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Scots Word for April

Tartan

tartan
With Tartan Week being celebrated by the 22 million Americans who claim Scottish descent, it is a good time to see what the excitement is about. A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue cites French sources and posits an origin from Persian 'tatar' meaning a precious cloth. The earliest recorded occurrences in Scots date from the sixteenth century with references to coloured cloth in a variety of colours, the most intriguing of which describes a man's loss when a 'styrk [bullock] gnew and spylt [gnawed and spoiled] his tartan quhilk wes worth fyf merkis; (1567-8 Records of Inverness).

In 1745, the Caledonian Mercury advertises a 'Great Choice of Tartans, the Newest Patterns', but only a year later, after Culloden, the wearing of Tartan is banned by Act of Parliament: 'No Tartan, or party-coloured Plaid or Stuff shall be used for Great Coats, or for Upper Coats'. Only with the visit of George IV to Scotland is tartan rehabilitated and 'the Celtic Society, dressed in proper costume, formed his Majesty's body guard, have combined to excite much curiosity among all classes, to ascertain the particular tartans and badges they were entitled to wear' (J. Logan The Scottish Gael, 1874).

In more modern times, 'to tear the tartan' is to speak Gaelic and 'granny's tartan' or 'tinker's tartan' is the mottling of legs that have been toasted at a fire. Gastronomically, tartan-purry was a mixture of oatmeal and cabbage and a menu from the restaurant of the long-gone Patrick Thomson's shop mysteriously offers 'hale sole fleuk an' tartan butter'.

Now tartan leads a double life, inspiring national pride in the Tartan Army but spawning the noun 'tartanry' to refer to a sentimental Scottishness. We hope the Americans have a good week celebrating 'Vestis varia, tartan, the old native cloth of our ancestors' (C. Irvine 1682).

The Scots column is written by Director Christine Robinson. You can contact her with any questions.