Walker tartan?

[RandallWalker]

I have done tons of research on the 'walker' history and when it comes to tartans i find a new one everytime i look, is it because they were never made until 1900's?, and i also read new and different stories about my history, anything will help what does it look like and i already have the idea not one is right.

[Bigkahuna]

Hi Randall, I am also a Walker and would like to hear more about your research into the Walker history. Evidently I am a decendant of Rev. George Walker who was killed in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne. Would love to hear from you. John Walker

[M. A. C. Newsome]

There are three Walker name tartans, all designed in 1993 by Robert Walker Hawks of TN. There is a red one, named "formal" or "evening" by the designer, a green hunting one, and a white dress one. Any of these three would require custom weaving for you, but they can be had.

Other than that, the Walkers are traditionally considered as septs of Clan Gregor and the Stewarts of Appin, so those tartans would also be possibilities.

[RockyR]

Posted in the General section and here as well:

Here are the results for 'Walker' on the Scottish Tartans Authority website:

http://www.tartansauthority.com/web/...atus=firstload

It looks like the Walkers are a sept of MacGregor and maybe the Stewarts of Appin. It ALSO looks like someone registered a few Walker tartans in 1993 and someone else registered one in 2003.

Please note that just because these tartans EXIST in the STA Database does not mean that they're all readily available as 'stock tartans' from any mill. Most of the MacGregor ones and the Stewart Appin tartans are readily available, but none of the major mills stock the Walker tartans. They CAN be specially woven, but the price will go up.

Hope this info helps!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Walkers are also septs of MacNaughton and MacMillan. In the case of the M'Millans the name refers to working (or wauking) wool, prior to its being spun into yarn for weaving. Two centuries ago "Thomas MacMillan" could have been called "Tom the Wauker" by his neighbours and friends which, in the course of a generation -- or less, would have become "Tom Walker" in English.

I personally wouldn't wear Robert Walker's tartan-- I'm not related to him nor do I owe him any personal allegiance, two things which are certainly implied by the wearing of a clan tartan. If you know where in Scotland your family came from I'd go with that district tartan, or join one of the clan societies which recognize "Walker" as one of their own, and wear that tartan.

[thescot]

The smarter and more knowledgable guys beat me to it, but I was going to say that my understanding is that there are so many Walker strands that there are several routes which one might choose in determining exactly which "clan" to claim.

I had a friend who was a Walker, and he decided to go with the tartan on Walker Shortbread boxes as the easiest route. It's a very ice red tartan, similar to MacGregor, I think.

[RandallWalker]

Well from what i have found all i can come up with is my ancestory goes back to glasgow/edinberg Which i would also like to know because i am going to scotland for a 2 week trip and i want to go to the main spots for walker heritage, But i do want a kilt made i just would like to find a good match for me, that is walker.

[gilmore]

For assured certainty, there really is no substitute (but one) for the long and sometimes arduous work of genealogical research, following the paper trail backward in history, generation by generation, solidly establishing proof of ancestry before moving on the to the next earlier generation.

There is one exception: Y DNA testing. Y chromosomes are passed from father to son, as are surnames, usually. The test is painless, takes about six weeks and can cost from $99 to around $300, depending how exacting you wish the results to be. Family Tree DNA is the largest, has the largest database, so is therefore most likely to provide you with matches. Their website is http://www.familytreedna.com/ Even if you don't find a match, that in itself will tell you where further research would not likely be fruitful. I see it has a goodly sized, 541 member, Walker surname project where you might be likely to find relatives and answers to your questions. http://www.familytreedna.com/public/...s/default.aspx Also, Family Tree DNA often offers discounts to those who join via a surname project.

You might want to be prepared for disappointment, though, if you have your heart set on being descended from Scottish Walkers. http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk shows roughly as many in England as in Scotland.

Good luck!

[Rampant Lion]

The smarter and more knowledgable guys beat me to it, but I was going to say that my understanding is that there are so many Walker strands that there are several routes which one might choose in determining exactly which "clan" to claim.

I had a friend who was a Walker, and he decided to go with the tartan on Walker Shortbread boxes as the easiest route. It's a very ice red tartan, similar to MacGregor, I think.

The tartan on the Walker shortbread boxes/tins is the Grant tartan. If I remember correctly I read somewhere that the reason they chose the Grant tartan was because there wasn't a Walker tartan and that they were located in Grantown.

[Deil the Yin]

I have done tons of research on the 'walker' history and when it comes to tartans i find a new one everytime i look, is it because they were never made until 1900's?, and i also read new and different stories about my history, anything will help what does it look like and i already have the idea not one is right.

Well from what i have found all i can come up with is my ancestory goes back to glasgow/edinberg Which i would also like to know because i am going to scotland for a 2 week trip and i want to go to the main spots for walker heritage, But i do want a kilt made i just would like to find a good match for me, that is walker.

I feel your pain, dude. Here is what I have learned regarding the Walker surname:

-- Virtually all Walker surnames can be considered "trade" names, ie derived from an occupation.

-- That occupation would generally be the "waulking" of cloth, which I'm under the impression has something to do with straightening the threads after weaving (from the auld days of course). See/Google also "Waulking Songs."

-- Thus Walker is a very common name in Scotland, England and also Ireland (the mayor of Derry City during its famous siege was a Walker, if I recall...), but the different Walkers are by no means all blood relations.

-- Useless factoid: the surname "Fuller" is also an English equivilant to Walker.

With regard to the Clan Gregor, of which I belong, it is my impression that the Walker association comes from families in the Balquhidder area N of Stirling and Callander in the Trossachs and where Rob Roy is buried. Our Clan Bard Padraig MacNeil told me a story once about the Balquhidder Walkers, who were, he said, originally known as "Mac Uichder" (I haven't taken the time to look back for the correct spelling of that name, mind). I've been pronouncing that Gaelic surname as MAC EWW-ich-dar and as the story goes, as English became more and more dominant in the region, the Mac Uichder's changed their name to the closest sounding English equivilant and thus became Walker. No doubt they got tired of having their name butchered by incoming Lowlanders and Sasanach tourists, eh? It is plausible that some MacGregors took the Surname Walker during the proscription of their own name by the government. Otherwise the Walker connection to MacGregor is only traditional, and not explicit (as far as I know).

A few years later my Dad got a slightly different story from the same Padraig MacNeil which I cant recall but that my dad caught on video. If I can get holt of that video I will try and share...

I also ran across a lot of Walker surnames on gravestones in Fife, as well as a Johnny Walker who was a native Gaelic speaker from Uist, and a lovely older Walker couple from Callander.

FYI: the Clan Gregor Society has a DNA project on-going that you can join or link into. My Dad did a DNA test through this programme, but the results weren't very telling- maybe because of the level of testing he paid for?. We did however find our Morrison pedigree to Combrie in Perthshire! That was pretty cool- go Dad! Anyway, here's a link to the Clan Gregor Project: http://www.clangregor.org/index.html and http://www.clangregor.org/macgregor/dna.html. Dr Richard MacGregor heads up the project and has A LOT of info on the different geneological traces of MacGregor names and aliases. I don't know what he has on Walker, but he's usually really good about responding to posts on the Clan Gregor message board, especially if you have something specific.

While you're back in the Motherland, you might look up Padraig MacNeil? He lives in Dunblane, I believe. I have a number for him around here somewhere that I can send to you. It's a bit old, but may still be good (Erp! Hold that thought- I caint find his business card now...). He's probably in the phone book, too, since he is a full-time practicing bard and seannachaid (sp?).

Well, that's about all I can scoop outa the ol' soup bowl this evening, between the cauld nicht an' whisky... Hope you find your joy!

Cheers,
Wesley