Clan Tartans

The Hunter Tartans shown below are shown as they appear in the Scottish Register of Tartans
The Scottish Register of Tartans was established by an act of the Scottish Parliament in 2008, to protect, promote and preserve tartan. The Register is a database of tartan designs, maintained by the National Records of Scotland. 

Anyone, from anywhere in the world, can register a new tartan (individuals, schools and corporate groups as well as professional designers and weavers) providing that it meets their criteria for registration. For further research you can access their website by selecting here

Hunter of Hunterston Tartan

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

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719
719
Davidson, Capt T.S.
01/01/1983
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Clan/Family

Designed by Stuart Davidson (founder of the Scottish Tartans Society) for Clan Hunter in 1983. adopted ca. 1985 by Hunter of Hunterston, Chief of Clan Hunter, patented, and registered with Lord Lyon LCB 81 dated 11th November 1991. Lyon count: G10 B4 G28 B28 R4 B28 W4 G28 R4 G8 Y6. The narrow red and gold stripes represent the colours from the Chief's coat of arms. Sample in Scottish Tartans Authority Dalgety Collection.

   The Clan Chief decided that we should have our own Clan Tartan and in 1981 he appointed Capt. T Stuart Davidson, the original founder of the Scottish Tartan Society, as tartan consultant to Clan Hunter. After two years of extensive research and study a new sett was completed. This has been named the "Hunter of Hunterston Sett" to separate it from the other Hunter tartans. It is more commonly known as "The Clan Hunter Tartan". The sett or design was carefully chosen to incorporate a close relationship with the clan history: a predominantly green hunting ground colour, with narrow gold (yellow) and red stripes representing colours from the Chief's coat of arms. The yellow stripe indicates the royal appointment as huntsman to the king. The Clan holds an international trade registration patent on the design of the Clan tartan. This is the tartan displayed at the top of this web page. One must be cautious with regards to the colours displayed on your terminal or PC. Colours may not be exactly as shown. Clan members wishing to purchase items may contact the clan mail order service or items may be specially made by our sole licensing agent

Geoffrey (tailor) Highland Crafts Ltd. Edinburgh



The Hunter, Russel, Mitchell, Galbraith, tartan shared by the four families.

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1094
Not Specified
Not Specified
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Clan/Family

It seems certain that the tartan was first known as Galbraith in the collection of the Highland Society of London. William Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn recorded the pattern as Russell in their pattern book of 1847, although it was named Hunter in the earlier book of 1819. John Telfer Dunbar states that he has a record of a Hunter tartan designed by a gentleman of the name Hunter in 1824 but without a thread count. Galbraiths (Briton's son in Gaelic) are connected with the Earls of Lennox, and at one time took protection as a Sept of Clan Donald. The name Galbraith is associated with the West Coast island of Gigha. Named in honour of General Billy Mitchell when it was adopted as the tartan of the United States Air Force pipe band. Wilsons of Bannockburn a weaving firm founded c1770 near Stirling. The Pattern books are in the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh. Copies of the Pattern books and letters in the Scottish Tartans Society archive.

The Hunters of Bute tartan.

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6671
none
Not Specified
01/01/1991
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Clan/Family

Mentioned in the notes of Lord Lyon's Tartan Committee May 1991: 'There are no notes on this pattern.' It does appear in James Cant's (d1960) colour strip book as Hunter of Bute.

The Hunters of Peebleshire tartan. An old branch of the family.  

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789
789
Not Specified
01/01/2002
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Clan/Family

Scottish Tartans Society only gives this Hunter and says it is believed to be worn by the Hunters of Peebleshire. From JCT files identified: 'Telfer Dunbar's 'fancy' 197-? ' but no further explanation. According to the late L. Anderson of Galashiels (c.1939), this was worn by the Hunters of Peebleshire, Ayrshire, Angus and Renfrewshire - Sindex. Other notes called it 'Old Hunter' and stated 'Thread count of 'Old Hunter' quoted to Lord Lyon in Sept 1990 by Hunter of Hunterston in the course of saying that it was one that was frequently confused with the newer Clan Hunter submitted in 1985 - #719 (original Scottish Tartans Authority reference).' Duplicated at #5887 (original Scottish Tartans Authority reference).

Hunter

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5226
none
Wilsons of Bannockburn
01/01/1819
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Fashion

Fashion version of Hunter, Original. Thread count halved to show sett. Very close to Hunter Old.

Hunter (1775)

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5873
none
Not Specified
01/01/1775
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.

Portrait/Artefact
Presented to the Scottish Tartans Authority in Canada in 2003 by a Jean Hunter from Huntsville Ontario who had been given it by her Father the Rev. George W. Hunter, a minister in Aberdeen. The piece is a shawl 6ft 6inches long by 19inches wide and is what is known as a hard, superfine tartan using typical Wilson of Bannockburn colours. The sett is selvedge to selvedge full repeat and the weave is 52epi. The sett is complex with 8 colours and 67 colour changes. Embroidered into the end of the shawl is 'Donnald 1775'.

Hunter (USA)

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5230
none
MacDonald, Peter
01/01/1984
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.

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Colour change by Peter MacDonald, with R & B reversed, for some US Clan Hunter members.

Hunter (Wilson)

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1866
1866
Wilsons of Bannockburn
01/01/1790
This tartan was recorded prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans.

Clan/Family
Chosen by the Chief as a 'second clan tartan in order to give our clanswomen an alternative choice for skirts and other clothing.' The first clan tartan referred to is #719 (original Scottish Tartans Authority reference). Although appearing in Wilson's 1819 pattern book, this tartan was patented by Hunter of Hunterston, Chief of Clan Hunter, and registered with Lord Lyon in 1991 (LCB 81. 26th Nov.). Jamie Scarlett MBE in 'Tartan: the Highland Textile' dates this as end of 18th century (and gives slightly different thread count). This data includes the light green as called for in Lyon Court record - see Hunter, Original. The Scottish Tartans Society version differs very slightly in some thread counts from this 'official' version from Lord Lyon records. This sett has been double-checked against Chief's original paperwork in Scottish Tartans Authority's Archives. It is (with a couple of minor exceptions) half the Wilson count. The count was taken from a manuscript account book in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in Queen Street, Edinburgh. Samples in Scottish Tartans Authority's Dalgety Collection labelled: ' as near as Lochcarron can get.' This tartan is mentioned by Telford Dunbar in his 1962 'History of Highland Dress' (Page145) when he states that it appeared in William Wilson's stock list of 1800.

Hunter Graham

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10018

Urquhart, House of Tartan
26/11/2008


Commemorative
Clan/Family
Commemorating the wedding of Adeline Hunter and Stuart Graham. The tartan was created by combining the setts of the Graham of Montrose and the Hunter tartans.
not specified
A woven sample of this tartan has been received by the Scottish Register of Tartans for permanent preservation in the National Records of Scotland
Mr Blair Urquhart, Davidson House Drummond Street, Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, PH6 2DW
[email protected]