The Watson Tartan

Perhaps the first image that comes to mind when you think of Scotland, the Highlands, or the great clans and families is tartan.

Contrary to popular belief, clansmen did not all walk around wearing specific tartans corresponding to their name back in the days when clans were actually a thing. This is a romantic notion that started to gain popularity in the early 19th century and a large number of name-linked tartans date from after this time. The idea of clan tartans came about from discussions of the Highland Society of London in 1815 when they wrote to all clan chiefs requesting samples of what they considered to be their clan tartan. This collection of tartan and corresponding letters is in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland but rarely goes on display.

The Watson tartan is a later tartan and dates from the 20th century. According to the Scottish Register of Tartans, the tartan was designed by Rev. Mhuir Watson, minister at Glamis Church, for "George Watson's former Pupil Club" and was first woven in 1932. We assume that this refers to the alumni of George Watson's College in Edinburgh, although we have checked with the college and they are unaware of the tartan's history or of any potential association with the institution. Regardless of its reported origins, the tartan is nowadays widely accepted as the "official" tartan for all Watsons - it's certainly the one that we wear!

The tartan is available in the three colour palettes shown below, with the Ancient being the most commonly worn.

Watson Ancient Tartan

Watson Weathered Tartan

Watson Modern Tartan

Tartan FAQ

Did Scots invent tartan?

Although tartan is strongly associated with Scotland, the earliest known tartan-like materials date from around 3000 BC in China. It is believed to have been present in Scotland from around the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. The oldest piece of tartan found in Scotland dates to around 230 AD and was found in Falkirk. It is in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Am I allowed to wear the Watson tartan even though I'm not a Watson/not Scottish?

Contrary to what many people believe, there are no rules regarding what you can or can't wear for most tartans. There are a small number of tartans reserved for the British royal family (the Balmoral tartan, for example), and certain others have "Restricted" status, which means that you need the permission of the registered owner of that tartan to get it produced in a reputable mill. There are others that have been woven specifically for TV and films, such as the Outlander range of tartans. For all other tartans, feel free to wear them whenever and wherever you like! If you are in any doubt as to the status of a particular tartan pattern, we recommend that you consult The Scottish Register of Tartans.

Do people still wear kilts in Scotland?

Yes and no. They are certainly not everyday wear for most people, but many Scots will don tartan for a special occasion. Such occasions include weddings, Burns night suppers and rugby matches! When they do wear a kilt, it will invariably be of the modern short kilt (fèileadh beag) variety. Great kilts (fèileadh mòr), more accurately referred to as plaids, are almost only ever worn by tour guides or historical reenactors. People simply don't walk around in great kilts in Scotland any more than they would walk around the streets of Manhattan dressed as a 17th-century Puritan settler!

What's the difference between "tartan" and "plaid"?

In the USA, the two words are often used interchangeably and refer to a fabric woven in a checked pattern. Where there is sometimes a difference in meaning, "plaid" is often used to refer to fairly simple designs with no more than two or three colours whereas "tartan" is used to refer to more complicated designs involving three or more colours of thread and variable spacing and width of those different colours. Today in the UK, the patterned cloth is always referred to as "tartan", whereas "plaid" refers to a type of garment consisting of a large square or rectangle of cloth worn over the shoulder (also known as a "fly plaid"). Historically, a "plaid" in Scotland could mean a blanket or the garment otherwise known as a great kilt. There was traditionally a woman's garment called an arisaid which was also referred to as a woman's plaid (and which was worn more like a large shawl/cloak), but these have evolved into the much shorter and easier to wear lady's tartan sash.

What's the difference between ancient, modern and weathered tartans?

Some tartans come in several varieties, including ancient, modern, weathered, muted, hunting and dress. The Watson tartan is (currently) only available in the first three. These different names refer to difference colour palettes that are used to change the appearance of a particular tartan. It's important to note that they are not different tartans (because the patterns are the same), but colour variations of the same one. Put simply: "Ancient" tartans are intended to represent the colours that would have been available when natural dyes were used and they tend to be have fairly soft colours (e.g. light green, yellow, sky blue, orange) - although this is inaccurate as natural dyes found in extant 18th century tartans are still very bright(!); "Modern" tartans are intended to represent modern synthetic dyes, and hence tend to have bolder colours (bold yellows and reds, dark blues, bottle greens); "Weathered" tartans are intended to look like they have been exposed to the elements causing the colours to darken, and they tend to use a lot of browns and greys; "Muted" tartans tend to use softer versions of the "Modern" colours; "Hunting" tartans are intended to blend in with the Highland landscape and tend to use browns, greys and dark greens; "Dress" tartans incorporate white into the design, often as the base colour and are most often associated with Highland dancers.

Didn't the British/English ban tartan after The Battle of Culloden?

Not exactly. It was banned for male civilian Highland dress only and came with the risk of six months in prison or transportation. Scottish magistrates thought this was ridiculous so they didn’t generally enforce any punishment. The most time anyone served in prison was three days, no one was ever transported (and there was certainly no need to hide scraps of it in walls like in the TV series Outlander; it was just repurposed). There are fun stories of the féileadh mor being sewn into very baggy trousers, but also stories of plaids just being overdyed to one colour (this is referenced in the Gaelic song ‘The Proud Plaid’ by Scottish Gaelic poet Alasdair MacMhagisitir Alasdair) and the plaids could have easily been repurposed into different garments or household textiles.
The misleading story of "the British" or "the English" completely banning tartan is often promoted on the internet and social media, and often carries a strong anti-English theme. Firstly, many people confuse "the English" and "the British". The battle of Culloden - indeed, the whole series of Jacobite uprisings - was a fight for the British crown between supporters of the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties. It was not a battle of English versus Scottish, nor of British versus Scottish; indeed, there were large numbers of Scottish troops on both sides, and in some cases members of the same family ended up on opposite sides of a battle. There were also French and Irish forces in the Jacobite army of 1745/6. The Jacobite forces consisted of military units loyal to Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") who launched several campaigns against the British government's forces to try to seize the British crown from the Hanoverians, who had inherited it in controversial circumstances.
Following the defeat of the Jacobites by the British government troops at Culloden on 16 April 1746, Parliament issued the Act of Proscription, part of which proclaimed that "no man or boy within that part of Britain called Scotland, other than such as shall be employed as Officers and Soldiers in His Majesty's Forces, shall, on any pretext whatever, wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland clothes (that is to say) the Plaid, Philabeg, or little Kilt, Trowse, Shoulder-belts, or any part whatever of what peculiarly belongs to the Highland Garb; and that no tartan or party-coloured plaid of stuff shall be used for Great Coats or upper coats". There was nothing to stop women from wearing tartan, and the ban was ignored by the upper classes. It stopped being enforced by 1760 and was repealed in 1782, thanks in large part to lobbying by the Highland Society of London. Tartan was woven, worn and used all over Scotland during the period of Proscription (1747-1782).

Clan-specific tartans have been around for centuries, right?

No, they haven't (unless the number of centuries that you had in mind was "two"!). The plain fact is that most "clan" tartans have been devised since 1815. After the Battle of Culloden, the Act of Proscription and the final dismantling of the clans, tartan continued to be worn by Scotland's gentry despite the ban on males wearing tartan clothing. In 1782, the Highland Society of London, an elite club of Scottish nobles now living in London that had been founded four years earlier, successfully petitioned the government to repeal the Act of Proscription in order to restore pride in their "ancient" dress. This desire had been stirred up by James MacPherson's Ossian cycle of poems and coincided with a wider romanticisation of the Highlands and the old Highland way of life. Associated with this was a mania for all things tartan, which peaked after the 1822 visit to Scotland of King George IV for which Chiefs of the Name from all over Scotland clamoured to identify "their" clan tartan!

Acknowledgement

This page has been put together with the invaluable assistance of Joanna Watson, Scottish dress historian. You can visit her website, containing her excellent and informative blog, an overview of her portfolio and a link to her online shop here.