Tartan History

Tartan was believed to have grown out of a Celtic past. Tartan was then produced in different regions or districts of Scotland. It was produced by local weavers for the local tastes and only used the available natural dyes because of this the tartans were very different and recognizable to the specific region. In the mid 19th century the tartan started being produced for different clans, families or institutions. In April of 1815 the Highland Society of London started the naming and registration of official clan tartans. 

The following are just two examples of the many tartan produced in Scotland.

Macleod Clan and Tartan

Macleod Tartan

The Macleod clan occupies the oldest castle in Scotland. Their motto is 'hold fast' and the badge is a bulls head between two flags. They have a very distinctive yellow and black tartan which is often criticized by others for being similar to a horse blanket. Their other tartan is more sober, being dark green, blue and black checks with red and yellow stripes. 

Robertson Tartan

Robertson Clan and Tartan

The Robertson clan motto is 'Virtutis gloria marces' (Glory is the reward of valour) and the badge is a hand  holding an imperial crown. There are two Robertson tartans both with red backgrounds and blue and green checks. The less commonly worn tartan has a white stripe on it.

Tartan Construction 

The construction of tartan is a simple weave. Every warp thread crosses every weft thread at right angles. A block colours created when a weft thread crosses the same colour as the warp thread, when two different coloured warp and weft thread cross it creates a mixture of the two colours. This creates the recognizable pattern and colours of tartan. The more colours you use the more subdued the tartan will be. 

Grant, J. (1992) The clans & tartans of Scotland. Ware: Wordsworth.
http://lochcarron.com/history/robertson.html
http://www.tartangenerator.com/site/tartan-construction.htm