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
There is every reason to esteem this tartan of early date. Possessing
many characteristics of old design, it figures as Strathallan
Drummond in most of the trustworthy collections, including those of
The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, the Campbells of Craignish, and Messrs
Romanes & Paterson, Edinburgh. An example of undoubted antiquity is
held by the Editor. In 1812 David, sixth Earl of Airlie, head of the
house of Ogilvy, married Clementina, only child of Gavin Drummond,
Esq., the third son of James Drummond of Keltie by Clementina, sister
and co-heiress of Alexander Graham of Duntrune, who was heir male of
John, Viscount of Dundee. On this event the tartan here represented, up
to that time known as Strathallan, appears to have been adopted by the
Earl and some other branches of the family, and in the course of time
the design came to be styled the Ogilvy, which is now its customary
designation; the ground has sometimes been made blue instead of green.
The appropriation is somewhat extraordinary, because the Ogilvys
possess a fine tartan of their own (Plate XXX.), which can be traced at
least as far back as last century. Mr and Mrs Nisbet-Hamilton-Ogilvy
have an interesting portrait (ascribed to Allan Ramsay) of David, Lord
Ogilvy, afterwards sixth Earl of Airlie (attainted), who raised a body
of cavalry for Prince Charles Edward and fought at Culloden. The coat
displays a simple check in red and blue, and the plaid an effective
tartan scheme in these colours. Indeed, the picture is supposed to
represent the uniform of Ogilvy’s Horse of 1745-46.
[Illustration: VII. DRUMMOND OF STRATHALLAN]
FRASER.
The accompanying reproduction is taken from a specimen in a collection
formed about 1790, where the pattern is first recorded. Different
Fraser families appear originally to have had each their special
designs, but for a long time every important section (save that of
Lovat, whose tartan forms the next plate) has recognised this as the
_Breacan Friosalach_. Collections following one another at brief
intervals from 1790 to 1850, comprising those of the Highland Society
of London, the Campbells of Craignish, the late Dr. W. F. Skene, and The
Mackintosh of Mackintosh, present it unvaryingly as the clan tartan.
Paintings, both early and important, of branch representatives disclose
variations which seem to indicate that certain families were wont to
have the details slightly altered for their own uses. The pattern
usually offered as Fraser, while bearing some resemblance to that
illustrated in Plate IX. as Fraser of Lovat, is most likely an old
tartan of Clan Grant (see the Grant, Plate X.), and its association
with the Clan Fraser is based on its occurrence in the _Vestiarium
Scoticum_. Some account of the Fraser and other family portraits
showing Highland costume was contributed by the Editor to _The Scottish
Antiquary_, Vol. VIII. See also the notes on the Fraser of Lovat
tartan.
[Illustration: VIII. FRASER]
FRASER OF LOVAT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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