Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
For any questions about reproduction of designs or weaving of these tartans, please contact the registrant directly or via this website.
Sherlock Holmes Day
"The game is afoot!"
~ "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange," Arthur Conan Doyle, 1904
“The game is afoot,” and the warp and weft of this tartan tribute definitely and cleverly hold a few clues! In honor of May 22, the 1859 birthday of Arthur Conan Doyle, we investigate this Sherlock Holmes tartan, designed for devoted fans and Sherlockian societies as a tribute to literature’s most famous consulting detective.
Doyle’s own Scottish birth and Irish ancestry are reflected in the blue and green of the design, while the lighter blue with brown edging represents the Reichenbach Falls, site of the dramatic confrontation between Holmes and his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. A gold stripe symbolizes Holmes’ celebrated status as one of London’s greatest detectives, while the overall palette cleverly weaves together Victorian intrigue, Highland tradition, and just a touch of Baker Street mystery.
Many devoted Sherlockians also participate in “The Great Game,” an ongoing and delightfully detailed pursuit in which enthusiasts attempt to resolve inconsistencies and uncover hidden details within Conan Doyle’s 56 short stories and four novels. Treating Holmes and Dr. Watson as real historical figures — with Conan Doyle merely acting as Watson’s literary agent — fans analyze clues, timelines, and Victorian history to construct complete biographies and explain contradictions within the canon. Among the most famous mysteries are the changing location of Dr. Watson’s war wound, described as being in his shoulder in A Study in Scarlet and in his leg in The Sign of Four, along with the question of Watson’s first name, called John in some stories yet referred to as James in The Man with the Twisted Lip. It’s elementary, dear kilt wearers! 💚 💙 🤍 💛 🤎 📚 🔎 🔎 🔎
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was born this day, May 22, 1892.
This newer tartan, registered in 2017, was according to the official register:
"Created to show his followers that a tartan has been designed in his name. The creator of Sherlock Holmes was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born in Scotland with Irish ancestry, hence the blue and green in the tartan. The lighter blue with the brown edging represents the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, and the gold/yellow strip represents the deductive clarity of Sherlock Holmes as one of the leading detectives of London."
First appearing in print in 1887 (in A Study in Scarlet), the character's popularity became widespread with the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine, beginning with "A Scandal in Bohemia" in 1891.
All but one are set in the Victorian or Edwardian eras, between about 1880 and 1914. Most are narrated by the character of Holmes's friend and biographer Dr. Watson, who usually accompanies Holmes during his investigations and often shares quarters with him at the address of 221B Baker Street, London, where many of the stories begin.
For a list of the official canon of Sherlock Holmes works, click the photograph of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes from the 1939 film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes."