There are 4 distinct main types of tartan.
If I'm not mistaken, the Johnstons were a "border clan" who had to fight with the English and the Scottish Highlanders for land and property, so thier tartan is considered a "border tartan."
http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php?R_menu=OFF&Dir=wars&FileName=wars_scotcivil.php
The "border tartans" were generally un-named, but what is considered to be the Johnston tartan was registered in the Vestiarium Scoticum in 1842 and it more than likely came from the Aberdeenshire Johnstons whose family seat is at Caskieben, Blackburn.
http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=1899
The Johnston tartan is also known as a "Lowland" tartan because the Johnstons were considered "Lowlanders."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Lowlands
Johnston can also be associated with the clan and tartan of Gunn which are believed to be of Norse descent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Gunn
For the exeption of the black and orange Johnston tartan, the Johnston tartan is blue and green with black and yellow stripes [pictured at the bottom of this page]
There may be signifigance in the colors used for certain tartans.
For instance, I read somewhere that the black and white tartan is associated with mourning, but according to my research, there is no signifigance to the colors used in the Johnston tartan.
I do not know how to read a tartan to determine it's over check, under check, central stripe, etc...
That would require an expert I suppose.
http://www.scotland.org.uk/tartans/the-over-check-continued
The Scots are downright persnickity about thier tartans, so there is actually a Scottish Tartans Authority, also known as the STA.
The Johnston Tartan is STA No. 1063
http://www.scotsgenealogy.com/online/tartans_and_clans.htm
http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan_info.cfm@tartan_id=73.htm
http://www.scotland.org.uk/tartans/johnstone-tartan
"The British government once tried to forbid the wearing of tartan in an attempt to suppress the rebellious Scottish culture"
http://www.scottishtartans.org/tartan.html
"A clan tartan [such as a "Clan Johnston tartan"] is one that represents your clan. It is not necessarily the tartan that your ancestors would have worn hundreds of years ago."
http://www.scottishtartans.org/tartan.html
The tartan mentioned in the URL below known as the Johnston tartan was DATED 1/1/1842, which means it may have existed and been worn by our ancestor Edmund who was the first Johnston in our line to arrive in Jamestown, VA in 1635, because the site below states "this tartan was recorded PRIOR to the launch of The Scottish Register Of Tartans" however, I do not know when the Johnston tartan actually came into existence, or if Edmund, the first Johnston from my line to arrive in America, may have worn what is now known as the Johnston tartan.
If the costumes worn by the Scots in the movie Braveheart were correct, then tartans existed in the late 1200s, but I'm not sure how historcally correct the costumes in Braveheart actually are.
http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=1899
More about the Scottish Lolands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Lowlands
The Johnston Coat Of Arms [Scotland, not England]
http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.c/qx/Johnston-coat-arms.htm?a=54323-292
and
http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/ASP/item.ARM-1000/sId./qx/showproduct.htm
Other Johnston Clan Information :
http://www.clanjohnstone.org/johnstone.clan.history.html
Johnston Family Crest and Name History
http://www.houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&s=johnston
Clan Johnston History
http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclanjohnston.htm
"The Johnstons were a powerful Border Clan who pursued a deadly feud with the Maxwells. Their stronghold was Lochwood Tower, near Beattock, which was burned down by the Maxwells in 1593. The tartan was first published in the Vestiarium Scoticum in 1842. Before that time Border tartans were generally un-named. More likely the tartan came from the Aberdeenshire Johnstons, whose family seat is at Caskieben, Blackburn. (Ref: The Setts.. No. 82. D.C.Stewart.) The source of tartan 1063 was: Vestiarium Scoticum" To learn more about the Tartan, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan and http://www.scottishtartans.org/tartan.html To learn more about Scottish Clans go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_clan More about Clan Johnstone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Johnstone Annandale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annandale,_Dumfries_and_Galloway PURCHASE TARTAN ITEMS To purchase Johnston Tartan Ladies' wool scarves http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/tartan_scarves.htm http://www.scotweb.co.uk/sr_swhdr_cmt_sctw20_l/material/28579 Tartan stuff http://www.scottishlion.com/shopping/8oz-Tartan To purchase Johnston Tartan fabrics go to http://www.scotweb.co.uk/sr_swhdr_tartanbymetre/material/100045 $31.67 per linear metre, $28.96 per yard, 70 cm or 28 inches wide also check ... http://www.scotweb.co.uk/tartan/Johnston/28579?filter_searchterm=johnstone Men's casual kilts in Johnstone Tartan [starting at around $200.00] http://www.scotweb.co.uk/sr_swhdr_fiveyardkilt_madetomeasure?material_products=28579 Tartans Museum Gift Shop, North Carolina http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/ Purchase Johnston / Johnstone Clan items go to http://kiltmakers.co.uk/products/scottish-clans_johnstone/johnston-tartan-sash To purchase Tartan items for the home such as wool blankets go to http://www.thescottishweaver.com/PlaidBlankets/ To purchase the Johnston MacMeerkat [LOL] http://kiltmakers.co.uk/products/scottish-gifts_macmeerkats/johnston-macmeerkat
The dark blue area is ANNANDALE, which is right on the border of England. That is the place where Edmund Johnston lived before he came to America.
Scots in general were a fightin' bunch of people, and so there were various civil wars going on in Scotland for many, many years, and there were probobly wars going on at the time when Edmund left Scotland and arrived in Jamestown, VA in 1635, and that may be the very reason he left Scotland, I'm really not sure.
By the way, since I love living in the United States of America, all I can say is I'm thankful to Edmund Johnston for braving that LONG trip across the ocean to start a new life in the New World !!!!
The look of Johnston or Johnstone tartans vary but the colors for the most part remain the same.
The "muted" tartan such as the one at the top is also referred to as an "ancient" tartan because the dyes used to make the older tartans were not as strong
The brighter Johnston tartans are a bit more modern, and look similar to the military tartan known as "black watch."
You can see the approximate location of Annandale if you look at the letter "S" in the word "Lowlands" - as you can see, Annandale is right on the border of England.