The Lost WoB Tartan [Herringbone]

This cloth is woven single width (32" wide) with a herringbone selvedge. Dating as far back as the 17th century as a technique, the Herringbone Selvedge was a popular method for finishing cloth on the loom.

Following the Government’s victory at Culloden, from August 1746 tartan dress became outlawed for men of fighting age, except for nobility or those in regimental service. Though the ban was difficult to enforce, it nevertheless could have ended the tradition of tartan weaving in Scotland.

Thankfully this was not what happened. As Scottish national identity re-emerged and blossomed, one weaver in particular spearheaded the so-called “Tartan Revival.”

No longer a cottage industry, William Wilson & Sons produced vibrant and striking designs to be sold throughout the lowlands and then around the world. Many were adopted by clan chiefs, slowly evolving into the clan tartans we know today. However a few setts never quite made it into circulation. Tartan No. 171 was such a design – left “on the drawing board” in the 1820s and unwoven for decades.

Now this striking tartan, which has an almost modern feel to it, has been brought back using period-correct Wilson’s colors! It’s a wonderful statement piece hearkening back to a wonderfully optimistic time.

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.