Tartan Rules

**swalton** · 15th February 08, 05:09 AM

I have read quite a bit about tartans and such. I do not want to offend any families, but if you are not sure of your heritage, can you still wear a tartan of another family? I really appreciate the colors and looks of some and would like to wear them. Are there any rules? Thank you.

**Jerry** · 15th February 08, 05:28 AM

Wecome to the forum. There is nothing wrong with wearing whatever tartan that you wish to wear. Clan tartans are a relatively new development in kilt history. If you choose to clans tartan because you like the way it looks, no one is going to arrest you and charge you with the high crime of stealing another clan's tartan. I choose to wear the tartans that have connections to my family(Macneill and Gordon), but that is my personal choice< and Ron, aka Riverkilt would certainly not object to me wearing a Macdonald tartan if I chose to do so.There are also many tartans with no clan affiliation that you may wear if you do not feel right wearing another clan's tartan. See the link blow for more information. It is written by our own Matt Newsome of the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin NC. All anyone can ask is that you wear the tartan with respect, and try and learn a little about it.

http://www.scottishtartans.org/advice.htm

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 15th February 08, 05:30 AM

I think if you go back and read some of the past threads on this forum, you'll see this question pops up from time to time, and no doubt you'll get various opinions in answer to your question here.

The short answer is that there are no rules regarding who can wear what tartan.

The long answer is... well, longer. There are a few key points to remember. First is that who can wear what tartan has never been subject to any kind of legislation at all. You'll never get a ticket or a fine for wearing the "wrong" tartan.

Second, even for those of Scottish heritage, the connection to a clan is often assumed, and cannot be proven. For just one example, all we can really say about a person named "MacDonald" (which means "son of Donald") is that at some point in his ancestry there was a figure named Donald -- not that he necessarily descends from the Clan MacDonald. So a lot of these clan connections are simply assumed and one must take them with a grain of salt. In other words, very few people can prove beyond doubt that they decend from a particular clan. Centuries ago, when the clan system was operating as a political and social reality in the Highlands, what clan you belonged to had nothing to do with your surname in any case.

Third, the idea of associating a particular tartan design to a certain surname is (relatively) modern. Highland Scots have been wearing kilts since the late sixteenth century, and they have been wearing tartan for centuries before that. Yet the association of names with tartans is something that had its origin in the late eighteenth century, and really only gelled into a full fledged system of named tartans in the nineteenth century. Prior to this, people simply wore what tartan they liked, so one could argue that this is the most traditional way to choose a tartan. A lot of native Highlanders continued to choose a tartan to wear with no regard whatever to the name of the tartan through the twentieth century till today.

The fourth point I want to bring out, though, is that for the past 200 odd years, the idea of wearing tartan in a symbolic fashion, to represent one's ancestry, has become a solid part of Scottish tradition. It is now firmly accepted as the status quo, and most people -- even if they cannot prove with certainty that they descend from a particular clan -- choose to wear a tartan that has some symbolic meaning to them. This may be a tartan that directly affiliates with their surname. It may be a tartan that represents a name from further back in their ancestry. It may be a district tartan for the place in which they were born, or currently reside. It may be a district tartan for the place their ancestors were from. It may be an occupational tartan. But the point is that the tartan was chosen for a specific reason that is of importance to the wearer.

Fifth, I want to say that while I cannot guarantee that you won't run across some yahoo who will take offense if you wear his or her clan tartan without just cause, 99.9% of the time people will not care if you choose to wear their tartan -- some may even be flattered that you thought so highly of their clan! However, there are so very many tartans that are available today that are fashion tartan, unaffiliated with any surname, designed for general use. I'd begin my search there. You may find something you really like, and this will allow you to avoid even the chance of appearing as something you are not.

And finally, don't give up on finding a personal connection to a tartan. There are so many more tartans out there than simply Scottish clan tartans. There are state tartans for many US States now. All the Canadian provinces have tartans. Australia has tartans. Many European countries have district tartans now. There are occupational tartans for clergy, police, fire fighters, etc. There may be a tartan yet for you!

Aye,
Matt

**Phil** · 15th February 08, 05:31 AM

from Edinburgh. You will not offend me if you want to wear my tartans (Galbraith & Lindsay) so go ahead and wear the tartan of your choice, just respect it as a part of someone's heritage. I can understand you feeling as if a tartan somehow "belongs" to a particular group of people but apart from a few specific cases where the pattern has been patented as a trade mark such as the Burberry check this is not the case. Obviously people's first choice would be a tartan to which they felt some association but if they did not like that tartan then there is no reason why they should not choose another of their liking. There have been extensive threads about this in the recent past and a search of the site will let you read them. Just remember, though, what someone from Scotland has told you "The only rule is that there are no rules as to what tartan you may or may not wear"

**Amoskeag** · 15th February 08, 05:31 AM

from NH

I'm here in the good ol' USofA and we have no rules as to things like tartan and who gets to wear this and that. You can wear whatever you want. That said there is lots of convention and custom involving wearing tartan and many folks like to have some sort of connection to the tartan they choose. Short of familial ties there are regional and district as well as universal tartans that fill the bill, as it were. Most of all have fun researching!
There is and will be much good information on this topic here.
Bob

**sharpdressedscot** · 15th February 08, 06:38 AM

Welcome, and as these guys have said already: wear whatever tartan you wish.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 15th February 08, 08:25 AM

I've never had heartburn over someone wearing MacMillan tartan; I'm (obviously) proud of it, and really chuffed if someone else likes it as well. Several years ago I a met a gentleman wearing a MacMillan tartan tie while waiting for the for the ferry from Cairn Ryan to Larne. The gentleman wasn't a MacMillan, but said he wore the tie because the MacMillan Nurses had been so kind to his wife while she was slowly dying of cancer. It was his way of saying "thank you".

My point is, by all means wear whatever tartan you like, but you might want to read up a bit on the Clan Mac?? so if someone asks you the "why" question you can share a little nugget of knowledge.

**Jock Scot** · 15th February 08, 08:32 AM

You can wear nearly any tartan you like and this Scot is delighted that you wish to.It would be useful for you to know a wee bit about the one(s)you choose though.For two main reasons.Firstly you my come across a "Macwhoever" who's tartan you are wearing and it would be a nice if you knew enough about it to engage in a conversation about that particular tartan and clan.Secondly,there still are clan rivalries,real or percieved and outdated though they may be, you may just come accross one of the "opposition" who thinks it is good fun to have a wee verbal "jousting match" with you.Oh, they are are a pain in the neck.It would be helpful to know what they are talking about though and it will be more than likely that you will know far more than them.

**swalton** · 15th February 08, 08:37 AM

I must thank you all for the information. I have a Blackwatch Great Kilt that I wear from time to time, normally at Festivals. Blackwatch has its place, but I wanted to get something different. I wear my kilt with the utmost pride and am trying to trace back my roots as well. I personally like wearing one and having people look and stare and then say they wish they had the guts to wear one as well. What a feeling.

**Dirk Skene** · 15th February 08, 08:39 AM

Hello

and

from Memphis, Tennessee. Home of the blues & Elvis.

I wear whatever I want. I have 13 kilts. Only 2 are assoicated with any family I am part of. No one ever says a word. Besides if they don't like it they can