Robertson, Robinson, Robison

[creagdhubh]

BREN, all three are simply based on the name ‘Robert’. Robison/Robeson/Robertson/Robinson are the written forms used by all Robert's progeny, whomever that Robert might have been; without a lot more genealogy you won’t be able to officially connect yourself with any particular clan and certainly not with a Highland one. There was a family of Robertsons at Struan in Perthshire. They are often referred to as the Clan Donnachaidh in recognition of a Duncan ancestor who was pretty important. The chief of the name now lives in the south of England. Today most folk with the name Robeson/Robison/Robertson/Robinson settle on this connection in lieu of attempting the near-impossible task of proving another. Nice tartan; wear it if you wish.

I agree with Rex. My wife, Stephanie is a staunch member of Clan Donnachaidh and is of Robertson of Struan descent (her maiden name is Robertson). Her family comes from beautiful Perthshire near Dunkeld and Pitlochry. The Robertson tartans (both clan and hunting variants) are very handsome indeed.

Here she is wearing a scarf of Robertson clan tartan (this version has a sett in a rather small scale - not her favourite) in the ancient colour scheme and the Robertson clan badge.


Cheers,

[gilmore]

The name can't have been misspelled by immigration officer in the mid-19th Century because there were non then, not in the US. There was no standardized spelling before the early to mid-19th Century.

Robison and Robinson are claimed as septs by both the Robertson and Gunn clans, but such claims are highly dubious, since most septs were invented by 19th century tartan merchants in order to induce a newly affluent middle class to by tartan products.

Robisons are shown to be most numerous in Galway and the borders, so thus would not have been associated with a clan, since clans are highland.

There are only 2 ways to determine which clan, if any, one's ancestors were associated with. One is through standard genealogical research, starting with one's most recent ancestors and working backward in time, carefully documenting each ancestor before moving on to his or her parents. You local library should have books on how to do this.

The other way is DNA testing that might, and only might, give you a clue, though since it is a maternal ancestor, the usual YDNA would not work. You could not use your own DNA but would have to find a male line descendant. See the FAQ at www.familytreedna.com

[TheOfficialBren]

Wow! Lots of great information shared here! Thank you, folks.

Kyle, you're right. Clan Donnachaidh has some fine tartans, indeed. My preference is for the "Hunting" sett.

Sydnie7, thank you for the heads-up.

It seems that what I believed growing up (that we had some Scottish connections) seems to be expanding to quite a few! I grew up believing that we were more English than Scottish. It seems that we are roughly equally English and Scottish.

Shaw (father's mother) and Robertson (maternal) being quite prominant names in our family tree (although neither is my surname).

Is it accurate to say that Clan Donnachaidh (Robertson) is currently without a chief? I got that impression from a documentary I watched on the clan.

I also get the impression that historically not everyone in Scotland was part of the clan system, even in the Highlands and certainly in the Lowlands this seems to be the case. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Gilmore, I agree about septs. Much of that information seems to be romanticism invented by the Victorians and the clans went along with in in many cases. Afterall, it was good for business and raised their level of prominance to a degree.

There is, as many are quite aware, a lot of mythologising and mythology surrounding the clans and Scottish history. I am under no delusions about this. I know my roots and want to learn more but being very analytical there is the need for facts rather than fiction (which can be difficult to sift out at times).


Being well aware that IN SCOTLAND things are not always done the same way that they are done IN AMERICA, perhaps I will invest in a Robertson kilt in addition to my Holyrood and (future) Shaw.

Thank you, again, folks. Much appreciated.

[Carlo]

It looks like there is a clan chief

[TheOfficialBren]

Splendid! Thank you, Carlo!

[creagdhubh]

Yes, there is a Clan Donnachaidh chief, Alexander Gilbert Haldane Robertson of Struan, 23rd Chief of Clan Donnachaidh.

http://www.donnachaidh.com/

http://scotland.stv.tv/the-gathering...the-gathering/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5dc0r0XGhg

Virtutis gloria merces,

[TheOfficialBren]

Thank you for the links, Kyle.

[guardsman]

My grannie was a Robertson from Shetland , a very common name in Scotland , as the clan chief didn't participate in the clearances . The red tartan is simply awesome !

[TheOfficialBren]

It seems that the Robertsons liked to pave their own path through Scottish history.

It was my great-gran who was the Robertson. I never met her but if she was anything like her daughter (my gran) then she was a precious gem.

Yes, the red tartan is quite nice. I prefer the "hunting" tartan but the red is also quite nice.

[creagdhubh]

It seems that the Robertsons liked to pave their own path through Scottish history.

It was my great-gran who was the Robertson. I never met her but if she was anything like her daughter (my gran) then she was a precious gem.

Yes, the red tartan is quite nice. I prefer the "hunting" tartan but the red is also quite nice.

The weathered or reproduction colour scheme of the hunting sett is quite lovely as well. This is the version my wife prefers when wearing a Robertson sash or shawl for daytime events (an exception can be seen in the photo above). She tends to wear the red and green based sett for more formal functions. Of course, she could quite easily wear any of the Robertson tartans for any type of event.

D.C. Dalgliesh


Lochcarron Strome


Cheers,