Scottish Tartans Society

Scottish Tartans Society
Name	Scottish Tartans Society
Founded	1963
Dissolved	2000
Headquarters	Glasgow
Region served	Scotland, United Kingdom, International
Purpose	preservation and registration of tartan designs
Successor	registers and organizations described below

Scottish Tartans Society

The Scottish Tartans Society was an organization founded in the 1960s to record, preserve and promote tartan designs associated with Scottish clans, families, districts, regiments and institutions. It operated in Glasgow and Edinburgh while interacting with institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Museum, the Lord Lyon King of Arms and private weaving firms. Over several decades it compiled a large library of samples and published reference works used by researchers, retailers and cultural bodies.

History

The society was established in 1963 amid a revival of interest in Scottish heritage linked to events like the post-war Highland cultural renaissance and the growing tourism industries centered on Edinburgh Festival, Highland Games, Burns Night, Caledonian MacBrayne ferry routes and regional promotion by bodies such as VisitScotland. Early patrons and correspondents included figures connected to the Scottish aristocracy and to heraldic authorities such as Lord Lyon King of Arms and the Scottish branches of the Royal Company of Archers. The society amassed tartan samples by soliciting donations from private weavers like Buchanan of Glasgow, Wilson & Sons (textiles), and commercial houses tied to the textile trade in Dundee, Paisley, and Ayrshire. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it issued newsletters and pattern books that circulated among museums like the National Museum of Scotland and libraries such as the National Library of Scotland.

Role and Activities

The organization documented tartans for clans associated with historical figures and families—references in its publications included names linked to houses like Clan Campbell, Clan MacDonald, Clan Sinclair, Clan MacLeod and Clan Fraser. It engaged with military and civic regimental traditions embodied by units such as the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the historic Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and volunteer battalions whose dressmakers and tailors commissioned cloth from mills including Lochcarron of Scotland, Hunting Clan Mills and independent mills in The Borders. The society also advised civic institutions such as city councils in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness on ceremonial dress and liaised with heritage bodies like Historic Scotland.

Tartan Registration and Records

A primary function was the compilation of a register containing handwoven swatches, tartan sett notations and textual attributions linking patterns to names, places and regimental entities. The archive included samples from private collections, donations by families connected to estates such as Inveraray Castle, correspondence with dressmakers and entries referencing historic events like the Jacobite rising of 1745 and commemorations such as VE Day and Coronation of Elizabeth II. Publications produced by the society attempted to standardize names and setts and were used alongside other repositories held by the Scottish Tartans Authority, commercial registries operated by mills like Wilsons of Bannockburn and national archives in Edinburgh.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance incorporated an elected committee drawn from enthusiasts, historians and textile experts with links to institutions such as the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Institute of Conservation. Officers included roles analogous to a secretary, archivist and treasurer, and the society worked with legal offices including those associated with the Court of the Lord Lyon on matters of heraldic authorization. Funding derived from membership subscriptions, publication sales and donations from patrons connected to estates like Balmoral and corporate sponsors from the Scottish textile industry. It maintained relationships with international Scottish diaspora organizations in places like Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Zealand and Australia.

Controversies and Criticism

The society faced criticism over issues such as attribution, accuracy and proprietary claims concerning registrations, attracting debate among scholars, clan societies and commercial mills including Lochcarron and Wilsons of Bannockburn. Disputes arose over competing claims with other registration bodies such as the Scottish Tartans World Register and later entities like the Scottish Tartans Authority, leading to legal and editorial conflicts reminiscent of disputes involving heraldic registers and intellectual property cases in textile contexts. Critics from academic circles—some affiliated with universities like University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow and University of St Andrews—questioned methodological rigor in provenance assertions and the treatment of undocumented commercial designs.

Legacy and Influence

Despite controversies, the society's compilations influenced later scholarship and commercial practice, informing catalogues produced by mills, curated displays at institutions such as the National Trust for Scotland and interpretative materials used by cultural festivals including Edinburgh Tattoo and regional heritage centres in Skye and Isle of Mull. Its work fed into genealogical research connected to archives like the ScotlandsPeople Centre and to clan registration efforts by organizations devoted to diasporic identity in United States, Canada and Argentina. The society’s publications remain cited in studies of textile history, costume collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum and period reconstructions associated with historic reenactment groups.

Dissolution and Succession Attempts

Operational difficulties led to the society’s effective cessation around 2000, after which multiple successor projects and repositories sought to fill the gap: registers maintained by commercial mills such as Wilsons of Bannockburn, trusts like the Scottish Tartans Authority and governmental archives in Edinburgh took over aspects of registration and preservation. Attempts to reconstitute or replace the society included volunteer-led databases, private initiatives in Glasgow and collaborative projects with museums such as the National Museum of Scotland, but debates over stewardship and authority continue among clan councils, commercial interests and academic institutions.

Category:Scottish culture Category:Textile organizations