Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive noticesStewart, Donald William
History
Old and rare Scottish tartans : $b with historical introduction and descriptive notices
Stewart, Donald William
Tartans -- Scotland
1. _The Scottish Gaël; or, Celtic Manners as preserved among the
Highlanders_: Being an Historical and Descriptive Account of the
Inhabitants, Antiquities, and National Peculiarities of Scotland; more
particularly of the Northern or Gaëlic Parts of the Country, where the
singular habits of the Aboriginal Celts are most tenaciously retained.
By James Logan, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 65 Cornhill. 1831. 2 vols. 8vo. Large
paper in royal 8vo.
This work contains in an appendix a list of fifty-four tartans, which
Logan states were as many as he could procure and authenticate. Along
with the name of each tartan is a table stating the colours and
relative proportions of the stripes in eighths of an inch. This plan
of measurement, it appears, was the joint idea of Logan and Captain
Mackenzie of Gruinard. It is really a modification of that of the old
Highland weavers of winding on a stick the correct number of threads of
each colour in the proper order. One coloured plate (an illustration
of the tartan of the Earl of Inverness) is given, with the object
of explaining the system of measurement and colouring set forth in
the work. Each volume contains a coloured frontispiece representing
Highlanders in tartan dress.
A reprint (omitting the plate of the tartan) was issued in 1876,
edited, with memoir and notes, by the Rev. Alexander Stewart, of
Ballachulish and Ardgour, “Nether Lochaber.” Inverness: Hugh Mackenzie,
Bank Lane. Edinburgh: Maclachlan and Stewart, South Bridge.
2. _Vestiarium Scoticum._ From the Manuscript formerly in the Library
of the Scots College at Douay. With an Introduction and Notes by John
Sobieski Stuart. Edinburgh: William Tait, 107 Princes Street. 1842.
Imperial 4to.
The _Vestiarium_, referred to at some length in the Introduction,
was, if we set aside the single plate issued by Logan in 1831, the
first work published containing illustrations of tartans. According to
Lowndes, whose information on the point was derived from the late Dr.
David Laing, only fifty copies were printed, and it is curious that
none of the great Edinburgh libraries is in possession of a complete
copy. It contains (_a_) a preface giving an account of the three MS.
copies of the work known to the editor; (_b_) a roll of the clans from
the original MS. of 1571, accompanied by the ordinary Parliamentary
rolls of 1587 and 1594, and the one compiled by Lord President Forbes
in 1745; (_c_) an introduction treating very fully of the use of
tartan in early times; (_d_) the text of the MS., wherein are minutely
described (1) twenty-five tartans of the “chieff Hieland clannes;”
(2) eleven tartans of the “lesser famylies or housis, the quhilk be
cum frae ye chieff housis and oryginale clannes;” (3) thirty tartans
belonging to the “low country pairtes and bordovr clannes;” (4) nine
tartans of the “bordovr clannes;” (5) a list of clans and their badges
of distinction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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