CLAN CARRUTHERS-AN ENGLISH TARTAN

CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS                  PROMPTUS ET FIDELIS

AN ENGLISH TARTAN

NO CARRUTHERS EVER WORE AN ENGLISH TARTAN

 

Clan Carruthers of Scotland/England, run by George Carruthers of Perthshire England, made the announcement they have a new Chief, who is also from England/Wales.  They did not hold a Clan Gathering, an election, obviously residency ment little, but they had a tartan first and foremost.  George, by himself, took it upon himself to redesign the honored Carruthers tartan, not just once, but twice, and is marketing it as the only true Carruthers Tartan.  How can it be the one and only Carruthers tartan if it is only about three years old. Our ancestors never wore it! 

No, a kilt does not have to be tartan to be a kilt, but we, Clan Carruthers Int Society CCIS, have chosen to keep the ancestorial tartan.  Many of those Clansmen, who honor the blood sacrifice made by their ancestors still wear their original tartan and kilt colors.

It seems that Clan Carruthers of Scotland/England, might have chosen to change, market and to wear the cheaply made acrylic tartans and kilts imported from Asia-Pakistan and sold off-the-peg at bargain basement prices, poor quality kilts. This does seem to be something to look into further.

George Carruthers of England, designed the tartan they are using for their Clan.  Similar to holding the patent on a product. The Tartan came first and then George Carruthers of England, needed a Clan to buy it from him.  George Carruthers of England, did belong to our Clan in the early part of 2017.   He asked if we would consider using his tartan for the Clan, and it was brought to the Board of Directors and they voted to preserve our legacy.

It is just this kind of kilt that has sparked the recent debates. This act strips the history of specific clans away from their ancestors and their hard fought legacies where their blood was shed defending their beliefs, their families and their ways of life.

True Scots who honor these ancestors would never disgrace and abandon their proud legacy left to them by their ancestors by replacing their magnificent tartans with an acrylic one made to sell to the unschooled masses for recognition and profit !

 

 

 

Our Carruthers Tartan is our Bond and Blood ! The visual connection to the honorable ancestors and family and the blood of those who stood up for what is right and rebuked what is morally evil. It is a Bond as brothers and sisters, which is sacred. We are family, and we do not let anyone come between us. Our Blood and Tartan are our legacy !

 

 

 

 

A Brief History of the Tartan

Tartans have always been associated with Scotland; however, the earliest evidence of tartan is found far afield from the British Isles. According to the textile historian E. J. W. Barber, the Hallstatt culture of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and flourished between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, produced tartan-like textiles. One of the main reason people have for wearing the kilt is to honor their Celtic-Scottish traditions. When Scottish clans united in battle against their enemies they identified one anther by their “colors”, often being a strip of tartan visible on their standards or pipes. They defiantly marched into battle ,sometimes facing death or imprisonment, especially during uprisings such as the Jacobite rebellion.

The earliest documented tartan in Britain, known as the “Falkirk” tartan, dates from the 3rd century AD. It was uncovered at Falkirk in Stirlingshire, Scotland, about 400 meters north-west of the Antonine Wall. The tartan as we know it today is not thought to have existed in Scotland before the 16th century. By the late 16th century there are numerous references to striped or checkered plaids. It is not until the late 17th or early 18th century that any kind of uniformity in tartan is thought to have occurred. However, a past Lord Lyon Mentioned tartans as far back in Scotland history as being used to identify clans around 1440.

By the 19th century the Highland romantic revival, inspired by Lord Macpherson’s Ossian poems and the writings of Sir Walter Scott, led to wider interest, with clubs like the Celtic Society of Edinburgh welcoming Lowlanders. The pageantry invented for the 1822 visit of King George IV to Scotland brought a sudden demand for tartan cloth and made it the national dress of the whole of Scotland, rather than just the Highlands and Islands, with the invention of many new clan-specific tartans to suit. Interestingly, the oldest portrait we have depicting a solid kilt dates to 1635, showing Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochow in a solid red belted plaid. In the nineteenth century John Brown made the black kilt famous. The soldiers of the London Scottish wear the solid hodden grey. And of course there are the saffron kilts of the Irish pipers.

Tartans Today

The clan tartan and kilt are seen all over the globe over as having ‘Made in Scotland’ stamped right through it. Unless, perhaps, it’s a £20 version made in some far-flung sweatshop, likely in Pakistan. Just as only whiskey made in Scotland can legally be called “Scotch,” many are calling for legislation to ensure only Highland dress made in Scotland to exacting standards should dare to bear the official title of kilts and tartans

Back in January of 2009, the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) published an article in their newsletter, The Tartan Herald, that was critical of certain shops along the Royal Mile (though you can find them elsewhere) selling cheap kilts imported from Pakistan as a Scottish product. They were roundly attacked in the press for being elitists, with many people coming to the defense of the inexpensive kilt. However, this reaction completely missed the point of the article, which had to do with truth in advertising.

The STA article quite plainly stated their position. “Most weavers and kiltmakers have no objection to cheap ‘fun kilts’ appearing on the market, regardless of their country of origin or what they’re made of. After all, youngsters introduced to the ‘kilt’ through them will no doubt graduate to the real thing one day.

No… the objection is that people are being misled into buying these cheap kilts under the impression that they’re Scottish and that the design, fabric, and workmanship are the output of Scotland’s traditional weavers and kiltmakers. That is regarded as a travesty!”

Kilts and tartans being sold at many of the Scottish festivals in the US may have a typical label reads, “Scottish Highland Kilt; Authentic Woven Tartan; Designed in Scotland.” While the label is technically true, it is designed to give the impression that this is a thoroughly Scottish garment.

Nowhere on the tag does it say where the garment was actually woven, or what it was made from. I think a simple label reading, “100% Acrylic Cloth; Made in Pakistan,” would satisfy many people. Meanwhile, the Scottish woolen mills and Highland dress suppliers are fighting back with their own “truth in advertising” campaign. One past ad for Lochcarron of Scotland reads, “Not just ‘designed in Scotland’ it’s also woven in Scotland.”

Be proud to be a Carruthers.  Be proud to be in Clan Carruthers Int Society CCIS.  Wear your Carruthers Tartan and honor your ancestors.  Your tartan is your legacy to pass down to the next generation.

 

 

Please do not wear An English Tartan

 

 

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE CARRUTHERS TARTAN AT USA KILTS https://www.usakilts.com/advancedsearch/result/?q=Carruthers

 

Preserving Our Past, Recording Our Present, Informing Our Future

Ancient and Honorable Carruthers Clan Society Int. CCIS

carruthersclan1@gmail.com    carrothersclan@gmail.com

 

 

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Ancient and Honorable Carruthers Clan International Society CCIS LLC is the official and registe