Family Name and Clan

[Streetcar]

My understanding is that the sept (indicated by name) would wear the tartan of the clan to which they had allegiance - based usually by in whose lands they lived.

(Of course there is the inevitable digression about "official" clan/tartan affiliation before The Clearances and King George's visit.)

I guess I should lay my cards on the table. Last year, I suggested that because Lady Gray was Queen of England for nine days and since my my grandmother's maiden name was Gray, that might mean, I could legitimately wear the Stewart Tartan. I was shot down very quickly. Apparently her right to be deemed Queen of England was not accepted by all.

Since then through research, I've discovered that the Gaelic form of Gray is MacGashan. MacGashan is a Sept of the Clan Stewart - Stewarts of Atholl. These Stewarts are a branch of the Royal Stewarts.

Any comments?

With respect, it seems as if you may have all ready answered your own question.
It seems like you have been able to develop a reasonable justification to wear that particular tartan.

But if I may play devil's advocate for a moment, is your desire to wear this tartan to pay respect to the MacGashan branch, or is it that you have found a tartan you would like to wear, and have developed a justification for doing so?

Neither choice is wrong, of course and I mean no disrespect by asking.

[Cawdorian]

Sorry to learn of your accident, I am happy to hear that you are recuperating and all is well with you.

Like Don, I am a descendant of the Patrick's, I know for sure that we are of Clan Lamont and are most assuredly entitled to wear the Lamont tartan. My personal preference is to wear tartans of Clans of which I have a blood tie. My two kilts are both representive clans of my ancestry. My Campbell of Cawdor kilt does double duty as it represents another of my ancestral clans and the District of Argyll.

I believe if anyone digs deeply enough into their ancestry and family history they will find a connection to several tartans.

[Ancienne Alliance]

My understanding is that the sept (indicated by name) would wear the tartan of the clan to which they had allegiance - based usually by in whose lands they lived.

(Of course there is the inevitable digression about "official" clan/tartan affiliation before The Clearances and King George's visit.)



With respect, it seems as if you may have all ready answered your own question.
It seems like you have been able to develop a reasonable justification to wear that particular tartan.

But if I may play devil's advocate for a moment, is your desire to wear this tartan to pay respect to the MacGashan branch, or is it that you have found a tartan you would like to wear, and have developed a justification for doing so?

Neither choice is wrong, of course and I mean no disrespect by asking.

Yes I've been asking myself the same question !

[Arlen]

First off, I am supremely glad that you are O.K! Glad you're doing well enough to get back online.

As far as the rest of your post, yes, the information on that site is indeed correct.

I tend to look for a link with any Kilt I am considering getting. I had (until I got mugged and it got wrecked) a weathered Douglas. The reason I wore it was to honour my Grandfather who served in the Cameronians during WWII.

However, recently I broke with tradition by ordering a Heritage of Wales tartan Kilt.
The only links I can make with it are:
I like the Prince of Wales a lot.
My wife has some Welsh ancestors somewhere reallllly far back.
A friend of mine who died of leukemia was of Welsh ancestry.
Phil's dead Grannie came to him in a dream and said her Welsh ancestors wanted me to get the kilt.

[michaelbeeman]

I prefer to have a connection, myself. But if I find one I really would like to wear, I imagine I will simply seek permission.

[northernsky]

hmmm...feel like the anarchist here...although I wouldn't wear a military, police or corporate plaid, I feel pretty free to wear whatever tartan I like. Some I like and some I don't. I'm not sure to whom I would seek permission to wear a tartan. I would think that the more plaid the better for all concerned. So few people actually know the difference. The Hunting Mackinnon was used by the Hudson Bay Company for years for dressing gowns and shirts. I would just smile to myself whenever I would see one. I certainly didn't take offence because someone not a Mackinnon was wearing it. I happen to like most of my 'family' tartans, but I don't own a dress Mackinnon because I don't really like it (a little too busy for me). If someone else likes it then I would encourage them to wear it, Mackinnon or not, Scottish or not!

[BEEDEE]

Don - I looked up Patrick in Tartan for Me which has a wonderful list of surnames and clan associations. Patrick is associated with both Lamont and MacLaren, so there are two clan tartan possibilities for you. If you are able to get back a few generations, you might be able to either solidify one of these two from the area that your family came from in Scotland, or identify a district tartan.

On top of that, there a a wonderful range of fashion tartans. USA Kilts has many of these on thier web site.

Good hunting,

Brian

[gilmore]

I think one would do well to err on the side of caution in making connections between families based on the same or similar names that just may not be there.

E.g., There is a common Chinese name, "Li" or "Lee," that sounds almost exactly like the British name "Leigh." Are they related? If so, prehistorically, before the coming of surnames. Likewise, "Grey" and "Gray" are not at all unusual names in both Scotland and England. It would take more than similarity of name to establish a connection between Lady (and sometime Queen) Jane Grey and the Scottish MacGashans.

My own surname is said to be a sept of two clans. One connection is extremely dubious, and the other is merely quite doubtful. I have a tartan in neither. It just has not been shown to my satisfaction that we are related to either of these groups of people. We may be related to neither. I am hesitant to invest hundreds of dollars in a kilt, fly plaid, clan badge, argylle hose, and all the other knicknacks that are offerred by the merchants of highland gear until I have more proof. If I did and found I was misinformed, I would feel that I would only have to sell it all. Until then I am happy with district tatans.

Making claims about "belonging to a clan" that just aren't true may boost one's ego and perhaps even impress friends and neighbors, but for relatives who rely on this misinformation it can be not only irritating but lead serious genealogical researchers to waste years of effort that could have gone into more fruitful areas of research.

[Cawdorian]

The Patrick's are a sept associated with Clan Lamont. Clan McLaren historians readily note the Patrick's among them were descendants of the McPatrick's of Couston, they are a cadet family of Clan Lamont and are recognized as such in the genealogy of the Clan. The name Patrick is an alias for McPatrick and Lamont.

Patrick is an easy sept to identify and associate with a clan they only belong to Clan Lamont.

[Vafuth]

Aitchison Family, House of Gordon here.

Technically Gordon isn't a clan, being descended from Normans and all....or so I've read.

BTW, I was looking thru the Kiltstore selection of Gordon tartans and came across Gordon of Esselmont tartan which I have seen before...it struck me as odd that it has blue in it

Every other image of Gordon of Esselmont shows it as purple.