A bit of Scottish history
Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 7:02 p.m. MDT
CLANS AND TARTANS
The roots of the Scottish clan system stretch back to the country's Celtic past. In ancient times, the area was occupied by a variety of peoples, including the Britons, Romans, Angles, Vikings and Picts.
Originating as an Irish tribe, the Scots arrived in the sixth century A.D., and were united with the Picts by Kenneth MacAlpin in 843. They became organized along tribal lines, with each tribe also belonging to a "great tribe," but with all tribal lands held in common.
The word clan comes from clanna, which means "children" in Gaelic.
Wool was plentiful in the Highlands and came to be woven into cloth consisting of crisscrossed horizontal and vertical bands. These were first worn as a long strip, pleated and belted, which could then be used in a variety of ways, including cloaks, shields and bedding. This plaid evolved into the kilt. But the word "tartan" comes from the French word "tiretain," which meant woven (as opposed to knitted) cloth.
Historians suggest the earliest tartans indicated a region or district more than a specific clan. Local weavers would use plant and animal dyes indigenous to the area. Not until the mid-1800s were specific tartans associated with specific clans.
After the failure of the Jacobite revolution in 1746, the wearing of Scottish tartans was banned along with the use of bagpipes and other Scottish symbols and accoutrements.
That proscription was lifted after Queen Victoria fell in love with all things Scotland, and Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott generated literary interest in the country. As clans reformed they began to adopt specific tartans.
Nowadays, the Scottish Register of Tartans is Scotland's official keeper of the tartan. There are around 3,000-3,500 officially recognized tartans, although new patterns are still being registered.
And while there are no specific laws regarding wearing of tartans, there is a tartan etiquette associated with their use by clans and families.
But there are also specific tartans associated with districts, the armed services, pipe bands, and more. Salt Lake County has a tartan, as does Utah.
— Carma Wadley
Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 7:02 p.m. MDT
CLANS AND TARTANS
The roots of the Scottish clan system stretch back to the country's Celtic past. In ancient times, the area was occupied by a variety of peoples, including the Britons, Romans, Angles, Vikings and Picts.
Originating as an Irish tribe, the Scots arrived in the sixth century A.D., and were united with the Picts by Kenneth MacAlpin in 843. They became organized along tribal lines, with each tribe also belonging to a "great tribe," but with all tribal lands held in common.
The word clan comes from clanna, which means "children" in Gaelic.
Wool was plentiful in the Highlands and came to be woven into cloth consisting of crisscrossed horizontal and vertical bands. These were first worn as a long strip, pleated and belted, which could then be used in a variety of ways, including cloaks, shields and bedding. This plaid evolved into the kilt. But the word "tartan" comes from the French word "tiretain," which meant woven (as opposed to knitted) cloth.
Historians suggest the earliest tartans indicated a region or district more than a specific clan. Local weavers would use plant and animal dyes indigenous to the area. Not until the mid-1800s were specific tartans associated with specific clans.
After the failure of the Jacobite revolution in 1746, the wearing of Scottish tartans was banned along with the use of bagpipes and other Scottish symbols and accoutrements.
That proscription was lifted after Queen Victoria fell in love with all things Scotland, and Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott generated literary interest in the country. As clans reformed they began to adopt specific tartans.
Nowadays, the Scottish Register of Tartans is Scotland's official keeper of the tartan. There are around 3,000-3,500 officially recognized tartans, although new patterns are still being registered.
And while there are no specific laws regarding wearing of tartans, there is a tartan etiquette associated with their use by clans and families.
But there are also specific tartans associated with districts, the armed services, pipe bands, and more. Salt Lake County has a tartan, as does Utah.
— Carma Wadley
Comments