{"id":968943,"date":"2026-05-18T14:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/968943\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T14:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:49:14","slug":"edinburgh-researchers-examine-donated-1820s-tartan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/968943\/","title":{"rendered":"Edinburgh researchers examine donated 1820s Tartan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n University of Glasgow student examining the tartan samples. (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n

\n The archive will now be catalogued and made available to researchers at the National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh.\n<\/p>\n

\n The collection spans the company\u2019s history from the 1820s until its closure in the 1960s and includes tartans created for Queen Victoria and the royal family, military textiles for Scottish regiments, fashion tartans and previously undocumented clan designs.\n<\/p>\n

\n University of Glasgow student examining the tartan samples. (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n

\n National Museums Scotland said the archive could help reshape understanding of Scotland\u2019s textile history and tartan production.\n<\/p>\n

\n J&D Paton operated four factory sites in Stirlingshire and became internationally recognised for its tartans and tweeds, including award-winning silk-blend fashion textiles.\n<\/p>\n

\n Researchers in Edinburgh have now begun cataloguing the material, which is expected to support future academic work into Scottish heritage and design.\n<\/p>\n

\n The tartan samples. (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n

\n The museum is also appealing for descendants of former J&D Paton workers to come forward with memories, photographs or items connected to the company.\n<\/p>\n

\n Anyone wishing to share materials or stories linked to the firm can contact the museum through info@nms.ac.uk<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n Dr Mhairi Maxwell, curator of modern and contemporary history at National Museums Scotland, said: “Tartan is one of the most recognisable symbols of Scotland and the exceptional J&D Paton collection is of immense importance to ongoing research into the history of the iconic textile.\n<\/p>\n

\n “We have only just begun to uncover the stories woven through this remarkable archive and I\u2019ve no doubt there are many discoveries waiting to be made, all thanks the generosity of Stuart Paton and his family.\n<\/p>\n

\n “We are really hoping that this will rewrite the history of tartan production as we currently understand it.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Stuart Paton, former director of J&D Paton, said: “I am delighted to find a long-term home for the collection with National Museums Scotland.\n<\/p>\n

\n “The donation is made in memory of my godfather Captain Paton, a long-time chairman of the company, in the hopes it will become a valuable asset for those researching and learning about Scotland\u2019s textile heritage for generations to come.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University of Glasgow student examining the tartan samples. (Image: PA) The archive will now be catalogued and made…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":968944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[748,1102,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-968943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-edinburgh","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116596137401225421","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=968943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/968944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=968943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=968943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=968943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}