ABOUT THIS WEB SITE

District tartans have been around in Scotland for at least as long as their better known clan cousins, if not longer.  Though never as popular as clan tartans, they have been in continuous use and are still in wide production by the tartan woolen mills today.  In fact, their popularity seems to be growing.  Most of the new tartans recorded in recent decades have not been tartans for families and clans, but tartans for cities, states and counties.

The authors of this web site have years of experience working at various Scottish festivals, looking up people's surnames and recommending a tartan for them to wear.  In the vast majority of cases, a district tartan is recommended as more appropriate than a clan tartan.  Most people, upon hearing this, need to have the concept of a "district tartan" explained to them, for they have never heard of it!  And once it is explained, they are disappointed -- primarily because they do not see as much "stuff" available for the districts as for the clans.

This page is but a small attempt to remedy that situation, bringing you not only products available in many district tartans, but also information on their use and history.

In this space, we offer a small collection of references to district tartans from a variety of sources from the body of tartan literature over the centuries.

"Those who have no clan tartan of their own, or with which they are connected, should wear 'Jacobite' tartan, or any of the district setts with which they are associated, e.g. Atholl, Strathearn, Dunblane, Lennox, Huntly, etc..." -- from The Clans, Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands, by Frank Adam, revised by Sit Thomas Innes of Learney, Lord Lyon King of Arms, 4th edition, 1952.

I would only add that even those who do have a clan tartan may still choose to wear a district tartan -- perhaps one that represents where the clan was from.  For instance MacLeans may wear Mull, MacDonald may wear the Isle of Skye, etc.  Stating that district tartans should only be worn by those without a clan tartan makes them appear to be a "second choice" of lesser importance, which they of course are not. -- M. A. C. Newsome

"Every Isle differs from each other in their fancy of making Plads as to the stripes in breadth and colours. The humour is as different through the mainland of the Highlands, in so far that they who have seen those places are able at first view of the man’s Plad, to guess the place of his residence." -- Martin Martin, Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, published in 1703.

Many have extrapolated from this brief description that some kind of uniform and standardized system of district tartans was in place in the Isles and Western Highlands of Scotland at this time.  This is a conclusion that goes beyond what the evidence warrants. All Martin is really saying is that people living in the same location (often enough being supplied their cloth by the same weaver) would have certain similarities in the pattern of their tartans, and that these would be different from the styles in other locations. -- M. A. C. Newsome

"When the wearer is entitled to both a 'clan' and a 'district' tartan it is admissible to wear kilt and hose of the latter and doublet or plaid of the former."  -- from Tartans of the Clans & Families of Scotland, by Thomas Innes of Learney, Albany Herald, 1938.

Of course it is laughable to speak of a person being "entitled" to wear a particular tartan -- you may certainly wear any tartan you choose, clan or district, without having to worry about "proof of entitlement."  However, it is interesting here to read the Albany Herald's (later Lord Lyon) opinion that it is preferable to wear the district sett in the kilt. -- M.A.C. Newsome

"District Setts -- These were setts  which were common to the inhabitants of certain districts irrespective of clan names.  Thus there were setts of tartan particular to such districts as Sleat, Glenorchy, Atholl, Strathearn, Badenoch, etc.  Such district setts, when preserved, have not unfrequently been confounded with the Clan setts.  For instance, the Glenorchy district sett is sometimes reproduced as the Clan Macintyre one."   -- from The Clans, Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands, by Frank Adam, 3rd edition, 1934.

This is included in a listing of different types of tartan, such as dress setts, hunting setts, family setts, arisaid setts, etc.  The Badenoch tartan he mentions is sold as "Hunting MacPherson."  I have not encountered a Sleat district tartan, but I would assume he is referring to what is commonly called "MacDonald of Sleat." -- M.A.C. Newsome

"The only conclusion we can safely hold... is that the clan tartans are a native Highland development from the earlier district tartans, and latterly existed side by side with the district tartans."

"We can, then, safely conclude that our present tartans are in every true sense of the word the 'real' clan tartans.  They have a respectable antiquity of their own, and are the naturally developed offspring of the old pre-1745 clan tartans, where such existed; and they are the logical outcome of the older district tartans whose existence has been universally accepted by scholars and antiquarians." -- from Scottish Tartans & Highland Dress by C. R. MacKinnon, 1960.

While I would say that the assertions of the above two statements goes beyond what the historical record will support, the main point is that, in history, "clan membership" had to do more with geography than genealogy -- at least for the common man.  And so affiliation with place was just as important as affiliation with clan.  So it s not surprising that many clan tartans would have origins as a district sett. -- M.A.C. Newsome

[Quoting a letter from a Mr. Campbell of Islay, 13th Dec. 1899] "In Lord Archibald Campbell's 'Records of Argyll' we have some letters quoted of Islay's.  His words (of date October 3rd, 1882) are... --My old tailor, a Campbell, always called mine (he is here referring to his tartan) 42nd.  He knows nothing of clan tartans; neither did my piper, Mure; neither do I." -- from The Kilt and How to Wear It, by the Hon.Stuart Ruadri Erskine, 1901.

Though not commenting specifically on district tartans, I include this quote to illustrate that the author, in 1901, was of the opinion that clan tartans are a recent invention.  He also though knife pleating in kilts to be a modern novelty. -- M.A.C. Newsome

"For my part, I much regret that this pretty custom of wearing 'hill checks' has fallen into disuse.  Apart from sentimental reasons, it is a very agreeable pastime  the designing of these tartans.  I have designed not a few of them myself... The colors selected should harmonise, as far as possible, with the complexion of the 'country' the designer is in." -- from The Kilt and How to Wear It, by the Hon.Stuart Ruadri Erskine, 1901.

By "hill check" the author here is referring to a tartan pattern of no particular name or clan affiliation, but what we might call today a "fashion" or "fancy" sett.  His reference to designing them to match the colors of a particular region is exactly the practice followed today in the design of many district tartans. -- M.A.C. Newsome