Wear of Clan Tartan by non-Clan Members

**David Thorpe** · 26th July 12, 11:43 AM

I will offer one of those opinions which Jock mentioned. Wearing the tartan of a clan with which one has no affiliation is not a hanging offense. It is not illegal at all. However, the matters of propriety and good taste are quite apart from legality.

Should you wear the tartan and be asked by someone who recognizes it about your affiliation with the clan, how will you answer without causing embarrassment to yourself or to the questioner? If you have a suitable reason, or if respect is simply of no consequence to you, then there is no need to be concerned about it. The inquirer is not likely to pursue further conversation.

**Meggers** · 26th July 12, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by David Thorpe

I will offer one of those opinions which Jock mentioned. Wearing the tartan of a clan with which one has no affiliation is not a hanging offense. It is not illegal at all. However, the matters of propriety and good taste are quite apart from legality.

Should you wear the tartan and be asked by someone who recognizes it about your affiliation with the clan, how will you answer without causing embarrassment to yourself or to the questioner? If you have a suitable reason, or if respect is simply of no consequence to you, then there is no need to be concerned about it. The inquirer is not likely to pursue further conversation.

***

Thats exactly where I would feel uncomfortable. If you are married to a member of the clan, no problem. If you were adopted by members of the clan, no problem. There are many ways that someone who isnt an official clan member could really pull it off and have it be very meaningful and authentic and no one would dare argue. The other thing to note is that there are many tartans out there that have no clan affiliation and can be worn by anyone, Scottish or not. I'd grab one of those before I would grab at a clan tartan that I am not connected to, just to save myself the embarassment of having to explain to other people that I am just wearing it because I feel like it.

Theres also something special about wearing something that is a little piece of yourself. My tartan that I have is Co. Derry from Ireland and, while I've never been to Northern Ireland and certainly never stepped a toe in Derry, I wear it with pride because it's a piece of me. I know that when I am with other kilted individuals, theirs somehow reflects them and mine reflects me. It is as though it's a badge of pride to wear something that is yours. Even people with no Scottish heritage can find that connection to a tartan, whether it's a religious tartan, a club tartan, a military tartan, etc. There are even tartans for other countries that they might want to wear and can wear that with ownership and pride.

Just my 0.02 for what it's worth. Sorry for the ramble.

**English Bloke** · 26th July 12, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by David Thorpe

... or if respect is simply of no consequence to you...

Ooooohhh!

David... Mate... Thanks for being so straight to the point.

I wear a number of different tartans from a number of different clans, some of which I have connection to and some I have no connection to at all. I also wear some district tartans as well as universals (some of which are also clan tartans by the way).

I have a good understanding of all of the tartans I wear and if called upon, I can give a clear account of not just the tartan but also the clan and it's history.

I can also explain the history and origins of tartan in general and why certain clans wear the tartans they do. I can literally "bore" for Britain on matters tartan. Most people who have pursued this avenue of question with me have usually glazed over after quarter of an hour, then made their excuses and moved away. I have spent a great deal of time studying it and it shows.

I never mix tartans and I always dress appropriate to the occasion. I have invested not inconsiderable expense in ensuring that I can turn out properly attired to all levels of function with the exception of white tie (although my chances of being invited to one of those or even accepting the invitation are slim to never). I may dress casually most of the time but that's 'cause I'm a casual kind of chap. But even when doing so, I never sport the Kilt in a sloppy manner.

Were I to venture into the Scottish Highlands where tradition is considerably stronger than it is in my neck of the Englandshire woods. And were I brave enough to even put a Kilt on up there, I would only wear the tartan to which my Family has a direct connection, for exactly the reasons stated in David's post above.

As I see it, I wear all my Kilts respectfully. I believe anyone can wear any tartan they choose, provided they also treat the tartan AND the Kilt with respect. If in the pursuit of this line, the choice that individual makes is to only wear one tartan or a selection of tartans from one clan, then that's absolutely fine. If like me, they choose a tartan they like or an assortment of tartans, that too is fine (with me at least, I'm not one to judge a persons moral standing by the clothes they choose to wear, or NOT wear).

Of course my approach could be construed as not respectful at all. Again we are free to think what we will. You pays your money, you makes your choice. I will probably burn in the fires of Hell for this ethos but I'll take my chances for now. I'm not breaking any laws, not where I live anyway.

By the way... there has been lots of discussion on this topic here previously. Use the search feature to pull out some older threads if you fancy an interesting wander through the XMarks archive and see what others have said on the matter...

**McClef** · 26th July 12, 12:45 PM

I wonder how many times this topic has now done the rounds!

**dea3369** · 28th July 12, 07:20 AM

First, thanks to all who responded (and not responded because others have already "voiced" their position). The general idea is what I expected. Mainly, it is inappropriate to wear clan tartan if one does not have affiliation to that clan. However, it surprised me to know that there are no real rules. On the hand, I guess there are no real rules for wearing other "group" clothing eitehr.

Originally Posted by McClef

I wonder how many times this topic has now done the rounds!

I knew that it must have been discussed before. I tried searching for those, but obviously my search skills need work.

**Mael Coluim** · 28th July 12, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by dea3369

....SNIP
I knew that it must have been discussed before. I tried searching for those, but obviously my search skills need work.

The search function isn't the friendliest. I can't find things on it sometimes when I know it is out there. On the otherhand, some of us expect to "beat the dead horse" a number of times over the years. Its always good to get newer members input and not enshrine what was stated before. After all the topic of the kilt is rather limited. But we do manage to have a lot to say about it!

**Friday** · 28th July 12, 09:43 AM

Back to a question I asked in another thread this week, what is a clan? I have the surname of one of the low land Scot families. The family tree has been traced back to Ireland and from there there is fairly good indication that Irish branch came from Scotland. However, it is not clear if they did come over and if they did it is not clear if they were part of the family aligned with the Clan Chief of same name.

I do not belong to any of the Clan associations and the current Clan has no Clan Chief. Can I wear the tartan related to my surname, simply because of my surname or must there be some stronger Clan tie? Can there be a Clan if there is not Clan Chief?

**Mael Coluim** · 28th July 12, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Friday

Back to a question I asked in another thread this week, what is a clan? I have the surname of one of the low land Scot families. The family tree has been traced back to Ireland and from there there is fairly good indication that Irish branch came from Scotland. However, it is not clear if they did come over and if they did it is not clear if they were part of the family aligned with the Clan Chief of same name.

I do not belong to any of the Clan associations and the current Clan has no Clan Chief. Can I wear the tartan related to my surname, simply because of my surname or must there be some stronger Clan tie? Can there be a Clan if there is not Clan Chief?

There are no Clans anymore, Friday. There are Clan Socities and Associations that you pay dues to belong to. Some will ask for your pedigree to join but I doubt any will question it closely. A quick read of this thread will show a varied response to your question of entitlement to wear a certain tartan. IMHO your surname that has a tartan associated with is reason enough.

**guardsman** · 21st September 12, 03:04 PM

a clan is a feudal,political thing to me. I am guzzling whiskey so excuse me, my parents told me what i can wear and thats it end of story. People can make their own rules dont mean their right. grandmas from Robertson and MacAllister stock (maternal and paternal) grandpa from Cameron stock, all Scots. I do as Im told but proud of that. Qestion does your tartan describe you. If not why not

**fcgeil** · 29th September 12, 08:19 AM

I lean more toward the "only wear a tartan if you are a member of that clan" school of thought. However, I realize that most people can't distinguish one tartan from another (except for some easy ones, like Loud MacLeod [MacLeod of Lewes]), so in reality, it probably doesn't matter. Just be warned that there are many people who will be offended/upset/irritated with you if you wear a tartan to which you are not "entitled."

Personally, I had a bear of a time discovering my tartan. Why? I was adopted by a German father and an English mother. After I turned 18, I had to track down my birth family on my own, and 26 years later, I managed to do so, discovering that my bio father was/is Lakota Sioux (American Indian), and my bio mother is/was a MacLeod.