Celtic Crest

[Maclachlan]

Recently I went shopping for a T-shirt company that could print the Maclachlan clan crest. While I found many different companies out there, the prices were typically $23 to $25 plus shipping bringing the average price to around $28. In my book that's a bit pricey for a T-shirt. Then I found Bob & Gloria Free at Celtic Crest not more than 100 miles north of Medford in Sutherlin, Oregon.

I poked around the web site and found prices for colored adult Ts (small to XL) for $14.50 each and XXL was $18.50 with only $3.50 shipping and each additional shirt was $1.75 shipping. $20 for a black XXL with my clan crest screen printed on the front and it ain't small at 3.25" x 4.75"!

The quality of the screen printing is great! It's thick enough to produce sharp, clean lines and the shirt is not one of those cheap lightweight shirts, this one has some weight. All in all I'd say I found a great deal with Bob!

[ForresterModern]

Beautiful. Nice find.

There is a vendor on ebay called celtic studio who also sells clan crest clothing with the crest in full color (multiple colors in each crest) on a variety of different tops (tshirt, golf shirt, sweatshirt, baby onesie), unfortunately only in white from what I can tell. Prices are slightly higher, but they have a huge variety of crests. Another option.

[Highland Logan]

Great deal, and not to be a pain, let me tell you what is wrong with this. A clan crest is drawn by using the crest of the chief of your clan on a wreath, or other heraldry device (in this case a crown coronet) within a belted buckle design, with the motto of the chief around it. It must never be coloured. And as to the design you have used, it was drawn by heraldry artist Romilly Squire, and is the copyright of Gaelic Themes. Did you or the screen printer get permission to use this design? There are many different designs for clan crests. One mans belted buckle design will be different than someone elses, and so on, but to steal the rightful copyright of another is wrong. How would you like to take a picture and try and sell it, just to have another copy it and do the same? Stealing Intellectual property is no different than shoplifting!

Frank

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Frank,

This is the first I've heard about this company, so I have no knowledge about where or how they obtained their crest designs, but if you think they have violated someone else's intellectual property rights, why not contact them directly?
http://www.celticcrest.com/

But on another matter, you say it is incorrect for a clansman to display the crest in color? I'm no heraldic expert, I admit, but I do know more than the average bear on this topic. And this is the first time I've heard it suggested that it may not be proper to display the crest in color. Can you please share with us your source for this information. Thanks!
Matt

[RockyR]

THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON MACLACHLAN... he was just reporting a very well priced shirt company and HE did NOTHING WRONG.

That being said...

I emailed the owner of Gaelic Themes to see if celticcrest.com was a liscensed user of the Clan Crest designs that THEY (GT) took time to design (the design itself already exists, but the ARTWORK was done by GT). Gaelic Themes is a vendor of mine and generally nice people as well as a SPONSOR of Xmarks (tartan web), so I thought it was relevant.

I got a reply from the owner... it looks like this company copied GT's entire line of clan crest designs (without permission) and use them to sell their own shirts.

IF this is true, all I can say is "WOW". That's dispicable. Changing a design by 10% or so (to avoid copyright laws) or DRAWING YOUR OWN design isn't that tough. Why do people feel the need to copy others work?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON MACLACHLAN... he was just reporting a very well priced shirt company and HE did NOTHING WRONG.

That being said...

I emailed the owner of Gaelic Themes to see if celticcrest.com was a liscensed user of the Clan Crest designs that THEY (GT) took time to design (the design itself already exists, but the ARTWORK was done by GT). Gaelic Themes is a vendor of mine and generally nice people as well as a SPONSOR of Xmarks (tartan web), so I thought it was relevant.

I got a reply from the owner... it looks like this company copied GT's entire line of clan crest designs (without permission) and use them to sell their own shirts.

IF this is true, all I can say is "WOW". That's dispicable. Changing a design by 10% or so (to avoid copyright laws) or DRAWING YOUR OWN design isn't that tough. Why do people feel the need to copy others work?

The artwork was done by Romilly Squire of Rubislaw, Heraldic Painter to the Court of the Lord Lyon for use in his book The Encyclopedia of Scottish Clans. The book is quite clearly copyrighted, and the people who stole Squire's work for their own economic gain are beneath all contempt.

Frankly I hope they are sued, go bankrupt, and lose their house into the bargain. Theft is theft, whether it is of property or intellectual property.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Frank,

But on another matter, you say it is incorrect for a clansman to display the crest in color? I'm no heraldic expert, I admit, but I do know more than the average bear on this topic. And this is the first time I've heard it suggested that it may not be proper to display the crest in color. Can you please share with us your source for this information. Thanks!
Matt

Matt is absolutely correct. There is no reason at all why a clansman may not display a clansman's badge in it's proper heraldic colours. The caveat is "proper". That means the exact colours as described by the Lord Lyon in the Letters Patent confirming the Arms of the Chief.

The buckle and strap can generally be of any colour [B]EXCEPT[B] blue, as this is reserved for the insignia of the Order of the Garter, unless it is described on the Letters Patent as being of a specific colour. The Chief's motto must appear on the strap.

[Highland Logan]

The buckle and strap can generally be of any colour EXCEPT blue, as this is reserved for the insignia of the Order of the Garter, unless it is described on the Letters Patent as being of a specific colour. The Chief's motto must appear on the strap.

The following is from a leaflet from the Lord Lyon Court, reprinted on ElectricScotland.com

6. Notes
2. The strap—and—buckle is NOT a "Garter", and it should NEVER be shown coloured blue with gold buckle and edgings like the insignium of the Order of the Garter. Crest Badges are for wear by the clansmen, and as they are made of silver or white metal they should never be illustrated on paper or other materials in colour, other than white or silver. Line drawings should be printed in monochrome. It is the privilege of ladies to wear the Crest Badge of their Chief as a brooch, usually on the left lapel of a jacket or equivalent position on a dress, and they may wear it thus in gold if they choose. Real eagle’s feathers behind the badge may be worn by those entitled to feathers on appropriate occasions, e.g. Clan Gatherings. Ladies do not wear feathers behind the Crest Badge, either real or in metal, unless they are Chiefs, Chieftains or armigers in their own right.

Frank

[BoldHighlander]

The buckle and strap can generally be of any colour [B]EXCEPT[B] blue, as this is reserved for the insignia of the Order of the Garter, unless it is described on the Letters Patent as being of a specific colour. The Chief's motto must appear on the strap.

Does that mean these blazer patches carried by the Scottish Tartan Museum are incorrect then?

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/blazer.html

(Just wondering... )

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Does that mean these blazer patches carried by the Scottish Tartan Museum are incorrect then?

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/blazer.html

(Just wondering... )

It is easy to overlook the "blue strap"-- probably neither the vendor nor the manufacturer knew that blue straps are a no-no. What can't be overlooked is the name embroidered under the clansman's badge. That's just tacky. (But then in my opinion blazer badges are tacky, so this embroidered name thing just compounds the offense as far as I'm concerned.)

As far as the Lyon's opinion regarding the display of polychromatic clansman's badges is concerned... see the headline above.