red woolen yarn; white and black glass beads; beads are approximately 2-3mm wide (about 2 times size of today’s size 12 beads.

Made of loom woven beadwork, 21 rows wide. The garter narrows at each end to 15 rows. Its fringe is braided partway for about 4cm, then knotted, and then the three strands of each braid lie loose. Each strand is comprised of two-ply thread.

Linked concentric squares.

Probably an arm garter.

This garter was collected by military officers who fought in the Seven Years' War.

It is most likely that the collector or collectors of the 18th century North American indigenous items now at Blair Castle were soldiers related to the Duke of Atholl who fought in North America during the Seven Years' War (specifically between 1759 and 1768). These include the Duke’s nephews, Lieut. James Murray of the 42nd Highland Regiment (Black Watch) and Captain George Murray, Royal Navy. Another possible source is Lieut. Alexander Farquharson, who collected Great Lakes indigenous items for his patron, ? Farquharson, Laird of Invercauld and husband of the Duke’s niece, Lady Sinclair. A 1768 letter in the Blair Castle archives shows that Capt. George Murray, then returned to Europe, had sent things both to the Duke and to the Lady Sinclair and her mother. Lieut. James Murray and Alexander Farquharson fought in the army of Lord Amherst, which moved up from New York City, along the Hudson River, Lake George, and Lake Champlain to Montreal in 1759-60, fighting alongside Hodenosaunee and Anishinaabe allies. The items at Blair Castle could have originated amongst either, but the location of Amherst's army through Mohawk and other Hodenosaunee territories makes a Hodenosaunee origin especially likely for many of them.

GRASAC site visit April 28, 2009. Participants: Alison Brown, Henrietta Lidchi, Ruth Phillips and Nancy Wachowich, assisted by Blair Castle archivist Jane Anderson.