Search this site: The seemingly easy question, what is tartan,
gets a little murky when you start looking for neat definitions.
I found some notes I wrote years ago and thought I should share
them. By way of getting an idea of what is tartan let’s look at
the word itself. (Work with me here – here comes an information-
loaded paragraph or two. I used to be very serious in those
days….) Some writers give the origin of the word as French
'tiretane', though this may simply refer to a kind of material
of French origin. Others say the first mention of tartan is in
the Exchequer Roles of the Lord Treasurer of the Scottish court
of King James V in 1538 where there is an order for a bale of
cloth of 'Heland Tartane', the material being used for 'hoiss to
the the Kingis Grace' - perhaps a new pair of tartan trews for
the King. However, some writers argue that this still refers to
material of French origin (ie tiretane) and that the 'Heland'
part simply indicates the cut of the finished garment. Even more
mysterious is