Do the Pringles have a Tartan?

There is no traditional clan tartan for the Pringle clan. The Pringles are a Lowland clan, not a Highland clan so we didn't ever wear Tartan Kilts. As Borderers it would be more appropriate for Pringles to wear Tweed and trews rather than highland kilts. However if you insist on wearing a kilt, here are some suggested tartans that are suitable for a Pringle to wear:

‘District Tartans’- local to the area where the Pringles originate:

• ‘Gala Water Tartan’(Wilsons of Bannockburn, 1793),
• ‘Roxburgh Red Tartan’(Patterson's, pre-1850),
• ‘Ettrick Forest Tartan’(Lochcarron, 1995).

There are three styles of Gala Water (Gallowater) tartan, as illustrated to the right:

Shepherd, Border Riever or Northumberland Tartan:

James Pringle of Torwoodlee and the Braw Lads of Gala, however wear ‘Shepherd Tartan’ (also known as 'Border Riever Tartan' or 'Northumberland Tartan'). Sir Walter Scott was the first to have a pair of trews made from Shepherd Tartan, and his Shepherd tartan plaid is still in Bowhill House. It is a basic black and white check pattern sett. See: Wikipedia - Border Tartan and www.northumberlandtartan.co.uk.

• Buccleuch Check, 9 squares (Ballantynes of Walkerburn, 1908).
• Haig Check, 6 squares (1908).
• Kerr Shepherd's Plaid Designed for the Chief of Clan Kerr the Marquis of Lothian KCVO of Ferniehurst.
• Sir Walter Scott Check (Gardiners, 1971), not to be confused with Scott, Sir Walter (Personal tartan, 1822).
• Burns Check (Burns Federation, 1959).

Modern ‘Pringle’ Tartan:

Also included to the right is a picture of the modern ‘Pringle Tartan,’ created by the weaver Ken Dalgleish of Selkirk in 1998.

If you would like to purchase some Galawater or Shepherd Tartan, I recommend the following weavers:

The above company is now part of the Edinburgh Woolen Mill (www.ewm.co.uk). In 1996 they registered a commercial tartan for their staff to wear in the James Pringle Shop in Inverness, it’s called ‘James Pringle Tartan’.

They also have a warehouse at the port of Leith:

Further Information:

TartansAuthority.com - The Scottish Tartans Authority.

TartanRegister.gov.uk - The Scottish Register of Tartans, National Archives of Scotland

ScottishTartans.org - Scottish Tartans Museum, NC, USA. Resources.scottishtartans.org

Gallowater or Galawater District Tartan

Old Gallowater District Tartan

New Gallowater District Tartan

Border Reiver or Shepard Tartan

‘Pringle’ Tartan, created 1998

© 2005-16 James Pringle. All rights reserved.