First created in 1963, the
Cornish National tartan was designed by the poet
E. E. Morton Nance, nephew of
Robert Morton Nance. Each colour of tartan has a special significance or meaning. The white cross on a black background is from the banner of
Saint Piran, the patron saint of tinners, which is also used as the
flag of Cornwall; Black and gold were the colours of the ancient
Kings of Dumnonia; red for legs and beak of the national bird, the
Cornish chough, and blue for the blue of the sea surrounding Cornwall. A prototype of the Cornish national tartan was first worn by Morton-Nance in the 1963
Celtic Congress held at
Carbis Bay attached to a
Clan Douglas kilt that he was wearing for the occasion. The Cornish Hunting Tartan was registered in 1984. The following Cornish tartans have been registered with the
Scottish Tartans Authority (reference numbers shown below), and thus are also included in the newer database of the
Scottish Register of Tartans. ==Family tartans==