Instantly recognisable, tartan is a type of woven design which uses horizontal and vertical stripes to build a pattern of checks.
Also known as plaid - a word which comes from Scottish Gaelic - tartan is traditionally made of wool, with the hardwearing material known to have been worn in Scotland as early as the third century.
The country’s oldest surviving fragment of “true tartan”, discovered around 40 years ago in a peat bog, has been dated back to somewhere between 1500-1600 AD by historians.
The colourful fabric is matched with an equally colourful past. Tartan kilts went from everyday wear for Highlanders to a symbol of rebellion against the English under Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Following the Jacobites’ defeat during the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Act of Proscription was passed which suppressed Highland dress. Tartan was restricted - though not entirely banned - until the act was repealed in 1782. However, by that time the everyday connection between tartan and Highlanders and long been severed.
In more recent years tartan has been a symbol of both the traditional and the subversive, with some countries around the world even celebrating Tartan Day.
Here are seventeen facts about tartan you (probably) never knew.
1. Queen Elizabeth II's personal tartan was the Royal Stewart
Royal Stewart Tartan was known as the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal House of Stewart. However, during the 1970s the colours took on a different meaning among the UK punk and alternative scenes, who were keen to diminish the image of Victorian state power it presented.
2. There's a Tartan Day on April 6
April 6 is not just famous for being the date of Scotland’s independence via the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 - it has also gained notoriety as Tartan Day throughout the northern hemisphere in particular. In the US in 2008, an annual April 6 Tartan Day was proclaimed by President George W Bush, in the photograph above you can see the late Sean Connery in attendance back in 2002.
3. Tartan is the world’s only fabric to be protected by an Act of Parliament
Harris Tweed or “Clo Mor” (derived from the Scottish Gaelic for ‘Big Cloth’) is the only fabric in the world which is governed by its own Act of Parliament. The decree states that genuine Harris Tweed must be made from pure virgin wool which was dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and handwoven at home by the weaver.
4. A tribute tartan was made in honour of Princess Diana
Diana Princess of Wales has her own memorial tartan, created by Lochcarron of Scotland, which is a pale blue and white design with heavily pronounced black and red grids. The “Princess Plaid” features the colours of the Union Jack and was created as a sympathetic tribute and variation of the Royal Stewart colours.