Spinning a Yarn: The Dubious History of Scottish Tartan

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Moray Hunter

Andrew Lockyer

Tim Niel

ArtWorks Scotland: Spinning a Yarn: The Dubious History of Scottish Tartan

05/06/2013

BBC Two - ArtWorks Scotland, Spinning a Yarn: The Dubious History of Scottish Tartan

The story of tartan's murky past and colourful present.

The story of tartan. Taking in the Englishmen who forged a guide to clan tartans, Walter Scott's tartan pageant of 1822 and the 21st-century Scottish Register of Tartans.

Queen Victoria was mad for it and Harry Lauder was clad in it. It's inextricably woven into the history of Scotland, from Bonnie Prince Charlie to the Tartan Army, and has been used to advertise many political and cultural affinities. Tartan is a fabric that tells tales, but not all of them are true. 

Moray Hunter narrates the story of tartan's murky past and colourful present, taking in the Englishmen who forged a guide to clan tartans, Walter Scott's tartan pageant of 1822 and the 21st-century Scottish Register of Tartans.

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Spinning a Yarn: The Dubious History of Scottish Tartan

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