District
Glasgow Tartans Page
The name Glasgow is a very old and distinguished one. It has been recorded even before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of William Duke of Hastings in 1066. The name has been spelled Glasgow,Glassgaw,Glassgow, Glascho,Glascu,and Glascou. The first records of the name were found in Renfrewshire,which is five miles west of Glasgow.
Glasgow Tartans
2 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- Dress
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Dress Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the start
Glasgow Tartan Origins & History
Explore the history
How it all started
Territories
Glasgow is the largest city by population in Scotland and is located in the central belt of Scotland on the banks of the River Clyde.
Clan Chief
The Glasgow tartan is a district tartan and therefore does not have a Clan Chief.
People Make Glasgow
Glasgow is most famous for its locals, their charming humour, friendliness and of course their very hard to understand accent (that is for those not from Scotland).
Did you know that Glasgow used to have a Castle?
If you have wandered up Castle Street wondering where the name came from it is because near the medieval cathedral, on the site of the Royal Infirmary there used to stand the Bishop's Castle. All traces were sadly demolished in 1792. However do not despair because Crookston Castle still remains and the ruins are perched on a hill in the southside suburb of Crookston and standing since the 15th century.The name Glasgow is a very old and distinguished one. It has been recorded even before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of William Duke of Hastings in 1066. The name has been spelled Glasgow,Glassgaw,Glassgow, Glascho,Glascu,and Glascou. The first records of the name were found in Renfrewshire,which is five miles west of Glasgow.
Glaschu is gaelic for Glasgow.
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