In this column we have many times talked
about what makes a tartan “official.” I thought this month it might be a
good idea to look at how the many “unofficial” tartans – those not
recognized by clan chief or other governing body – become popular and
accepted. If I may be so bold as to quote myself:
“…in some instances, a tartan may be
‘unofficially’ approved for a district by wont and usage. In other words, if
a particular tartan is being manufactured and sold for a particular
district, and people are buying and wearing that tartan to represent that
district, then over time the tartan becomes generally accepted as a district
tartan through no one’s authority other than the weavers and wearers.”
This is from the book I co-authored
with James A. Bullman in 2004, the Compendium of District Tartans.
It would seem that some people have been confused by this brief statement of
mine, using it in an attempt to give quasi-official status to tartans so
young as to still be in diapers! It is time for a clarification.
Remembering the basic principle that
one should always examine quotes in their context, my preceding paragraph
reads, “Where clan tartans are concerned, it is the approval of the clan
chief that makes a tartan official. The same basic principal holds true for
district tartans as well. In order to truly be official, a district tartan
would have to have the approval of whatever governing body is applicable to
the place being represented. This may be a town council, a state
legislature, or a county commission.”
Examples are always helpful. In this
case, an example of an officially approved district tartan would be the
Queensland tartan in Australia, officially approved by the Premier of
Queensland, Peter Beattie, in May 2000; or the Colorado tartan, adopted by
the Colorado General Assembly on March 3, 1997. An example of an unofficial
tartan would be the tartan for the City of Middleton, Wisconsin. This was
designed in 1972 by Barbara Schaffer as part of a contest held at a local
festival. However, the City of Middleton made no moves to officially adopt
it, and when they were called about it in 2004, had no record or knowledge
of it. As far as anyone knows, it was only woven once, for the festival.
Therefore it cannot be considered an “official” tartan in any sense of the
word.
What about those tartans that may have
never received any official recognition, but have become widely accepted
through wont and usage? What does that phrase mean, exactly? Essentially
this; if there is a demand for a tartan to represent X, and a tartan is
being produced to represent X, and over time a tradition develops of wearing
this tartan to represent X, then in lieu of some governing authority saying
otherwise, that suffices as the X tartan.
Consider the Aberdeen tartan. We don’t
really know how old this tartan is, but our first records of it come from
orders placed to the weaving firm Wilsons of Bannockburn in 1794. However,
it is older than that, as Wilsons’ own records claim that they were weaving
this tartan during the period of Proscription (1746-1782). Suffice to say,
it is an old tartan. And while there is no record of this tartan ever being
officially adopted by the city, for more than 200 years this tartan has been
bought, sold, and worn as a district tartan to represent the Aberdeenshire
area.
In 1995, a new tartan for Aberdeen
called “Bon Accord” (from the city motto) was designed and approved by the
city council. Despite this one having official approval, the old Aberdeen
tartan remains popular, and the new one is rarely seen. Two centuries of
wont and usage carry quite a bit of weight.
Another example would be the Fife
district tartan. In 1880 two tartans were designed for the wedding of
Princess Louise, daughter of Edward VII, to Alexander Duff, the first Duke
of Fife. The tartans were called Duke and Duchess of Fife, and were the
same except for where the Duke of Fife had red lines, the Duchess of Fife
had blue. While the Duchess of Fife tartan is no longer in production, the
Duke of Fife is. It has remained popular because it has been used as a
district tartan for Fife, and is in fact more often referred to as the Fife
District tartan, or simply the Fife tartan, than the Duke of Fife tartan. A
tradition of use gives this tartan some weight.
This is despite the fact that at least
two other tartans have been designed for the Fife region. In 1992 tartan
specialist Trudi Mann was commissioned to design a Fife tartan. And later
still, in 1998, David McGill, owner of Edinburgh-based company International
Tartans, designed yet another Fife tartan. On his web site, McGill claims
his Fife tartan to have been adopted by the Fife Council “by using it for
fittings and furnishings in the Council Chambers.” The question of whether
the use of a certain tartan for your upholstery constitutes official
adoption aside, neither of these two latter Fife tartans have proven as
popular (at least yet) as the Duke of Fife tartan. Walk into any tartan
shop and ask for the “Fife tartan.” Chances are good that the Duke of Fife
is what you will be shown.
Sometimes there may be a conflict
between what is official and what is popular. An example is the so-called
Campbell of Argyll tartan. This is the popular version of the Campbell
tartan with white and yellow lines, and it has been around since at least
1822. However, more than one Duke of Argyll (chief of the clan) in recent
history has categorically stated that this is not recognized as an official
tartan of the Campbell clan. Yet it continues to remain popular. Had the
chiefs of the Clan Campbell remained silent on this issue, one might very
well say this tartan was official through “wont and usage.” However, it is
very hard to justify any claims of authenticity for this tartan in light of
the very strong statements of successive clan chiefs to the contrary.
The quote I used in the beginning of
this article has recently been used on the International Tartans web site in
an attempt to promote two new tartans for the states of North and South
Carolina. The implication is that these tartans have been accepted by wont
and usage. The problem with this application is that these tartans are not
yet four years old, and there is no evidence of them being used with any
regularity in these states. On the other hand, both states have passed
legislation adopting the Carolina tartan (designed in 1980) as official
state symbols (tantamount to a chief approving a tartan for his clan). The
Carolina tartan is worn by many pipe bands in these states, included in
promotional literature produced by the states, and is also seen worn by
individuals at the many Scottish festivals held in the region.
This kind of regular use is what is
meant by wont and usage. “Wont” means a custom, a habit, or a practice.
Like any custom or habit, it takes time to develop. You cannot force it on
a tartan. It is wont and usage, not want and usage. Wanting
a tartan to be accepted by popular acclaim doesn’t make it so. These two new
state tartans, for example, are actually viewed as “usurpers” by many in the
states, especially those who worked diligently to get the Carolina tartan
adopted through official legislature.
There are two centuries of custom
separating tartans such as Aberdeen and tartans like South Carolina. This
may seem trivial to some, but it is important. If the South Carolina tartan
is still around in 200 years, no one would hesitate to say it is “official
through wont and usage.” But to claim so now would be premature.
How long does it take this kind of
tradition to develop? There is no definite answer to that question. The
Irish County tartans have been around for only a decade, but are already
extremely popular, especially among those of Irish descent now living in
North America. They have no government approval, but I would suggest that
they are well on their way to being unofficially adopted by wont and usage.
A major consideration is the fact that there were no pre-existing tartans
already recognized by the Irish counties themselves to compete with.
Tartan is an art more so than a
science. It is an industry as well as a tradition. This can admittedly be
very confusing, especially when most people simply want to know “what’s
my tartan?” Words like “authentic” and “official” are used by people in
different ways to describe tartans. The best piece of advice I can give to
anyone is to do your research to find out the background and history of the
particular tartan you are interested in. Having done your homework, if you
feel confidant in wearing it, do so with pride!
