Tartan design unattributed

This tartan was designed to commemorate Lawrence of Arabia. The orange brown represents Wadi Rum and his famous raid on Aqaba as well as the warm internal hues and tones of Clouds Hill, his secluded Dorset retreat. Red represents his birthplace at Tremadoc and Welsh ancestry. The cross of Saint George is contrived in the sett to demonstrate his admiration for ‘Richard the Lionheart’ and his thesis on Crusader Castles. Blue and green represent Irish connections and two periods of RAF service.

Russian Romantic writer, poet, and painter Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov—often known as “the poet of the Caucasus”—left a powerful literary legacy in the short span of his life. In just six years, he composed more than 30 major poems, 600 minor ones, five dramas, and a novel that helped shape the Russian psychological tradition.

Born in Moscow into a noble family, Lermontov was raised in the village of Tarkhany (now Lermontovo in Penza Oblast). His paternal line descended from the Scottish Learmonth family. One ancestor, Yuri (George) Learmonth, a Scottish officer in the Polish-Lithuanian service, settled in Russia in the mid-17th century. Family legend traces this lineage back to the famed 13th-century Scottish seer and poet Thomas the Rhymer—also known as Thomas Learmonth of Erceldoune.

Brilliant, impulsive, and purposefully provocative, Lermontov embodied the spirit of a Byronic hero, attracting both acclaim and controversy. His life ended dramatically in a fatal cliffside duel with a former friend and fellow soldier.

In 2014, a monument honoring Lermontov was unveiled in the Scottish village of Earlston, a place linked to his poetic ancestor, Thomas the Rhymer. This symbolic gesture celebrated not only Lermontov’s literary contributions but also his deep ancestral ties to Scotland.

The Lermontov tartan commemorates this dual heritage. The white lines on blue symbolize Saint Andrew, patron saint of both Russia and Scotland, as well as the Scottish saltire. These elements honor the Lermontov family's Scottish roots. The remaining colors are drawn from the Lermontov coat of arms, registered in Russia in 1798. The three black lines in the tartan represent the three lozenges featured in that heraldic device. ❤️ 💙 🤍 💛 🖤 ✍️ 🇷🇺

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According to the official tartan register records, this tartan (published in 1850) and was produced for his own use by Sir Walter Scott in 1822, and that he wore it in private, in the form of a Lowland shepherd's plaid.