Royal Company of Archers [DW]

This tartan is woven "double width" (54 - 56" wide) with a tuck in edge

The tartan of the Royal Company of Archers (RCA) is the first known example of tartan being used as a uniform – well before the Jacobites or the troops of the Government Black Watch regiments.

The Company began its life as a private archery club in 1676, and eventually received a Royal Charter in 1704. The tartan itself is shown in paintings dating back to 1715 (including a painting of King George III as a child sporting the RCA uniform while at play). Actual uniform specimens survive intact; one dating back to 1713.

The RCA survived the 1746 Act of Proscription, thus preserving the uniform. Use of the tartan went in and out of fashion, but it never lost its power. When King George IV visited Edinburgh in 1822, the Company turned out in this tartan – the dignified personal bodyguards of His Royal Majesty. In all, this tartan is a stunning symbol of the enduring legacy of Scottish tradition and pride.

Thanks to intense research by noted tartan historian Peter MacDonald and current day Scottish tartan mill, House of Edgar, you can now wear a piece of history.