donnachie or the Robertsons. The well-nigh universal adoption of the Atholl district pattern (commonly styled the Atholl-Murray) by the various septs in this part of Perthshire precluded the extensive wear of any other. Hence this design has remained almost unknown to the present generation.

STEWART OF GALLOWAY.

Like the preceding design, this is one of the five tartans omitted from the published _Vestiarium Scoticum_; and it differs from the Stewart of Appin merely in the number and the tint of the lines intersecting the red squares. In the same respects it differs also from the Royal Stewart, the evolution of which is somewhat remarkable. When the Royal Company of Archers adopted the Royal Stewart as their uniform early last century, the tartan presented an aspect not easily reconciled with its present setting—as the relics of the old dress show—but the change has been very gradual. The wedding coat of Charles II., preserved in the collection of the Duke of St Albans at Bestwood, is said to be adorned with ribbons of Royal Stewart. This example the author has not yet had an opportunity of verifying. The Stewart of Galloway is a family tartan, restricted in use to the house whose name it bears, and its more immediate connections. It was in considerable favour in the early years of the present century among families allied to the Galloway Stewarts; but of its earlier use available records afford no trace, though there is reason to regard its wear soon after the Union of the Kingdoms as highly probable.

STUART OF BUTE.

Of the early use of the various setts of the Stewarts little can be gleaned, unfortunately, even from painstaking investigation at the most likely sources. The pattern now submitted of the Stuart of Bute is a reproduction of another of the drawings omitted from the published _Vestiarium Scoticum_. It is clear from the correspondence between Sir Walter Scott and Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, already mentioned, that Charles Edward Stuart executed all the water-colours about 1829 (although the work edited by his brother was not published till thirteen years later) for the transcript of the MS. whereon the book is founded. The records of this, as of the previous design, point to its use having been confined almost entirely to the family from whom it derives its title, though others, more or less closely related, have likewise claimed an interest in the wear. Whether or not the pattern was employed by the Stuarts of Bute prior to the production of the MS. by the father of the Stuart brothers has not been ascertained.

WALLACE.

For this design there are records extending over a hundred years; and it is credibly asserted that the tartan is of much greater antiquity. Be this as it may, the pattern is placed under its proper name in many collections formed early in the century. Somewhat inexplicable is the fact that the tartan usually styled Mac Lean of Duart was greatly worn by certain Wallaces down to about twenty years ago. It is, indeed, frequently designated in old books of tartan relics as Mac Lean and Wallace. Yet no record of either family furnishes any explanation of this singular conjunction. The accumulation of evidence as to early use by the Wallaces of the example here illustrated has now led to its adoption by all bearing that name. It is a family tartan, for the Wallaces were in no sense a clan; but its antiquity, and its authenticity, entitle it to a place in this work.

FROM A PORTRAIT OF THE COUNTESS OF LENNOX.

The accompanying illustration reproduces a tartan depicted in a sixteenth century painting which existed in Paris between forty and fifty years ago, and was known as a portrait of the Countess of Lennox, mother of Lord Darnley. Two copies of the work are extant. One owned by the family of the late Mr Charles Elphinstone Dalrymple has been kindly lent for the purposes of this volume. The other is in the collection of Mr Henry Burnley Heath, Italian Consul General, London. Mr Heath writes that he searched in vain for the original in Paris some years back; and subsequent inquiries have also failed to trace it. It is suggested by him that the painting may be a portrait of Queen Mary in the tartan of the Lennox district, to which Darnley belonged. Mr Elphinstone Dalrymple, an authority on portraiture careful as eminent, believed in the authenticity and age of the work; but, unfortunately, his papers contain few notes concerning it or its history. It is to be hoped the whereabouts of this interesting portrait may still be ascertained, especially as it is deemed the earliest coloured representation of tartan dress.

OF 16TH CENTURY DATE]

FROM THE CLOAK OF PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD AT FINGASK.

Of the many valuable relics of the ’45 treasured by the Murray-Threipland family at Fingask, few possess greater interest than the cloak of Prince Charles Edward, whence the present representation is taken. It escaped the vandalism of the soldiery engaged in suppressing the rising, and it has since been jealously guarded, so that it is an unusually well-preserved example of the tartan manufactured in the early and middle portions of last century. In the notes on the Drummond of Perth, attention is directed to the fact that, save for one fine line, that design is the same as this one. The reason of the similarity is hard to find, but, as no heed has hitherto been paid to the matter, information tending to elucidate the mystery may yet be forthcoming.

PRESERVED AT FINGASK]

FROM A PLAID WORN BY PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD AT HOLYROOD.

The fragments employed in the preparation of this illustration are portions of a plaid worn by Prince Charles Edward during his brief sojourn in Edinburgh in 1745. On his departure he presented the garment to Susanna, Countess of Eglinton, a belle of the day, at whose house in the Canongate he was a frequent visitor. Divided by her among her seven daughters, a portion was given by one of them—Lady Frances Montgomerie—to her grand-niece, the late Mrs Erskine of Torrie, who bequeathed it to the Rev. Henry Bruce, Dunimarle. Mr Bruce mentions that Mrs Erskine, who assured him of the genuineness of the relic, spoke of Lady Frances as having often conversed with the Prince. Well-nigh a century back the tartan was cut up for slippers by the daughters of Sir William Erskine of Torrie. It was thus greatly mutilated, but enough remained intact to permit the rendering of the design here given. Sir Arthur Halkett, Bart., in whose collection are some small pieces of the plaid, lent these to ensure the reproduction of the precise tints of the original.

“THE PRINCE’S OWN.”

Various circumstances tend to enhance the interest of this design, which is especially associated by Jacobite enthusiasts with the memory of Prince Charles Edward, and which was named during the campaign of 1745-46 from his personal use of it. Authenticated by specimens of contemporary and immediately subsequent dates—invariably bearing the legend of royal adoption—the tartan may be ranked amongst the earliest clan patterns extant in fabric. It is undoubtedly an old pattern of the Mac Raes; and it was certainly worn by the Prince in their territory. But whether it was previously used by members of the clan, or whether it was adopted by them as a compliment to the wearer, cannot be determined. Tradition indicates, however, that the Prince was wont to don the local colours of the various clans in his sojournments in their respective districts. It is now generally known as Mac Rae; but in all representations hitherto published the omission of the yellow lines has produced confusion as to the true sett.

FROM A COAT WORN AT CULLODEN.

Sufficient interest adheres to certain examples of tartan designs in use a century and a half ago to warrant their inclusion in the present work, even though these are associated with no clan or family. The present illustration is a reproduction of the sett and the colouring in a highly interesting and carefully preserved riding or military coat in the collection of Mr Gourlay Steell, R.S.A., who kindly lent it for the purposes of this volume. It has been publicly exhibited several times both in Scotland and in France. In the Naval and Military Exhibition, Edinburgh, 1889, where it was last shown, it was described as “Highland Tartan Coat, worn by one of Prince Charles Edward’s attendants at Culloden.” It belonged at one time to the late James Drummond, R.S.A., and previously to the late W. B. Johnston, R.S.A. Despite an uncommon and daring colour scheme, the general result is pleasing and effective. The greater part of the tartan is much faded; but as in certain portions the tints are brilliantly displayed a faithful copy has been obtained. Fabric and fashion alike testify to the antiquity of the garment.

FROM A PLAID FOUND AT CULLODEN.