Like the preceding design, this is one of the five tartans omitted from
the published _Vestiarium Scoticum_; and it differs from the Stewart
of Appin merely in the number and the tint of the lines intersecting
the red squares. In the same respects it differs also from the Royal
Stewart, the evolution of which is somewhat remarkable. When the Royal
Company of Archers adopted the Royal Stewart as their uniform early
last century, the tartan presented an aspect not easily reconciled
with its present setting—as the relics of the old dress show—but
the change has been very gradual. The wedding coat of Charles II.,
preserved in the collection of the Duke of St Albans at Bestwood, is
said to be adorned with ribbons of Royal Stewart. This example the
author has not yet had an opportunity of verifying. The Stewart of
Galloway is a family tartan, restricted in use to the house whose name
it bears, and its more immediate connections. It was in considerable
favour in the early years of the present century among families allied
to the Galloway Stewarts; but of its earlier use available records
afford no trace, though there is reason to regard its wear soon after
the Union of the Kingdoms as highly probable.
[Illustration: XXXVI. STEWART OF GALLOWAY]