Oldest Tartans? What Did The OG Scottish Tartans Look Like?
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- We were asked what the original Highland tartans would have looked like. But of course we ended up rambling about old and ancient tartans in general. The basic answer is that if you want to create a 17th or 18th century kilt, you may do better using "ancient" color way tartans. However, it should be noted that this is NOT a panacea. People did have access to bright colors 'back in the day'. It was more an issue of how long a given color would stay fast before fading.
* Many thanks to Peter Eslea MacDonald, Tartan Historian, for his image of naturally-dyed Stewart of Ardshiel. Learn more about this project at Scottishtartans.co.uk.
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Nature dyes for wool is a deep, deep rabbit-hole.
Lichens also can produce dyes. Their dyes colors can vary. Lichen dye threads/yarns would have been used only as highlights or embroidery. Stable colored blues and purples that are bright and bold like royal blue or royal purple would have been rare and very expense.
And there are the natural colors of wool. Early sheep had color. They have been increasingly replaced by white sheep because white wool takes dye to a more reliable final color.
What was popular where is hard to find before 1600. Textiles get reused, discarded, rot, and have been thought unimportant until "recently".
You might be interested in a recent discovery of a quite complex and old piece of tartan found in a Glen Affric peat bog. They dated it to about 1500-1600. I couldn't share the link, because UA-cam deletes it. The tartan fits the description you made about the natural colours which were available back then.
I have a swatch of it in my had as we speak, gorgeous!
Hello, I'm from Brazil, my name is William César I really like kilts, I think they go with many types of clothes, I would like to see their use more publicized so that more people start using the kilt on a daily basis, the only thing I don't like is a tie, one piece which I deleted many years ago. A big hug to all of you.
I bring you these ten commandments, and a tartan...
Fabrics woven in a checkered pattern go back a very long way. IIRC, they have been found in some very old (5,000+ yo) burials in Siberia and China. One could guess that colors in a given region would be more-or-less the same because they would use the natural dyes found in the area. It's also not hard to imagine that people from a given region would tend to favor similar colors and patterns because humans like a group identity. And, of course, in the medieval and early modern periods, a given region of the highlands tended to be occupied mostly by people of a single clan. It's not hard to see the evolution of distinctive patterns associated with a clan, a military unit, or a city.
In addition to the available plants would be the available mordants - different chemicals added to stewed vegetation changed the nature of the color a plant yields. I helped my mom raise sheep, collect vegetation and combine the boiled-down dye baths with alum, copper sulfate, cream of tartar and others to great affect. Trade routes may have played a hand - I have no idea what types of chemistry was used if any, and what if any was native.
Appreciate the shoutout to Kzoo!
The year 1524 ? 500 years in toxic bog would have been a challenge for the laboratories . How many took part in the testing for age, and how many for testing the dyes ?
I have fallen in love with your guys' videos' and I would love to know the history if the kilt in the 2 world wars, were they worn? were they useful or a hindrance? id love to know :)
Idea for research:
What does wool dyed with woad (or nut dyes, or madder) actually look like? How about a color chart of early wool dyes?
How does the Ulster tartan fit into your discussion?
I think you will find the oldest "Tartan" was found in a toomb in Western China .
What about the heather? Isn't it purple? Was purple "outlawed" before king "long shanks"?
The Falkirk Tartan was a red/black check. It was found in a cay pot of Roman coins, though to have been buried by the legionaries before a battle.
There is absolutory no evidence of dyed colours in the Falkirk piece.
Thou shall be clannish
What about Greys, brown,and blacks. Since those would have been the colors of the sheep. From my understanding white sheep were something that was selectively breed. For the purpose of dying. I could be wrong though.
If my dads grans maiden name is macgregor then would that make me a macgregor? I still have no idea how this clan stuff works my surname is clark and my dads is miller so im confused please help
It's not like it used to be. Back in the day, most swore loyalty to their local clan. However, today you can be a member of one clan or more than one. Today what has become of clans is that they are now known as clan societies. I am a member of two. So you are whatever clan you claim and or join. Clan society membership is cheap. I spend only 60 a year to help perpetuate scottish clan history. I, like you can claim more than one clan. Clan Gregor (MacGregor), Duncan, MacFarlane and MacAlister. Miller started as trade name and spans a good deal of Europe. Mine originates from Germany but you find them all over Britain as well, just no known relation to them. Scottish Millers are on the list for one of my clans, Clan MacFarlane. Clark is claimed by Clans Cameron and MacPherson. So do your thing, maybe some clan history research and if you want, claim a clan or more than one. Should you be interested if you are a Scottish Miller, look up the International Clan MacFarlane Society, it is recognized by the Lord Lyon and we have a community facebook page that is quite active. I hope that helps you.
@@ScottAndScarlettsDarkHumor aye cheers m8 it helps a load i was quite confused my it all as i knew they used to become apart of a clan by swearing loyalty with changing their name to macgregor or McFarlane or anyother clan name i think clan McGregor is the one ill go with i haven't done much research on it but since it was my great grans maiden name it seems better
No problem. I think the name change was optional due to the sept lists for each clan. I descend from the Griggs family for example and thus am eligible for Clan MacGregor as Griggs is on the sept list. Today the sept list is also used to cover as many spelling variations of traditionally accepted surnames as possible.
Traditionally, no. Still, don't let that stop you from wearing a MacGregor tartan. Both my dad's Grandmas had clan maiden names (MacKenzie and Ross.) I wear a MacKenzie scarf to honor that portion of my heritage even though my last name is not tied to a clan.
The first tartan was Shepherd. Abel was a shepherd and offered the first fruits of his flock while wearing his own tartan. Cain killed him him in jealousy because Abel wove the first tartan.
Sheep come in black and white, what about that ?
No doubt tartan weave has been in existence since humans learn to do weaving and dying of cloth of any type.
You sure Moses didn't say that? Pretty sure that that phrase was specifically on the tablet that broke...
Commandment XI: Haud yer wheesht, laddie! 😁