Experts have recreated the oldest-known piece of tartan ever found, which was discovered in a peat bog after being buried for centuries.
The tartan was discovered around 40 years ago in the bog in Glen Affric in the Highlands, and underwent rigorous testing by the Scottish Tartans Authority last year to confirm it was the oldest surviving piece of tartan.
The Glen Affric Tartan dates from 1500-1600 AD and went on to be exhibited at the V&A Dundee.
Manufacturer and distributor of tartan fabrics, the House of Edgar, recreated the tartan under the guidance of tartan historian Peter Macdonald to recreate the Glen Affric for people to wear.
The original Glen Affric Tartan laid on top of the newly recreated tartan (Alan Richardson /House of Edgar/V&A/PA)
It features the colours that dye analysis of the original tartan had confirmed – this included the use of green, yellow and red, which would have come from woad or indigo to create the green along with other natural dyes.
This, along with the determined thread count, helped The House of Edgar bring this piece of Scottish history back to life.
READ MORE: New research finds Glen Affric peat bog discovery is Scotland's oldest tartan
Emma Wilkinson, the designer for House of Edgar who worked on the project, commented: “I create new tartans every day but this project is truly special – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to recreate a piece of history.
“Tartan is such an iconic piece of Scotland’s identity and it has been a true pleasure to see this fabric come back to life to be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Emma Wilkinson, designer at House of Edgar with Peter E MacDonald, Head of Research & Collections at The Scottish Tartans Authority (Alan Richardson/House of Edgar/V&A/PA)
Peter E MacDonald, head of research and collections at the Scottish Tartans Authority, said: “It was a privilege to examine the Glen Affric specimen which represents an extraordinary survivor of our textile history.
“The dye-analysis, Carbon14 dating and a detailed study of the piece, together with a collaboration with House of Edgar, has brought back to life a tartan that allows us to reach back in time and touch history.
“It is quite special to see the tartan remade as it could have been 500 years ago.”
James Wylie, assistant curator from the V&A Dundee, said: “The Glen Affric tartan took the world by storm when it was revealed prior to the opening of V&A Dundee’s Tartan exhibition and continued to be a major draw for many visitors over the past nine months.
“I am delighted that V&A Dundee could contribute to the preservation of this significant artefact. More so, I am excited its legacy can now live on through the studious efforts of the Scottish Tartans Authority and House of Edgar in reinterpreting its design, for the enjoyment and interest of all who cherish tartan’s historic allure.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel