Tradition of tartan grew from event in 1745
This is a brief history of the Kirkin' of the Tartan provided by Becky Bodden, choir director of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Boardman.
On July 25, 1745, young Prince Charles Edward Stewart returned from France and landed at Lochnanaugh, Scotland. There he began the enlistment of the Highland Clans in an attempt to dethrone George II of England and to restore the Scottish throne to the Royal House of Stewart.
After a succession of victorious battles with the English at Prestonpans, Falkirk, Stirling, Edinburgh and Carlisle, the outnumbered and exhausted Highland ranks were defeated April 16, 1746, in what is termed "the bloody battle of Culloden."
To subdue the spirit of the vanquished Highlanders, the English Parliament at Westminster invoked the Act of Proscription that banned the wearing of any sign of the tartan, forbad any speaking in Gaelic, outlawed Scottish music, dancing, or the playing of the pipes.
It was 36 years before the Act of Proscription was revoked. During years, Highland churches had a special day when the Highlanders gathered, each with a small piece of tartan concealed under their clothing and joined in the prayer for the repeal of the devastating Act of Proscription.
When finally the act was repealed, the Highlanders, as noted in the "History of Scotland," returned with joy to their beloved kilt, no longer bound to the unmanly trews of the lowlanders. It is in spiritual continuity with this era of Scottish history that the liturgy of the Kirkin' of the Tartan is celebrated.
In the 1940s, the Rev. Peter Marshall, chaplain of the U.S. Senate and minister of Washington's New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, is believed to have created a service to give solace to Scottish-Americans involved in World War II. The Rev. Mr. Marshall, originally from Coatbridge, Scotland, held prayer services at his church to raise funds for British war relief. He offered a sermon entitled "the Kirkin' o' the Tartans."
This service was similar to the ones conducted in the Scottish Highlands after the Battle of Culloden in 1745 that led to the Act of Proscription. Since the 1940s, the ceremony has been practiced throughout the United States and Canada.