There is a recognised Merrilees Tartan (below, left ) that was first produced by William Wilson of Bannockburn in 1829 to celebrate Meg Merrilies, the fictional gypsy character in Sir Walter Scott's novel Guy Mannering. It is technically called a 'fashion tartan' and was continued to be produced until the 1920s, inevitably becoming associated with our surname. It is comprised of black, grey & cream squares with dark blue and orange/red stripes. We refer to this as our 'field tartan' as we also have a Merrilees Dress Tartan (below, right) which is comprised of dark blue, white and grey squares with purple and light blue stripes. We are not sure when this tartan was first produced but it has now been added to the International Tartan Index of the Scottish Tartans Authority (#6369). Both tartans can be ordered from kilt suppliers or direct from the Dunsdale Mill in Scotland, and we can proudly wear either in the form of kilts, scarves and ties etc.
Our 'official' tartans can be found at www.scotland.com (listed as Meg Merrilees Fancy Tartan) and at www.tartansauthority.com as Merrilees 1602 & 6369.
Merrilees Tartan
Merrilees Dress Tartan
Merrilees Field Tartan (#1602 above left) can be woven by the Dunsdale Mill, Scotland out of 100% new wool.
Merrilees Dress Tartan (#6369, above right) can be purchased from Scots Connection via their Website www.scotsconnection.com
If you desire a kilt and your waist is 46 inches or less, you will need 8 yards of tartan. Add one additional yard for every 6 additional inches of waist. A Google search for Kilt makers or Scottish shops near you should provide costs for sewing the tartan into a kilt
