Assistance with livery colors for clans????????

[Tartan Tess]

What does "Livery Colors" pertain to exactly? are horses involved?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

What does "Livery Colors" pertain to exactly? are horses involved?

The word "livery" comes from the old French "livree" meaning to deliver; the practice of giving servants clothes in the heraldic colours of their master gave rise to the term "livery colours".

When blazoning a coat of arms each of the elements is described by shape, attitude, and colour. A gold shield with a black spur rowel on it would be blazoned "or (the heraldic term for the metal gold) a mullet (the heraldic term for a spur rowel) sable (the heraldic term for the colour black). Following the practice of using the first named metal and colour (or and sable/gold and black) these would constitute the livery colours of the person to whom the arms belonged.

So, how are livery colours used?

Today, as in medieval times, livery colours are often worn by employees at great estates and are also used for racing colours (see, horses are involved). In the days when it was possible to employ domestic household staff it was customary to provide them with "livery"-- usually two suits, one black, the other a greyish tweed. In addition, the employer would also supply full livery for the household staff to wear when working "up stairs". Full livery for a butler was a tail coat, high buttoned waistcoat, white shirt, black four in hand tie, and grey striped trousers for day wear which, in the evening, were replaced by black dress trousers and the tie was replaced by a black bow tie. In most houses footmen wore the same outfits, except with metal buttons and black trousers, often with a striped waistcoat; in the evening they would don a black bow tie and striped waistcoat. In truly grand houses state livery might also be provided and this would inevitably be in the "livery colours" derived from the employer's coat of arms. This was a truly amazing outfit, usually with buckled shoes, silk stockings, velvet knee britches and coat with a contrasting satin waistcoat, all in livery colours. The entire ensemble was topped off, quite literally, with a powdered wig and a huge bicorne hat, usually festooned with lots of flat gold braid. Other than at coronations I rather doubt state livery is worn much these days, at least outside of Buckingham Palace.

In less exalted spheres, livery colours are often seen in striped ties, garters, or as cockades on bonnets, in the work-a-day world of Highland Games.