The Grant 1714 | by Peter E MacDonald, Tartan Historian and honorary Head of Research at The Scottish Tartan’s Authority.

The concept of clan tartans can be dated to the middle of the Highland Revival period and the desire by the Highland Society of London that the ‘Tartans, Plaids, and Banners’ of the clans ought to be preserved’. As a result, in 1815 the Secretary, General David Stewart of Garth, wrote to the (Highland) chiefs asking them to submit a piece of their tartan certified by the chief’s stamp. It is not known whether the chief of the Grants was included, but if he was, he did not submit a specimen and there is no Grant tartan in the early collection. The Clan Grant tartan is also worn by the Drummonds and a specimen of the tartan was submitted by their chief as the Drummond tartan in 1822.

 

By contrast, before the 19th century people generally wore what they liked, could afford, or was available.  The idea of uniformity was not generally a consideration and based on surviving examples from the first half of the 18th century, red; blue and green based patterns appear to have been popular. The Grant 1714 tartan fits into this style of patterns and possibly reflects the red and green tartan requested to be worn for the muster in 1704.

There can be no doubt that many such tartans were lost as a result of the Act of Proscription (the Dress Act) which, following the collapse of the last Jacobite Rising, banned the wearing of Highland Clothes (but not tartan per se) in 1746. As a result, the number of early surviving tartans is relatively small, fewer than 50 of the over 12,000 setts recorded by The Scottish Tartans Authority. Amongst their rare patterns only one, the so-called Glen Affric tartan, pre-dates the 18th century. Most specimens are associated with the ’45 era whereas several other early patterns are taken from earlier portraits, the Grant 1714 and other Grant portrait painted by Richard Waitt are notable amongst these for their clarity.

Reconstructing the Grant 1714 Tartan

In the autumn of 2023, I was contacted by the chief who was interested in re-introducing the tartan worn in Waitt's Grant portraits of the Laird of Grant’s Piper and Champion. Both Hank Grant and I were of the opinion that, whilst there were some differences between the two portraits, this was down to artistic licence and that they were intended to reflect the same tartan. It was agreed that I would proceed on that basis. Fortunately, both portraits were on display at the National Museum of Scotland and it was possible to make a detailed examination of both. I was also able to examine the unattributed portrait held at the Inverness Museum that was also by the same artist and which I belief to have been a trial for the later portraits. The detailed examination and comparison of the piper and champion portraits enabled me to extract a workable pattern (sett) and the likely colours involved.

Paintings of Alister Mohr Grant, the Laird's Champion and William Cumming, the Laird's Piper on display at the National Museum of Scotland. Photograph credited to Duncan McGlynn.

 

Having arrived at the sett and colours, I then refined the shades to reflect those that were typical of those used in the first half of the 18th century. Working with Lochcarron of Scotland, yarns were selected and a trial run produced to confirm the design which has been well received by all those that have seen it. Working on the presumption that the two portraits showed the same tartan, the Scottish Register of Tartans have revised and combined their entries for both to reflect this interpretation/reconstruction. In addition, because the tartan has not been previously commercially produced, it has been possible to register it as a protected design with the UK Intellectual Property Office - Design number: 6358684.