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The Currie tartan came into existence in 1822 at the time
of George IV's State visit to Edinburgh. That year, Lord Alexander MacDonald,
10th Baronet of Nova Scotia, Chief of the MacDonalds of the Isles, granted
to James Currie of Balilone and Garrachoran, the right to use the Lord
of the Isles tartan as the basis for his own family tartan. This grant was reconfirmed on August 22, 1971 to the last
of the Balilone line of Currie’s, Col. William McMurdo Currie by
Lord MacDonald, the Right Honourable Godfrey James Macdonald of Macdonald,
High Chief of Clan Donald. The grant states:
"I Godfrey James Macdonald of Macdonald, Lord, Macdonald,
take pleasure in granting to you the right to use the Lord of the Isles
Tartan, with certain heraldic differences, as your own Family Tartan.
The difference to consist of two tinctures from your own Coat-of-Arms,
namely Black and Gold, the same to constitute a guard to the darker green
square of the basic Lord of the Isles Tartan. This is done in recognition
of you as the present Representer of the Highland Family or Clan of Currie,
anciently Clan MacMhuirich, who of old were the Historians to the Lords
of the Isles. This confirms an earlier grant of August 1822 made by Sir
Alexander of Sleat, 10th Bart and 2nd Lord Macdonald giving to your great-great-grandfather,
James Currie of Balilone and Garrochoran the right to this aforesaid Tartan." The tartan remained in a restricted state, i.e. solely for the use of the Balilone and Garrachoran line of Currie’s until 1991. This explains the virtual absence of the tartan from many of the standard tartan publications, which have never maintained complete catalogs of the vast array of registered tartans. The tartan was adopted as the official tartan for the entire clan in 1992.
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