Tartan Tales from Clan Rose

We were a little bit excited to see the word "heritage" in the top navigation of quality Scottish paint company Craig & Rose and of course had to get in touch to uncover the story. Established in 1829 by two young Scottish entrepreneurs James Craig & Hugh Rose, this is the company who painted the iconic Forth Bridge, manufactured paint for St Paul’s Cathedral, palaces around the world and the South American Railway. Craig & Rose became renowned for manufacturing superior quality paints (a bit like us and our superior quality tartan), and professional painters and decorators quickly adopted it as their brand of choice. At that time, paint was milled and competitors used to grind raw materials twice. Always keen to go the extra mile, Craig & Rose were known for their triple grinding. These days the company combines heritage with their knowledge of current trends to create a collection suited to modern homes and I have to say I am slightly in love with more than of them! My favourites are the period colours in the 1829 collection, but my love of colour also draws me to the bold decorative effects of the Artisan range. Who would have known that our celebration of Clan Rose would lead me to a clan member inspiring re-decoration of my house!

We were delighted to receive this picture of Bill Rose attending a Burns Night in Florida. Bill wears a full traditional kilt outfit in the Rose Hunting Modern tartan and we think he looks very smart. His daughter talks fondly of how proud her father is to represent his clan and the role it plays in his life. Bill got in touch and shared the history of Clan Rose, he is a proud member of the Clan and mentioned that his grandfather was Alexander Fraser Rose, an architect and engineer, who emigrated from Scotland with his family in 1883.

Eric Rose is a proud active member of Clan Rose and shared this image with us. It is Lieutenant Col. Hugh Rose, 24th Baron of Kilravock on the left, in the middle is King Edward VII and on the right is Colonel Macintosh. They were attending the Inverness Highland Games circa 1926. Highland Games very first began in Inverness on Thursday 28 September 1837, organised by the Northern Meeting. The Games took place in a field at the Longman, owned by Mr Wilson, who owned the grand Caledonian Hotel in Inverness. Today Inverness Highland Games stadium is one of the oldest in the world. The events competed for were: Throwing the Heavy Hammer, Throwing the Light Hammer, Putting the Stone, Hop, Step and Leap, Running High Leap, Long Foot Race, Sack Race Wheelbarrow Race, Wrestling and Rifle Shooting. Over the years Highland Games have progressed and evolved, taking place around the world for small and large crowds, and a great way to represent your clan and showcase your sporting talent, or watch others showcasing theirs!

Upon researching Clan Rose, we stumbled upon the story of Paul Howard Rose born in 1881 in Seaboard, North Carolina. This keen entrepreneur set up a wooden packing crate outside his hometown pharmacy at age 12, selling bundles of wood, his mother’s homemade cookies and other items. He went on to become the founder of Rose's discount department stores, although the story goes that at times his capital was so limited he used empty shoeboxes to help fill the shelves. Using his experience as a traveling salesman to educate himself about competitive pricing strategies, Paul tried to set up many 5 & 10 cent stores but failed multiple times, until he decided to take a 500 dollar loan, which worked in his favour and he successfully opened the first 'Rose' shop. His business skills led him to open 280 stores in 11 states. A very determined and driven Rose, who was a great business man.

Eric has been a great help for us here at ScotlandShop, he has given us a great insight into the clan and their passion for keeping their heritage and history alive. Eric was born in California but raised in Virginia and North Carolina since age four, however Scottish history is very important to him. Here he is at a formal dinner at a Stone Mountain Highland Games, pictured are clan members from the Society and two of his children. It is great to see Eric's enthusiasm and the shared passion through the generations with his family and children involved in clan events too.

John Rose is a member of Clan Rose Society, he is a proud piper and recently was inducted in the Hall of Fame at the Smoky Mountains Scottish Festival and Games. The event was originally founded in 1981 as the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival and Games, and is now one of the oldest Scottish festivals in the country. The event features clans, vendors and local and national performers. The property at the visitor centre provides a beautiful destination with views of the nearby mountains and is just minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cades Cove. It is the perfect backdrop for you and your family to get a wee glimpse of Scotland -and to discover and appreciate the rich traditions and history of the Scottish and Scots-Irish settlers in the area.

We were so excited to see Clan Rose athletes Morgan, Jason and Brandon perform so well at Heavy Athletics. Scottish heavy athletics owe their roots to the Highland warriors who would keep in shape between battles by competing amongst themselves with everyday implements. A stone, a blacksmith’s hammer, a tree trunk (caber) became tools for building strength for battle. These competitions usually take place during Highland Games, however these events happen all over the world paying homage to the Scottish roots and the the traditional ways of the games. We love that Kilts play a huge part in the day and so many who compete are proud to wear their clan tartan with pride.

If you love Clan Rose as much as we do and want to learn more about their intriguing story then join Emily and Emma in this video as we dive deep into the history of the heroic Roses.