On Tuesday 25 March Jamie McGrigor MSP launched a Member’s Bill to create the first ever publicly owned Scottish National Register of Tartan.The Register will work with Scotland’s tartan experts to draw together information about tartan designs held in private hands to create a Register on a statutory basis, that will be independently held, publicly accessible and sustainable.
The Register will also help promote and preserve tartan, provide a focal point for tartan and genealogical research and interest in tartan design and production. Working with the tartan industry in Scotland, the Register will provide a springboard to promote the expertise, quality and value of the Scottish tartan industry.
The National Archives of Scotland will create and maintain the Register, with input from tartan and tartan industry experts in Scotland. The Keeper of the Records of Scotland will act as Keeper of the Register of Tartans, overseeing the Register and the registration of new tartan designs.
Image credit: George Mackenzie and Jamie McGrigor MSP at the reception to mark the introduction of the Tartan Bill © Crown copyright: NAS