The answer? Anyone can and would love the experience of wearing the kilt!
It isn’t only for Scots or people with Scottish ancestors. It is an old Highland tradition to encourage our guests to wear our unique mode of dress and it should be seen as a great compliment.
Over the past 400 years, kilt wearing Scots have travelled the world reaching every corner of the globe. They have fulfilled a rich diversity of trades and professions including traders, missionaries, engineers, doctors, teachers, naturalists and inventors to name only a few.
So, almost every country in the world has some sort of tartan link.
For example, in England there is Cornish, Northumberland and Manx (Isle of Man) tartans to name just a few. The Irish tartans consist of county tartans such as Ulster, Co. Mayo, Galway and Kildare and the Irish national tartan. We also have lots of Welsh tartans too – not to mention the beautiful hybrid nation tartans!
Within Europe many French, Spanish, Italian and German families have Celtic roots and are often of Scottish decent; whilst further afield there is a strong Scottish connection within America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Russia. At Great Scot, we export to every country in the world from the United States to the Republic of China and many of the chosen tartans have no direct relation to the Scottish clan system whatsoever – yet they are respected registered tartan nonetheless.
We all have hundreds of rare, old and ancient tartans too which may not be listed on our website so have a chat with our Heritage Specialist who is always delighted to help you discover your choices; discover a world of beautiful designs and colours which you can wear with heritage and pride.
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In the great ancestry game, you will learn quickly that your surname is only the tip of the genetic iceberg. Here are 10 simple but interesting facts which will introduce you to the world of heraldry in Scotland.
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Here at Great Scot we have a passion for slow fashion. We embrace a slower, more sustainable approach by carefully selecting smaller, local tweed and tartan mills. From these glorious fabrics, we tailor high quality, classically inspired garments which are designed to have a longer lifespan. We make clothes that will last a lifetime; heirlooms fit to be cherished by generations to come. Our small manufacturing style retains and trains local, traditional skills. We pay fair wages and conscientiously maintain safe and happy working conditions.
SLOW FOOD - BETTER THAN GOOD
In this way, here at Great Scot we have always shopped from local producers. We support small batch and traditionally baked food products. These culinary specialities not only evoke happy memories, their lore keeps our unique cultures alive. In a world obsessed with fast food and fast fashion, we hope you’ll join us in our quest to ramble rather than race and to savour, support and sing the praises of small yet delicious (and beautiful), manufacturing in Britain. Click HERE to visit our local Pantry
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A ‘Clan’ is a social group whose core comprises of several families derived from, or accepted as being derived from, a common ancestor.
The word ‘Clan’ became accepted in the Scottish Highlands, originating from the Gaelic word for ‘children’ which was more accurately translated into ‘family’ during the 13th century. Despite being supplanted by the English in the Lowlands of Scotland for around a thousand years, Gaelic (the Celtic native language) is an acceptable convention to refer to the great Lowland families such as the ‘Douglases’ as clans, however the heads of certain families like ‘Bruce’, prefer not to use this term.
Celtic tradition includes a strong element of decent through and loyalty to, a mother’s line. However, allegiance was generally given to a father’s clan. The chief of a clan would ‘ingather’ any individual, from any family, who possessed appropriate skills, maintained his allegiance and if compulsory, adopted a clan surname.
Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members. Today, the modern image of clans, each with their own tartan and specific land, was promulgated by the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott after influence by others. By process of social evolution, it followed that the clans/families prominent in a specific district would wear the tartan of that district, soon becoming identified by it.
At Great Scot, we offer a broad range of Clan related items from small gifts and accessories to regimental regalia. Tell our Heritage Specialist HERE about your Clan association and she will be delighted tell you what is available to you.
]]>A tartan’s thread count is like its DNA. It does not change. And this is the data which is officially recorded by the Office of Lord Lyon in Scotland. However, as a tartan wearer you may well have further options.
The terms Ancient, Modern, Muted and Weathered are reproduction colour palettes for a Scottish tartan. The thread count does not change, but the shades of the colours within the thread-count do. This does not make it a different tartan. These are merely more glorious options for the user!
Here are examples of how the tartan colour palettes change for each version:
Ancient: The Ancient colour palette is meant to simulate older plant-derived dyes used before the Victorians invented chemical dyes. They are generally assumed to have been lighter in colour. In the tartan cloth you’ll notice that:
Modern: The Modern colour palette for Scottish tartans is widely considered to be the standard. It is meant to emulate the modern chemical dyes invented in the 19th century. They are bold, bright and rich, like primary colours.
Muted: The Muted colour palette is a contemporary concept meant to emulate soft, natural colours. It generally falls between the lighter ancient colour palette and the richer modern colour palette.
Weathered: The Weathered colour palette (also called “Reproduction” by one mill) is meant to look like the tartan has been exposed to the elements. It uses lots of browns and greys to drive that look home.
Is there a right or wrong colour – palette choice for my kilt?
It’s simply personal taste. If you want to be 100% sure that everyone can easily identify which clan you belong to, you may want to select Modern. If you want something lighter in tone just because you like lighter colours, maybe you will love Ancient. Or you may prefer non-modern colours because the Modern version of your tartan is strongly associated with something else. For instance, many Campbells choose to wear Campbell Ancient instead of Modern, which is Black Watch. Many Stewarts prefer other versions than the ubiquitous Royal Stewart.
Muted and Weathered tartans can be wonderful options for different seasons or occasions. For example, Muted tartans look great with a tweed set in the Fall. Weathered tartans have a “woodsy” feel and can be just the thing for a kilt you will be hiking in, or want a really subdued, laid-back look.
At Great Scot we have over a thousand gorgeous tartans for you to choose from – even the rare and difficult to find has never escaped us! We are always happy to make sure that you know about all the choices available. If you want to know more, please do contact our Heritage Specialist HERE.
]]>After the repeal of the Act of Proscription, interest grew as to the origins of this new garment, called the little kilt' (Gaelic: felie-beg, Anglicized to philabeg, again with various spellings). In a letter published in Edinburgh Magazine in March 1785, but written some years earlier, in 1768, Ivan Baillie of Aberiachan, Esq. asserted that the new form of the kilt was the creation of Thomas Rawlinson, an English entrepreneur who had established an iron works in the Highlands (specifically, in woodland at Invergarry, near Fort William, Inverness-shire). According to Baillie, Rawlinson, observing how the great kilt was "a cumbersome unwieldy habit to men at work. . ." decided to "abridge the dress, and make it handy and convenient for his workmen". This he did by directing the usage of the lower, pleated portion only, the upper portion being detached and set aside.
Baillie’s version of events has been disputed. Matthew Newsome, director emeritus of the Scottish Tartans Museum in North Carolina, for instance, has stated that ". . . we have numerous illustrations of Highlanders wearing only the bottom part of the belted plaid that date long before Rawlinson ever set foot in Scotland", going on to assert that "there is some suggestion of its use in the late seventeenth century, and it was definitely being worn in the early eighteenth century".
Notwithstanding, when Baillie's account was published in the Edinburgh Magazine in March 1785, it was not contradicted, and was on the contrary confirmed by the two greatest authorities on Scottish custom of the time, Sir John Sinclair and John Pinkerton and by the independent testimony of the Glengarry family, whose chief, Ian MacDonnell was Rawlinson's business partner.
Though knowledge of Thomas Rawlinson's contribution to Scottish dress was forgotten for the better part of two centuries, this version or myth of the modern kilt’s origins still lives on today, and many who wear it are completely oblivious to the suggestion that it may in fact have English origins. Regardless of his role in the great history of our national dress, here at Great Scot we are particularly lucky to have a descendent of Thomas Rawlinson on our team. Abigail Rollinson (see our blog on Surnames) manages the Great Scot Clan and like her ancestor, is particularly content to see us grafting away, all day every day in our kilts!
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"The wool would have kept them dry so we draped everybody in these good heavy strong wools. When you start looking at the Scottish woollens, its textile heaven. These things are unreal. Before you even get to the tartans, to the plaids, the richness of the weaves are so organic. There’s a million colours blended in to make this one shade of brown. It’s an incredibly rich palette, and the fabrics then turn around and connect directly to nature”. In order to pin point the colour palette, Dresbach describes her research akin to putting together a puzzle, she laments, “How did people create colour? You have to do that because you’re not going to the fabric store. So you start pinpointing it to the region where the story takes place. Now your colours are dictated by the (local) plants. You put all that together and you end up with a palette, and then all of that interestingly enough matches with the environment you’re standing in and looking at every day. It felt right. The first day that we had all of our Highlanders on stage , somebody next to me kind of took a gasp of air and said, “ They look like they all just grew up out of the ground!” That’s exactly what I wanted to do. When you look at them I wanted to you to feel Scotland. When you look at Jamie’s clothes or any of our Highlanders’, they’re all the textures and values and tones and colours that you see every day walking around Scotland. Every single one.
In Part 2 of this blog series you will learn more about the tartans chosen by Dresbach. In the meantime we recommend reading The Making of Outlander, The Series The Official Guide to Series 1 & 2 by Tara Bennett Foreword by Diana Gabaldon AVAILABLE HERE
Here at Great Scot we're so proud to be working closely with the small, family mills who produced the cloths for the Outlander production!
]]>Learn a little more about it's history and how at Great Scot we are harnessing time honoured tradition to bring our customers the most exquisite sporrans available in Scotland.
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The functionality has survived from the European medieval pouch that was worn on a belt and period illustrations of individuals in trews (or trousers) demonstrate splendidly that it was in place of pockets.
The original sporrans were really just circles of leather with holes around the circumference through which was threaded a leather thong which was tightened to draw the neck of the pouch together. Just like today's pockets, its contents would be many and varied but contemporary - coins, musket balls, fire-making paraphernalia and even, amongst cattle drovers, oats and onions for whistling up a black pudding on the trail (they bled the cattle and used the blood).
Deerskin would be the obvious material for the early sporrans and as they became less functional, they became more elaborate - in Victorian times, the fashion was for goat-hair sporrans that all but obscured the front of the kilt!
The sporran is conventionally worn on the front of the kilt, suspended by light chains or narrow leather belts that fasten in the pit of the back - usually fed through the two belt loops of the kilt. It's important to get its position right - it should hang two or three inches below the belt buckle, too low - below the pubic bone as one sometimes sees it, looks comical and too close to the belt buckle is also to be avoided.
Sporran-making is a time-honoured craft and at Great Scot we have been lucky enough to work with the very best in Scotland. Our sporran makers are passionately rooted in tradition working with old traditional patterns and with ancient techniques yet today they fuse these with modern design cutting and etching technology to bring a fresh and updated sporran to the modern kilt wearer. See The GREAT SCOT 2018/19 SPORRAN COLLECTION HERE.
]]>An old Gaelic proverb says ‘Remember the men from whence you came.’ By ‘men’ of course, it means humankind, embracing women, which in fact sums up how unfair - and distorting - is the basic principal of surnames. At Great Scot we can help you find your related tartans and produce beautiful items for you so that you can wear your heritage in style. We ship fast & free internationally.
]]>An old Gaelic proverb says ‘Remember the men from whence you came.’
By ‘men’ of course, it means humankind, embracing women, which in fact sums up how unfair - and distorting - is the basic principal of surnames. By law though, throughout much of the world we are required to take the surname of our father and his father before him, not our mother or even her father’s family. Just how and when your family name was added to a forebear’s first name can vary enormously. So should you reconsider your surname?
In the great ancestry game, you will learn quickly that your present surname is only the tip of the genetic iceberg. For example, if your genuinely MacDonald forebear had found himself isolated in the heart of Campbell country ten generations ago and had married Jean Campbell and seen his sons and grandsons married to Campbell girls, you could find yourself today with a bank of forebears in the thousands, all of whom were Campbells except yourself and just nine McDonalds in the direct male line! But the even more awesome thought is that if just one of those thousands of forebears had died in childhood, you would not be here today. So you are much more than just your surname.
Consider too:
At Great Scot, our Heritage Specialist is every ready to help you choose a tartan to wear your heritage faithfully, and with pride. Ask us anything here.
Note: This blog has been written with the help of:
Scots Kith & Kin, Best Selling Guide to the Clans and Surnames of Scotland Available to BUY HERE.
]]>At Great Scot we work closely with Scotland’s finest mills to offer you over 1,000 tartans. We also work with the smallest mills to be able to offer you rare, ancient and ‘impossible to find’ tartans. So, so if you don’t see your tartan on our Tartan Finder, simply reach out to our Heritage Specialist here, who will be delighted to help you!
]]>Name five iconic things about Scotland, and chances are one of them will be tartan or a kilt!
We're well known for men in kilts, but it's so much more than just something to wear - it's a historic piece of clothing which has stood the test of time. That’s why we take immense pride in helping you choose this timeless piece, made specifically for you.
Let us help you to find the tartan(s) related to you;
To begin, we start by assessing which tartan you are entitled to wear. Traditionally you start with your surname and check this against a recognised list of tartans which should include:
(a) Clans and family tartans
(b) Links of your name to other names (septs) associated with it.
(c) District or regions with which your name is associated.
Remember: there are no hard or fast rules. You may wish to choose a tartan that suits you, your favourite colours or a design you just love!
At this point you may have further questions:
Can I wear tartan if I cannot find my name associated with any of those on the recognised list?
Yes! Tartan is a gift that we have given to the world. The idea that a man can only wear a kilt in his own family tartan or one associated with it has given way to a more broad-minded approach and most ladies are quite happy to choose tartan with the colours they like best.
My name doesn’t have its own tartan. What do I do now?
Fortunately, you have many interesting options but first please widen your search as much as possible to other members of both your family and those of your partner’s family etc and go as far back in family history as you like.
Tartan Facts:
At Great Scot we work closely with Scotland’s finest mills to offer you over 1,000 tartans – we also work with the smallest mills to be able to offer you rare, ancient and ‘impossible to find’ tartans. So, if you don’t see your tartan on our Tartan Finder, simply reach out to our Heritage Specialist here, who will be delighted to help you!
]]>At Great Scot we take great pride in the fastidious nature of our tartan sourcing, but when is a plaid a tartan? Here's how we prove a tartan's authenticity.
]]>At Great Scot we take great pride in the fastidious nature of our tartan sourcing.
You can be sure that each of the tartans we use comes with our valuable guarantee that it is an authentic, registered tartan from the archives located and able to be referenced in the Scottish Register.
When we assess the authenticity of a tartan, we consider the definition of what an authentic tartan is: A reasonable benchmark is that used by the brothers William and Andrew Smith, who compiled their book AUTHENTICATED TARTANS OF THE CLANS AND FAMILIES OF SCOTLAND in 1850.
Here are the most frequently asked questions we have been asked regarding a tartan’s validity:
How were tartans recorded in the past?
Prior to the Scottish Register of Tartans there were several privately-owned Tartan Registers in Scotland and these tartan records were transferred to the Scottish Register of Tartans in 2009.
There are so many tartans to be seen all round the world these days, so what gives a tartan its authenticity?
It is The Scottish Register of Tartans established in 2009, that gives the status of tartan its authenticity. It is the official Scottish Register belonging to Scotland in the public domain and located within the National Archives of Scotland.
There are so many tartans - what happens if there is a duplicate design?
In theory no two tartans are the same and each tartan has a different thread count of colours. However, tartan belongs to culture and not to science, so similarities have indeed arisen. Today the Scottish Register of Tartans rejects any new tartan which is “confusingly similar” to an existing registered tartan.
How many tartans are registered each year?
Somewhere around 150 tartans are registered each year.
Can anyone register a tartan?
To enter a tartan into the Scottish Register of Tartans, there is an application form with terms and conditions that need to be fulfilled. Our Heritage Specialist here can do this for you.
If you are unsure of the tartan(s) related to your family or regional heritage, do reach out to our Heritage Specialist, who will always be delighted to tell you about your choices. Click here to contact us.
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After the Great War, Hey returned to his post of consultant at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he was a pioneer in using radium for the treatment of cancer. Time off was spent in the mountains, climbing regularly in Britain and the Alps. By 1939, Hey’s passion for the outdoors motivated him to campaign for the establishment of organised Mountain Rescue teams, and in particular the need for effective pain-relief for injuries sustained in the mountains. He could see a way to not only ease suffering but also to considerably boost the chances of the casualties' survival in extreme and remote conditions.
Frustrated by bureaucracy and red-tape, he decided to personally fund and supply the effective pain-killer, morphine to Mountain Rescue posts across the country. The problem however was that in the eyes of the law, this was highly illegal. The law strictly limited the use of this drug to hospitals only, although special dispensations were given to coalmines.
Hey was convinced that in order to force the government to revise the law, it was necessary to deliberately flout the rules. He had anticipated the possible legal proceedings that would follow, and felt that a high profile court case and a spell in jail would publicise the cause effectively.
In 1949, he was summoned before the courts. Hey arrived in his Bentley knowing there was a chance he may not be making the return trip that day. In fact, he narrowly avoided prison, but garnered a large body of support from politicians, peers and leading figures from the Royal College of Surgeons.
As a result, in 1950 the law was changed. Non-medical members of mountain rescue teams could now hold and administer morphine, helping relieve suffering and ultimately, saving lives.
Meanwhile, the Bentley had become a distinctive part of Hey’s household. Hey employed a driver, called ‘Reanie’, a stridently independent woman who was typically clad in stylish tweed trouser-suits. Reanie negotiated the official two-week Bentley Chauffeur course with Merit; of course, she had driven field ambulances during the war.
After Wilson Hey’s death in 1956, the Bentley passed to his engineer-son Thomas. He used the car as his daily motor and continental cruiser for the next 60 years, exhaustively and meticulously cataloguing every turn of screw and tighten of nut.
Amongst other projects, Thomas Hey worked as an engineer developing flight-critical hydraulic systems for the famed ‘Vulcan', which at the time was Britain’s game-changing strategic nuclear bomber.
In his private time, the Bentley was Thomas's pride and joy. He used his scientific approach to devise ingenious solutions and improvements, such as it’s electronic car alarm and engine immobiliser which he designed and built at a time before pocket calculators even existed. It is doubtful that another Bentley exists anywhere in the world that has such a detailed and insightful service history!