Old and rare Scottish tartans

by Donald William Stewart

But Persons of Distinction wear the Garb in Fashion in the South of Scotland.

The Plad wore only by the Men, is made of fine Wool, the Thred as fine as can be made of that kind; it consists of divers Colours, and there is a great deal of Ingenuity requir’d in sorting the Colours, so as to be agreeable to the nicest Fancy. For this reason the Women are at great pains, first to give an exact Pattern of the Plad upon a piece of Wood, having the number of every Thred of the Stripe on it. The Length of it is commonly seven double Ells; the one end hangs by the Middle over the left Arm, the other going round the Body, hangs by the end over the left Arm also; the right Hand above it is to be at liberty to do any thing upon occasion. Every Isle differs from each other in their Fancy of making Plads, as to the Stripes in Breadth, and Colours. This Humour is as different thro the main Land of the Highlands, in-so-far that they who have seen those Places, are able, at the first View of a Man’s Plad, to guess the Place of his Residence.

When they travel on foot, the Plad is tied on the Breast with a Bodkin of Bone or Wood (just as the Spina wore by the Germans, according to the Description of C. Tacitus:) the Plad is tied round the middle with a Leather Belt; it is pleated from the Belt to the Knee very nicely: this Dress for Footmen is found much easier and lighter than Breeches, or Trowis.

The antient Dress wore by the Women, and which is yet wore by some of the Vulgar, called Arisad, is a white Plad, having a few small Stripes of black, blue, and red; it reach’d from the Neck to the Heels, and was tied before on the Breast with a Buckle of Silver, or Brass, according to the Quality of the Person. I have seen some of the former of an hundred Marks value; it was broad as any ordinary Pewter Plate, the whole curiously engraven with various Animals, &c. There was a lesser Buckle, which was wore in the middle of the larger, and above two Ounces weight; it had in the Center a large piece of Chrystal, or some finer Stone, and this was set all round with several finer Stones of a lesser size.

The Plad being pleated all round, was tied with a Belt below the Breast; the Belt was of Leather, and several Pieces of Silver intermix’d with the Leather like a Chain. The lower end of the Belt has a Piece of Plate about eight Inches long, and three in breadth, curiously engraven; the end of which was adorned with fine Stones, or Pieces of Red Coral. They wore Sleeves of Scarlet Cloth, clos’d at the end as Mens Vests, with Gold Lace round ’em, having Plate Buttons set with fine Stones. The Head-dress was a fine Kerchief of Linen strait about the Head, hanging down the Back taper-wise; a large Lock of Hair hangs down their Cheeks above their Breast, the lower end tied with a Knot of Ribbands....

The antient way of Fighting was by set Battles; and for Arms some had broad two-handed Swords and Head-pieces, and others Bows and Arrows. When all their Arrows were spent, they attack’d one another with Sword in hand. Since the Invention of Guns, they are very early accustomed to use them, and carry their Pieces with them where-ever they go: They likewise learn to handle the broad Sword and Target. The Chief of each Tribe advances with his Followers within shot of the Enemy, having first laid aside their upper Garments; and after one general Discharge, they attack them with Sword in hand, having their Target on their left Hand (as they did at Kelicranky) which soon brings the Matter to an Issue, and verifies the Observation made of ’em [by] your Historians:

Aut Mors cito, aut Victoria læta.[53]

Certainly this is evidence of the employment of fixed designs and special colours in the tartans, as well by the Islanders as by the Highlanders of the mainland; and many have held it to settle the question of their use as clan distinctions at that period. At all events, it shows that district tartans were in use in Martin’s day, and that their colourings furnished an indication of the localities whence the wearers came.

It is out of the question to suppose that the tartans described by Martin sprang into being in his day. On the contrary, all the evidence we possess—proving, as it does, the extremely conservative character of the inhabitants of the Western Islands—points to the conclusion that Martin was the witness, at the end of the seventeenth century, of habits and customs in use long previously.

Of the existence of a uniform clan pattern at the very commencement of the eighteenth century there is a complete chain of evidence. Captain Hamilton writes from Inverness, 23rd July 1703, to Brigadier-General Maitland, Governor of Fort-William:—