Apr 6
the Declaration of Arbroath 1320
Declaration of Scottish Independence
Declaration of Scottish Independence, Arbroath (1320)The Coat of Arms of Scotland
"It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."
~ The Declaration of Arbroath
To mark the declaration of Scottish Independence at Arbroath Abbey in 1320, we have the tartan "The Declaration" (also known formally as "Declaration of Scottish Independence, Arbroath 1320").
Designed to commemorate the 'Declaration of Arbroath' dated 6th April 1320, a letter from the Scottish earls and barons in support of King Robert the Bruce and his battle for Scottish independence, this tartan is designed to portray both the Royal Standard of Scotland and the Scottish Saltire.
By designer Steven Patrick Sim, this tartan was registered in late 2014 to coincide with Saint Andrew's Day, and is embedded throughout with symbolism and story-telling by the choice of colours, geometry, and thread counts to represent Scotland's past, present and future.
For a full description of the rationale for the tartan's design, click the tartan itself to learn about the symbolic representation of:
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Robert the Bruce and the legend of the spider
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the ancient saltire
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the Scottish referendum on Independence of 2014
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the future 700th anniversary of the Declaration in 2020
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and the powerful and mythical chained Unicorn of Scotland
And for more about Scotland's official animal as illustrated on its coat of arms, click the unicorn for a fascinating article on the history of the unicorn.