The tartan seems to have been first worn by Kennedy families in the
Lochaber district. Tradition avers that some centuries back Ulric
Kennedy, a scion of the Ayrshire Kennedys who came originally from
Ireland, settled in Lochaber, and that all bearing the name in this
locality are descended from him. In the Highlands they are known as Mac
Ulrics or Clan Ulric, and are said to have once mustered considerable
force. The design has been accepted by the Kennedys in Carrick, many of
whom adopted it last century as an emblem of their Jacobite sympathies.
Several early examples of the pattern are in existence, and one of
these is here reproduced in the exact tints of the original. As will be
seen in the plate, the single red stripe is scarlet and the two fine
red lines are crimson; but manufacturers, to save themselves trouble,
have been accustomed to vitiate the design by failing to mark this
distinction. It is noteworthy that the tartan bears little resemblance
to any other Lochaber design of ancient date, and that the Kennedys,
while generally allied with the Camerons, have ever maintained their
own colours. They regard as their chief the Marquis of Ailsa, who is
head of the Kennedys of Ayrshire.
[Illustration: XIII. KENNEDY]