CullodenTartans
4 variazioniOgni tartan può avere più varianti, le più comuni delle quali sono Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting e Dress.
Sulle variazioni del tartan
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- Dress
Ancient Tartan
Prima del 1860 i tessuti venivano colorati utilizzando tinture animali e vegetali. Ciò produceva i colori più tenui tipici dei tartan antichi, verdi muschio e azzurri cielo, un rosso più aranciato e, secondo alcuni, metteva in risalto il motivo con un effetto molto maggiore, poiché i contrasti erano molto più vivaci rispetto ai tartan moderni. Il motivo o sett rimane lo stesso in tutte le varianti di un singolo tartan, e variano solo le sfumature o i toni.
Helpful Advice
Dopo il 1860, i coloranti chimici sostituirono quelli naturali di origine animale e vegetale e nacquero i tartan moderni, caratterizzati da colori più intensi e vivaci. I tenui verdi e blu divennero verde bottiglia e blu navy, mentre i rossi diventarono scarlatti.
Modern Tartan
Prima del 1860 i tessuti venivano colorati utilizzando tinture animali e vegetali. Ciò produceva i colori più tenui tipici dei tartan antichi. Dopo il 1860 le tinture chimiche sostituirono quelle naturali animali e vegetali e nacquero i tartan moderni con i loro colori più forti e audaci. I tenui verdi e blu divennero verde bottiglia e blu navy, i rossi scarlatti.
Helpful Advice
I tartan moderni sono spesso combinazioni più sottili, come il classico Black Watch Modern.
Weathered Tartan
Prima del 1860 i tessuti venivano colorati utilizzando tinture animali e vegetali. Ciò produceva i colori più tenui e terrosi tipici dei tartan Weathered, che ricordano i colori più vivaci sottoposti all'azione del vento, della pioggia e del sole, producendo bellissime tonalità sbiadite, verdi oliva e marroni, e azzurri molto chiari con rossi che tendono più al rosa che al rosso.
Helpful Advice
Alcuni produttori definiscono i tartan Weathered come Muted.
Hunting Tartan
I tartan da caccia sono tartan mimetici e alcuni clan non hanno queste varianti perché sono già prevalentemente verdi o marroni e non hanno bisogno di modifiche per mimetizzarsi con i colori della natura. I tartan Black Watch o Gunn ne sono un esempio, mentre un tartan come il Fraser è prevalentemente rosso e non fornirebbe molta copertura agli uomini durante la caccia.
Helpful Advice
Se desideri ordinare un tartan da abbinare a un kilt o a un accessorio già in tuo possesso, tieni presente che, sebbene il motivo e i colori siano gli stessi, potrebbero esserci lievi differenze cromatiche da un produttore all'altro. Ciò è dovuto esclusivamente alla tintura del filato, quindi se desideri un abbinamento perfetto ti consigliamo di ordinare un campione per verificare.
Dress Tartan
I tartan Dress sono stati progettati, come suggerisce il nome, per le celebrazioni e le danze delle Highlands. Il motivo o il disegno del tartan rimane lo stesso, ma il colore principale viene cambiato in bianco, oppure viene aggiunto del bianco extra al disegno per conferirgli un aspetto più luminoso e “elegante”. Gli scozzesi amano infrangere le regole e occasionalmente, invece del filo bianco, viene utilizzato quello giallo: è da qui che derivano i tartan piuttosto audaci MacLeod Dress Modern e Barclay Dress Modern.
Helpful Advice
Se desideri ordinare un tartan da abbinare a un kilt o a un accessorio già in tuo possesso, tieni presente che, sebbene il motivo e i colori siano gli stessi, potrebbero esserci lievi differenze cromatiche da un produttore all'altro. Ciò è dovuto esclusivamente alla tintura del filato, quindi se desideri un abbinamento perfetto ti consigliamo di ordinare un campione per verificare.
From the start
Culloden Tartan Origins & History
Explore the history
How it all started
The Jacobite cause stemmed from the 1688 Glorious Revolution. Loyalists, known as Jacobites, sought to restore the Stuart dynasty, driven by dynastic loyalty, religious differences, and political grievances, particularly in Scotland. This movement persisted, leading to several uprisings, culminating in the 1745 Jacobite Rising led by Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. His efforts to reclaim the throne ultimately ended in the decisive and bloody Battle of Culloden in 1746, effectively crushing the Jacobite hopes of a Stuart restoration.
The Battle of Culloden
On April 16, 1746, the Jacobite cause reached its decisive end at the Battle of Culloden. Prince Charles Edward Stuart, despite earlier victories, faced a series of setbacks leading to this final confrontation. The Jacobite army, weakened by a retreat from Derby and internal discord, found themselves facing a larger, better-equipped Hanoverian force under the Duke of Cumberland.
The Jacobites, numbering around 5,000, were positioned on Drummossie Moor, a flat, boggy terrain unfavorable to their traditional Highland charge. A failed night raid on April 15th, intended to surprise the Hanoverian forces during Cumberland's birthday celebrations, resulted in exhaustion and disarray within the Jacobite ranks.
The following day, amidst falling snow and hail, the Jacobites formed their battle lines. The Hanoverian army advanced, unleashing heavy artillery fire. The Jacobite charge, though valiant, was met with devastating firepower, and their lines broke. The battle, lasting less than an hour, resulted in a crushing defeat for the Jacobites, marking the last pitched battle on British soil.
Following the battle, Cumberland's brutal campaign, earning him the nickname "Butcher," targeted remaining Jacobites, leading to trials, executions, and the suppression of Highland culture. Kilts and tartans, once symbols of hope, became emblems of rebellion. The clans mourned their losses, and Prince Charles was forced to flee.
The Impact of the Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden in 1746 marked the definitive end of Jacobite claims to the British throne. While not all Highlanders supported Prince Charles Edward Stuart, a significant portion did, leading to their defeat. The profound significance of tartan and associated Highland dress at this time is underscored by the government's subsequent punitive measures.
The Dress Act
From 1746 to 1782, the Dress Act prohibited the wearing of tartan and other Highland attire, effectively criminalising a core element of their cultural identity. This ban aimed to dismantle Highland clan structures and suppress any future rebellions, illustrating the deep connection between clothing and cultural resistance. The act specifically targeted the wearing of "plaid, kilt, or any dress whatsoever in the mode used in the Highlands," except for those serving in the military, thereby attempting to erase a visible symbol of Highland identity.
Culloden Memorials
The Culloden battlefield is marked by several memorials. The battlefield features a central memorial cairn surrounded by clan markers, each representing the various Highland clans that fought and fell in 1746. Erected in 1881 by landowner Duncan Forbes, these markers aimed to commemorate the individual clans' sacrifices, creating a tangible connection to the human cost of the battle. These Victorian-era markers, however, tell an incomplete story, omitting the contributions of Irish and French regiments who fought alongside the Jacobites. A separate plaque was later installed by the White Cockade Society in 1994, honouring the sacrifices of these often-overlooked soldiers, highlighting the battle's broader European context and the international nature of the Jacobite risings.
The Culloden Tartans
A significant artifact from the Battle of Culloden is a remarkably preserved tartan coat, a testament to the period's craftsmanship and likely belonging to a high-ranking individual, possibly a clan chief. This coat is crucial as it preserves one of the few surviving Jacobite-era tartans, though its interpretation has varied since the late 19th century.
Notably, the vibrant purple and yellow "Culloden tartan" familiar in many collections originated in D.W. Stewart's 1893 publication, "Old and Rare Scottish Tartans." This rendition was likely trying to emulate what the original jacket might have looked like when new. However, colours weren't so bright in the days that the jacket would have been created, given the natural sources of dye rather than the synthetic dyes originating in the mid-1800's which provide the much brighter colour shades used today.
For over three decades, textile expert Peter MacDonald sought the original Culloden coat to accurately determine its true colours and pattern, accounting for fading and wear. His search culminated in 2007 at the Kelvingrove Museum, where he identified an 18th-century coat with a distinct sett. This revealed that the authentic Culloden tartan differed significantly from Stewart's interpretation, featuring muted blues and weathered greens, alongside black bands and a light blue, yellow, red, and white overcheck.
The coat's original owner remains unknown, but its style suggests equestrian wear typical of the mid-18th century. The quality of the fabric and tailoring indicates a person of wealth and status, possibly a Jacobite noble or clan chief. As clan tartans in their modern, recognisable forms largely came after Culloden, the sett and colours cannot be linked to a specific family.
Regardless of the wearer's fate at Culloden, his coat endures as a historical window, illustrating the use of tartan as a unifying uniform among the Jacobite forces.
Blàr Chùil Lodair
