Muirhead Family Tartan Rediscovered by Clan Society Thanks to United Effort and the Help of the Internet Continued from Page Two The next few days I spent taking photos and having it photocopied to get the best close up photos I could to send to a well known tartan researcher and designer I had been in contact with regarding researching the tartan for me, getting a thread count and authenticating it, if possible, for recording as a Muirhead tartan. No matter what the outcome of his research I felt in my heart a connection that went beyond the surface of the cloth itself, deep into the weave of it all that it could in some way lead me back through time and closer to where the fabric of my ancestral home was first set to loom in the colors of a life I have yet to fully understand. I was referred to a tartan researcher and designer, Dr. Philip Smith Jr. of the Tartan Society, who I then e-mailed and posted pictures, history and copies of pages from the Muirhead Family Bible. Dr. Smith was recommended and introduced to me by Howard McCord of the Clan McCord as the person to talk to and work with in researching the tartan of William Muirhead and/or having a tartan designed for the Muirhead Clan Society, as he chairs the Tartan Society and is the best as far as Howard was concerned. He is also the author and publisher and co-author of several books on this subject. I will list a few: "District Tartans": by Gordon Teall, Philip D. Smith, Paul & CO. Pub. Consortium Inc., May 1993. "Tartan For Me": Suggested Tartans for Scottish, Scotch Irish, Irish and North American Surnames with lists of Clan, Family and District Tartans, by Philip D. Smith, Heritage Books, Inc. Jan. 1995 and again in Oct. 1998. "Tartans: Abbottsford to Fraser", April 1999 "Tartans: Frederickton to MacNeil", April 1999 "Tartans: MacNichol to Yukon", April 1999 by William H. Johnston, Philip D. Smith JR., Schiffer Pub. Ltd. 1999 Clearly, Dr. Smith is more than qualified to undertake the important task of establishing the authenticity of William Muirhead's tartan. Now, let's take a look at his findings. Back | Next This article was contributed by Raymond L. Morehead, President, Muirhead Clan Society, July, 2000 Links: Muirhead Clan Society Website Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games