Tartan Details - The Scottish Register of Tartans

7 September 2010

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Tartan Details - Gordon Clan

The information held within The Scottish Register of Tartans for the "Gordon Clan" tartan is shown below.


STA ref:	223
STWR ref:	223
Designer:	Forsyth
Tartan date:	01/01/1793
Registration date:	This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Category:	Clan/Family

Restrictions:

Registration notes:	The Gordon tartan is the regimental tartan of the famous Gordon Highlanders and was selected by the Alexander, the 4th Duke from a choice of three submitted by William Forsyth, a weaver and outfitter from the town of Huntly. Forsyth wrote on 15th April 1793 'When I had the honour of communing with His Grace the Duke of Gordon, he was desirous to have patterns of the 42nd Regiment plaid with a small yellow stripe properly placed. I imagine the yellow stripes will appear very lively.' A Gordon website claims that the Duke offered the other two Forsyth samples to Gordon Branch or Cadet Families. The Gordons of Hallhead and Esslemont selected the tartan with three yellow lines and the Gordon-Cumming of Altyre and Gordonstoun chose the tartan with two yellow lines. The earliest known date from a list compiled by D.C. Stewart from Wilsons of Bannockburn letters is 1798.

Tartan image: Gordon Clan. Click on this image to see a more detailed version.

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Notes on tartans existing prior to the introduction of the Register…

1) For tartans existing prior to the introduction of the Register, the numbering system allocated by the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) has been used. Where relevant, the Scottish Tartans World Register (STWR) reference numbers are listed for information purposes.

2) Not all pre-existing tartans included in the Register were recognised by the STA.

3) The registration criteria applied by the Register is different from the criteria applied previously by the STA and the STWR. Please refer to the STA and STWR websites for details.

The National Archives of Scotland, H.M. General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY
tel +44 (0) 131 535 1388 email: enquiries@tartanregister.gov.uk.