Question for those who only wear tartans in their bloodline

[Tam Piperson]

I wouldn't fret too much about seeking any greater justification for wearing a certain tartan more than choosing one that serves to identify the surname that you happen to bear.

The idea of named tartans seems to have first originated with the fact that each of the old Highland regiments wore some specific variation of the Government tartan, with distinguishing overstripes or color variations to the original pattern. Since the Highland regiments were typically named for their founders, the tartans worn by those regiments took on the regiment's name; i.e. the Gordon Highlander's tartan for example, or the Fraser Highlander's tartan, or John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod's Highlander's tartan. or John Murray the Duke of Atholl's Highlander's tartan.

Within a decade or so of the begining of the 19th century the idea that tartans bore the names of certain Highland regiments came to be transferred to the notion that tartans were associated with certain Scottish clans; and thus the notion of named Clan tartans was born.

Also, unless I'm mistaken, the DNA tests that are currently available probably wouldn't be able to pinpoint either an exact clan association or even a precise geographical origin, since many clans are descended from a common ancestor whose descendants then went on to found other clans.

Even the chiefs of some clans are not direct patrilineal descendants of the founder of the clan. The late John MacLeod of MacLeod for example was actually born John Wolrige-Gordon, a younger son of Joan Walter and Captain Robert Wolrige-Gordon. His mother, Joan being one of two daughters born to the late Dame Flora MacLeod and her husband Hubert Walter.

Since Dame Flora inherited the chiefship of the Clan MacLeod from her father Sir Reginald MacLeod, the line would have died off in Dame Flora's side of the family and the chiefship would have passed to one of her MacLeod cousins. In order to prevent this, her grandson, John Wolrige-Gordon, legally changed his surname to MacLeod of MacLeod and thus claimed the chiefship of the Clan MacLeod when his maternal grandmother died.

The Chief of the Clan Hay, Merlin Hay, the Earl of Erroll, likewise was born Merlin Moncreiffe, the eldest son of Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk and his wife Diana Hay, 23rd Countess of Erroll. Merlin later changed his surname to his mother's maiden name of Hay so that he could claim the Earldom of Erroll; while his younger brother, Peregrine was allowed to inherit the chiefship of the Moncreiffes from their father on his death.