Will

[Will W.]

I am looking for info on the Maclaren Tartan, I read somewhere not to long ago about the cheif of the maclaren tribe gave permission for the boy scouts to where there tartan. Any one know where i can find this info again ?

[frankpalazzi]

Although I don't have the link, I remember seeing an "Official Tartan Registry" some time ago. Have you tried google?

[SSScout]

Aye, welcome to the forums, laddie. Ye'll find lots to do an' confab an' comisserate aboot here. As to the wearin' o' the tartan, look ye to http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/

an' http://www.scottish-tartans-world-register.com/find_tartan.aspx

 

among others.Aye, many others. Who's the "authority" ye ask? Well should ye, too. When ye find out cum an' tell the rest 'a us.

[Will W.]

Thank you for the help.

[Twocubdad]

Note this is obviously written from the Clan MacLaren perspective and is not part of the official BSA insignia guide.

 

From www.ClanMaclaren.org :

 

--------

 

 

Wood Badgers: Highland Dress and the Boy Scout Uniform

By Ted Severe, Wood Badge Co-Ordinator, Mid-Atlantic Region, CMSNA

 

A question was recently posed to the Clan MacLaren Society of North America, Ltd.: How can

one wear Highland dress AND the Boy Scout uniform?

 

This is an easy one to answer: The Highland dress Boy Scout uniform would be official Boy

Scout uniform from the waist up and Highland Dress from the waist down with a few tweaks.

You Wood Badgers know what makes up the Boy Scout uniform after all of those uniform

inspections during your Wood Badge course and the constant reminder to set the example. Its

when you add Highland dress to the equation that things get different. So here goes, from top to

bottom:

 

Headgear Wear either your Scout campaign hat or a Scottish bonnet. If you wear a

Scottish bonnet, you have two choices: the Balmoral bonnet (looks like a beret with a big

pom-pom [its called a toorie in Scotland]) or the Glengarry bonnet (if youve been in

Scouting long enough, this is similar to the old overseas cap Scout hat, long gone). If

you go with either bonnet, you have two more choices: diced or non-diced. Dicing is the

band around the bottom edge of the bonnet that looks like a checkerboard pattern. More

often the dicing is a combination of red, white and black squares. Personally, I prefer the

non-diced plain Glengarry and Balmoral (I wear both as well as a campaign hat, but only

one at a time). On either variety of bonnet, there is a ribbon cockade on the left side to

which you add a clan crest badge. For all members of the Clan MacLaren Society

(kinsmen and Wood Badge), this would be the MacLaren clan crest badge. It is usually

silver-colored and looks like a round strap-and-buckle with the Clan Chiefs motto,

Creag an tuirc (which translates to the Boars Rock, the traditional clan gathering

place in Balquhidder, Scotland) on the strap. In the center of the strap-and-buckle is a

lions head in profile looking to the left on a twisted rope-like device called a wreath.

The lion has a crown on his head with four points. On either side of the lions head are

laurel branches. If the clan crest were in color, the lions head would be black, the crown

would be gold and the laurel branches their normal green color and the wreath would

be red and gold (alternating twists). One can also change the black ribbon cockade to red

and gold to match the main colors in the Chiefs coat of arms or one could use a small

(approximately 3 inch by 3 inch square) of MacLaren tartan fabric on which one pins the

clan crest badge to the bonnet. An alternative to the MacLaren clan crest badge would be

a large Boy Scout First Class rank emblem pin or, if you can find one, an old metal Scout

Hat Badge. You can find these old metal hat badges on Ebay and get lucky enough to

win an auction for one for about $15.00-$25.00. Dont jump for the first one that you see

because they turn up fairly often. These Scout hat badges are similar in style to the U.S.

First Class badge. The most common ones seen are British and Canadian.

 

Scout uniform shirt with all of the insignia in the right places as per Boy Scout

regulations. Be sure to wear your Wood Badge Beads, neckerchief and woggle in the

customary manner. If you are the recipient of Scouting awards (Silver Beaver, adult

religious awards, etc.), these are certainly to be worn as the occasion merits.

Kilt MacLaren tartan is the first choice for your kilt. Here you have choices in tartan

fabric: Modern colors; ancient colors, weathered colors or dress tartan. Once

youve picked out your tartan fabric, then you get to decide how the kilt is pleated. You

have two choices here: the first choice is whether, from the back, you want to see the

sett of the tartan (the tartan pattern itself) once the kilt is pleated or the stripe, where

a particular vertical stripe is seen at each pleat. Please refer to any Highland merchandise

catalog where kilts are offered. They show you photographically what pleating to sett

or stripe looks like. The kilt is not an inexpensive item, the lowest price for an 8-yard

13-oz. kilt is about $375.00 and, depending on the vendor, the price goes up from there.

Please shop around to get the best price and, believe it or not, kilts are less expensive to

have made in the United States than in Scotland and they are using Scottish fabric! If

you have Scottish ancestry other than MacLaren, you can wear your kilt in your familys

tartan.

 

Kilt Pin You do need one. Its main purpose is to use its weight to help hold down the

corner of the apron of your kilt. It is only pinned through the front apron approximately

two inches in from the fringe of the apron and about three inches above the bottom edge

of the kilt. You can find these through the many Highland dress vendors. They start

around $20.00 and go up from there. There is also a do-it-yourself route: go to a good

fabric store and check in the notions section for a package of two skirt pins. The

manufacturer should be Dritz. The cost of the package of two pins is about $2.00. If it

looks like a great big safety pin, youve got the wrong package. The wire making the pin

will be very heavy. Its all one piece of wire. This pin can be worn as is for a very

traditional kilt pin. If you are handy with silver solder, consider adding a coin to the top

of the pin for decoration. If you are a Beaver, use a Canadian nickel. If you are an Eagle,

you could use a pre-50 state quarter, a Susan B. Anthony dollar or a Sacajawea golden

dollar. For those who are Buffalos, you can use an old buffalo nickel (1913-1937), the

2005 Jefferson nickel with the buffalo, the 2005 Kansas quarter or the 2006 North Dakota

quarter. If you go this particular route, try to get as a coin in as pristine condition as

possible (it may be bit dodgy on the old buffalo nickels you should be able to get these

in a coin shop ask for ones that have the date worn off the cost should then be

minimal). If you are interested in this variety of kilt pin with the coin top, let me know.

Ive made several. I currently have two that I can wear, one with the 2005 buffalo nickel

and the other with the 2006 South Dakota buffalo quarter.

 

Sporran This is your pocket since kilts traditionally are not made with pockets (I have

seen a couple though, so they do exist but probably add quite a bit to the price of a kilt if

you can find a kiltmaker who would do that particular extra work). Start out with a

sporran made from leather. Good quality sporrans can be gotten starting around $50.00.

If you are a leatherworker or have a friend who does leatherwork, you can make your

own. You will also need a very narrow strap to hold your sporran around your body so

that it hangs in front. The strap can be leather or even black nylon webbing with a plastic

fastex-style buckle (like a very long accessory strap for your backpack available in good

camping supply stores). You can even make small belt loops (they look like two

keyholders with leather loops and snap hooks to hold the sporran) and suspend your

sporran from your belt!

 

Belt Your Scout belt will work. You may wish to consider a leather Scout belt with the

Wood Badge buckle with the axe and log. If youve been to Philmont Scout Ranch, your

Philmont belt and buckle will do fine also.

 

Stockings You again you have several choices. Your Boy Scout long stockings with

the red tops will do but you should add garters with flashes or tabs that stick out from

under the folded over top of the stocking. Again, if youre handy you can make your

own garters and flashes. You can get long wool stockings from the Highland dress

vendors. You can also go to sporting goods stores in soccer season and obtain single

color (no embroidered sports logos, please) soccer socks for one third to one half the cost

of wool Scottish stockings. Suggested colors would be navy blue, dark green, or black.

For Highland evening dress, the stockings should be white or ivory.

Skean dhu This is the small fixed-blade knife that one sees tucked in the top of the

stocking when wearing Highland dress. It is definitely an optional item. If you are

wearing Highland dress to a church or synagogue, please leave your skean dhu at home.

It is considered to be a weapon and weapons have no place in a church or synagogue.

 

Shoes Be sensible on this. Wear the kinds of shoes that you would with your uniform

as the occasion demands.

One last item would be a good walking stick. There are many varieties out there from

adjustable metal ones to the handmade. They are easy and fun to make.

There you have it. Hopefully, we will see many more of our Wood Badge members attending

CMSNA and Highland events in their Highland Scout uniforms. If you have any questions,

please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by any of the means listed:

 

Mr. Ted Severe

Wood Badge Co-Ordinator

Mid-Atlantic Region

Clan MacLaren Society of North America, Ltd.

3219 McElderry Street

Baltimore MD 21205-2819

Phone: 410-276-2686, evenings after 6:00 pm EST/EDT, answering machine on 24/7

Email: severefamily@verizon.net