Clans and Septs

[RonPaul]

Have a question... When going for your ancestry, do you go off of your father or mothers side? It's sooo convuluded. My last name is Hornsby (father's side obviously), very English with an actual village in Cumbria UK named Hornsby where we all originally hail from. Then on my mothers side, her maide name (her fathers name) is Christian, which is Scottish from the original "Christianus." Then her mothers (my grandmother) maiden name is Macdaniel, which is an anglicized version of Macdonald of the clan Macdonald in the Hebrides Islands on the West Coast of Scotland.

So as you can see I have majority of Scottish ancestry in my blood, but i currently carry the name of my father who's background is English. Can I "claim" the tartan of the Macdonald clan from Scotland, since it's my mothers side, does that make a difference? How does this work?

[macwilkin]

Moved thread to heraldry & tartans section, which is also where we discuss clans & septs.

TJW

[thescot]

. . .So as you can see I have majority of Scottish ancestry in my blood, but i currently carry the name of my father who's background is English. Can I "claim" the tartan of the Macdonald clan from Scotland, since it's my mothers side, does that make a difference? How does this work?

Fact is you can claim anything you like. No kidding. You're just as much Scottish as you are anythind else (apparently), so why not go that route if you like. The MacDonald tartans are great looking, and if you do a little reading here, you'll find that "great looking" seems to trump just about everything else.

No one will check your pedigree, but your choice of tartan is a very personal thing, and you can choose it for any of a number of reasons. I wear Robertson (from my mother's side, modern huntin, weathered hunting, and red dress), Gordon (from a fancied attachment on my father's side), and Leatherneck because I am a Marine (albeit long in the tooth and long-sense out of uniform). But I wouldn't wear any of them if I didn't like the look of the tartan! A guy has to think about the image he projects, you know.

There are lots of guys here who either want or have Isle of Skye just because it looks so darned good! Same reason we choose our sport shirts, trousers, and other accoutrements.

Welcome to the confusion. Just let us hear what you choose to do and show lots of pictures. (Pix are required.)

[RonPaul]

THanks.. I guess what I mean is.. If I was to go to a Scottish function, or to an official St. Andrews event, or something similiar, would it be correct to claim to be part of Clan Macdonald and where the coat of arms (albeit on a pin, or on a buckle etc..) and/or tartan, even though I now have an English last name??? I just want to be politically correct and not claim something that isn't correct or valid, that's all. Just making sure I dont look like an idiot - I just love the Scottish history, and would really love to be able to legitimately take part in some of the scottish clan/family associations, gatherings and collecting....

[gilmore]

THanks.. I guess what I mean is.. If I was to go to a Scottish function, or to an official St. Andrews event, or something similiar, would it be correct to claim to be part of Clan Macdonald and where the coat of arms (albeit on a pin, or on a buckle etc..) and/or tartan, even though I now have an English last name??? I just want to be politically correct and not claim something that isn't correct or valid, that's all. Just making sure I dont look like an idiot - I just love the Scottish history, and would really love to be able to legitimately take part in some of the scottish clan/family associations, gatherings and collecting....

Most such organizations welcome members of all sorts of ancestry, whether Scots, semi-Scots or non-Scots, who want to promote Scottish culture and heritage.

I would wait and see what others do in your area and milieu....not that what they do would be necessarily correct, but there is a difference between correct and appropriate.

By the way, there is no such thing as a family coat of arms. A COA belongs to an individual, not his family, and not to some one who merely has the same last name as some one else who (or whose forebear) was granted a coat of arms by Lord Lyon in Scotland or Garter King at Arms in England.

Clan crests are a different thing, and are worn by members of a clan. They are the chief's crest, but always encircled by a belt. The crest is the heraldic device that goes above the shield in a coat of arms.

[Dirk Skene]

My niece & I trace off of my mom's side. The clan Skene knows this & accept us. We are both card carring members.

[beowulf67]

My niece & I trace off of my mom's side. The clan Skene knows this & accept us. We are both card carring members.

I think most clan societies accept you as long as the check doesn't bounce.

I wear Gordon because my last name evolved from one of its septs, and Davidson because my mother was a Davis, from Scotland, though originally from Wales.

So I guess I'll have to get a Welsh Davis tartan as well. And Irish because my grandmother's family was from Ireland, county Cork we think. Hmmm, that could be two more, saffron and a county tartan.

So much for the checks not bouncing.....

[RonPaul]

Sorry about that, I meant Clan Crest - just trying to gain some knowledge.

[Mountainman]

I wear Black Watch, since its assossiated with the Campbell clan, my mother's mother's side, soon i will wear US Army, Jonstone (my wife), MacGregor (a close friend of the family, who has adopted me, being her and her husband have no children), and any others i like the look of! (and can afford!)

[flairball]

Seems you are asking if your clan affiliation traces back partilinially(sp?), or martilinially(sp?). Well, to be honest it goes back in both directions. You can't change who you are, or where you came from. Does your fathers family have a tartan, or are they affiliated with a clan? I've got a friend of English descent, yet his family history has ties to clan MacKinnon. If there is a connection on your fathers side you could join the clan assoc. of that clan.
As your mothers side has a MacDonald connection, you could most certainly join their clan assoc. too. You could join both clan assoc's if you wanted to.

As for wearing this tartan, or that tartan, don't worry too much. The main thing is to know about the tartan you've chosen, and wear it respectfully. The tartan police don't exist. You won't be locked away if you wear a tartan that doesn't have a connection to you. Lots of people want their tartan to have some significance, and I understand that, as I too feel that way, but it's not a rule. Knowing your lineage as you do you won't have any trouble wearing MacDonald, or what ever clan tartan your fathers side might be associated with. People will ask the significance of your tartan, and just as you've explained here you will explain again.

Welcome to the addiction.