How many tartans does your clan/sept/surname have?

[MacBubba45]

Remember folks that color variations -- ancient, modern, weathered, muted, reproduction, etc. -- do not different tartans make.

So, for example, my grandmother's name of Armstrong has one tartan. And that one tartan can be woven in the ancient colors, or modern colors, or weathered colors, etc. But it's one tartan.

What an excellent point! By this reckoning, Colquhoun has one tartan, in Ancient and Modern (the two (my edit) most common); a Hunting of which I've only seen one kilt made of this; and a Dress of which I've only seen a computer composed image...but it's a looker because we've got such a damn good looking tartan to work with.

Dress:



But I still prefer Modern even tho' I have kilts in both Modern and Ancient:

[vipermcgee]

As a Crawford, we have the usual variants, plus Crawford Arisaid (dance). Some wear the tartans of Clans Lindsay, Boyd, or Wallace. Oh, and Limerick County. Anyone care to count all that for us?

Robert


PS Matt, did I leave anything out? Most of this is from the Scottish Tartan Authority website, and a little from other personal research and a few books.

[ForresterModern]

Forrester/Forster/Foster clan has only two tartans, Forrester Modern and Forrester Hunting Modern(no ancient, muted or weathered versions), of which I have one 8-9 yard kilt each. Tartans are woven by Strathmore mills only in 13oz except 16 oz on special order (my Hunting is 16oz---courtesy of a mistake by the company that ordered it for me). Both Tartans have been designed and registered in about the last 40 years or so so have no real historical value in traditional Scottish tartan and clan history. Clan Forrester Society is actually an American origination based in the southern Appalachian Mountains and also only 46 years old, although the name/clan dates back in Scotland to at least the 1200s historically.

Forrester Modern


Forrester Hunting Modern

[Jock Scot]

Forgetting the ancient, modern,weathered and muted bit, Clan MacLeod have at least a dozen tartans, probably more. At a guess, so do Clan Donald.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Clan MacMillan has three tartans:

Hunting, Ancient, and Dress. (Although the dress is believed to be older than the ancient sett; go figure.)

[ThistleDown]

The Davidsons have three but also wear the Clan Chattan.

[lethearen]

Ferguson of Atholl is what most think of when hearing Ferguson... there's also Ferguson of Balquhidder, Ferguson the Astronmer (?), and a couple of dress - one blue (sans green) and one green (sans blue).

[beloitpiper]

House of Gordon has Modern, Ancient, Dress, and Red

[EagleJCS]

Going by Mr. Newsom's reckoning, Clan Scott has three main tartans: Red, Green and Hunting (with Modern, Ancient and Weathered variations of each).

Per the Scottish Tartan Authority, there are also three other Scott 'associated' (my term) tartans: Sir Walter Scott (fashion), Scott black & white, and Scott Autumn (fashion).

There is also a Dress Scott (white base instead of red), but I hesitate to include it as it's mainly worn by Highland Dancers, if at all.

The Chief of Clan Scott, His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury, also has his own Buccleuch tartan.

[SteveB]

Clan MacNeil has only 3 tartans:

Clan MacNeil of Barra ITI 1767
Clan MacNeil of Colonsay ITI 196
These are the only two tartans recognized by the Clan Chief

Clan MacNeil Chief's Sett ITI 1839
This tartan is restricted to the Clan Chief. The current Clan Chief does not wear this tartan as he feels he should wear the same tartan as the clansmen.

The Scottish Tartans Authority also lists the following:
MacNeil Dress ITI 1974
MacNeil Personal ITI 3500
MacNeil, Royce ITI 7497
These three are not recognized by the Clan Chief. #3500 was designed and named by an individual without following convention.

As I am a MacNeil of Barra, I have only ONE tartan. Various mills produce it in a "Modern" dyes, an "Ancient" dyes and a "weathered" dyes forms. Still the same tartan.