In Search of Scotch (Tape)

It's been months since we went in search of the origin of Scotch Tape and Tartan Park. Having grown up with the plaid and iconic Scotch brand, it's association with 3M has always been a curiosity. Company folklore has one version of the story, but I've always believed one of the founders had roots in a Scottish clan. Frankly, I had no idea where to find a clan, and there is no corporate genealogy map at 3M that would guide me. But there was a wedding on the Isle of Skye we wanted to attend, and we thought we might explore around that to see what we could learn or find.

We were the Reyersfive, edition 2016. Kent and Mariah with son Jansen joined us for the flight through Amsterdam, enroute Edinbrough. Jansen proved a natural traveler, in Reyers tradition. Our search started at the Edinbrough castle, which peered over our hotel from on top of the hill. No clans there.
Only royalty, starting with the reign of David 1 in the 12th century, reminding us that the scale of history is significantly different in Europe than in the U.S.. As one of the most besieged places in the world throughout it's many historical conflicts, it is the modern day historical center of Scottish military history. But no clans.

Mariah, our coordinator of tourist stops, took us next to Cawdor Castle, one of the few remaining privately held castles in Scotland. Fascinating in that it remains the summer home of the Dowager Countess Cowder, descendent of William Calder, 6th Thane of Cawdor. Well, a descendent by marriage, anyway. She is the estranged step mother of Colin Campbell, 7th Earl of Cawder. She was married to Hugh Campbell, 6th Earl of Cawder, and was co-director, with the 6th, of a company that runs the castle as a tourist attraction. Back in 2001, the Earl moved into the castle with his family without permission while the Countess was away on holiday after running the castle during the tourist season. She got a court injunction evicting him from the castle for disregarding terms of a lease agreement. Further evidence to me that families should never go into business together.

Bottom line was, no clans involved. The castle was beautiful, with artwork and artifacts centuries old, and collected over the 800 years the family occupied the castle and it's 100,000 acres. The surrounding gardens, largely built under the influence of the Countess over the last few decades, were stunning. She seems to run a tight ship, and the tour was very much worth it. But the family was no clan, and we could find no evidence of 3M boxes or Scotch tape.

The Isle of Skye is a beautiful part of the highlands, with very high oceanside cliffs and bluffs, and vast areas of sheep grazing land. It’s sometimes hard to discern exactly where the money comes from to sustain the villages, other than fishing, but they do sustain them. A local distillery, Tallisker Scotch, keeps at least a couple of hundred fed. Of course, we had to stop by to inspect, on our way to the Fairy Pools, where photo-ops were everywhere. It wasn’t so much the uniqueness of the stream that fed pools carved out over who knows how many centuries, but it was rather the hundreds of people that choose to hike up the mountainside along those pools to see them. Quite an exhausting hike, frankly, especially if hauling a hefty toddler on your shoulders. 

All that followed our success in finding a real clan. Our visit to Dunvegan Castle, home to the Clan MacLeod, revealed a rich history that lives to this day through the leadership of the current Chief, Hugh Magnus MacLeod. He still lives in the castle and presides over the clan through the MacLeod society (MacLeod Society,) with branches in ten countries, including the U.S.. Begun in the mid 13th century (yes, that's over 800 years of history) by Leod, who descended from the Norse Kings of Man, gained possession of much of Skye at that time. Through marriage, he acquired Dunvegan, building the castle that would become the seat of the clan, which takes its name from the sons of Leod. Until now I was unaware that mac is Gaelic for son.

At some point in the 14th century, a bitter rivalry emerged between the MacLeod clan and the MacDonald clan, which resulted in incredibly barbaric episodes of combat between the two groups. Some of these clashes were described in the museum in the castle, giving you a feel that to be a clan was not without it's cost and sacrifice. To survive all that for 800 years is quite a testament to the loyalty and honor of the clan. However, I could find no reference in the castle to a correlation between the plaid, tartan, or Scotch and 3M. Nor to the association of Scotch and the attribute of cheapness, which is part of 3M lore.  

The Scottish Highlands are breathtakingly gorgeous. Somewhat barron, the hills culminate at the sea in beautiful cliffs. Roadways are narrow, but still navigated by tour buses, making for some tight traffic fits. The wedding, held in a delightful small hotel in the southeast corner of the Isle, was a huge success. Here are a few photo's to give you a feel for our surroundings: