An elderly Scottish couple who appear to have lost a historic, 270-year-old tartan ''plaid'' say they are ''anxious'' to find it.
The plaid, or blanket, believed to have been worn by Captain John Ogilvy before the Battle of Culloden in 1746, had been in the possession of the New Zealand branch of the Ogilvy clan for three generations.
But in 1998 it was sent to the head of the clan, and owner of Cortachy Castle, near Dundee, Lord David Airlie, for safekeeping.
Robyn MacIntosh-Handtschoewercker, a Cardrona member of the family who helped ship the plaid back to Scotland, learned recently the plaid had gone missing, and she told the Otago Daily Times of her concerns last month.
Lord Airlie did not respond to ODT inquiries at the time, but this week several newspapers in Scotland picked up the story.
The Times' Scottish edition reported police had investigated but had not found the plaid and also ''found no evidence that a crime was committed''.
The paper said Lady Airlie (82) had searched the castle ''high and low'' without success.
''Unfortunately, it was obviously put somewhere not where I thought,'' Lady Airlie said.
''There's nothing odd about it - it's just been misplaced and I can't put my hands on it.
''It's a big house, the castle.
''There are things that have been there since 1500 or 1600.''
Lady Airlie said she and her husband had been ''absolutely thrilled'' to receive the plaid from Mrs MacIntosh-Handtschoewercker.
''I am just as anxious about it as she is.
''It is possible the tartan was lent to one of our extended family at some stage for an event of some sort and I have been contacting our many relatives to check.
''I can only say that I am tracing it through every single one of the children, the nephews, the nieces and the grandchildren.
''I've left messages all over the world for them,'' Lady Airlie said.
Mrs MacIntosh-Handtschoewercker said yesterday she was glad Lord and Lady Airlie were being ''proactive'' in contacting extended family who might have borrowed the plaid.
''We hope it is being taken care of.''
The Times said Lady Airlie was a ''lady of the bedchamber to the Queen'' and the Scottish Daily Mail said Lord Airlie, as Lord Chamberlain, had planned the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
It described them as one of the foremost aristocratic families in Scotland with links to the Royal Family dating back centuries.
The couple recently vacated their castle.
