Hello Kilt people

[Timm]

Hi folks, Found your site while researching scots family history and trying to work out which tartan might be most appropriate.
You seem to have lots of information and expertise so it could take some time to work through it all.
I haven't much to offer you but the following is where we seem to be at the moment:
A few lines of enquiry are:
One branch is McGilvray which seems to be an alternative spelling of MacGillivray and/or a branch of them?
https://www.scotweb.co.uk/info/macgillivray/
Tells that:
The MacGillivrays were a principal clan even before King Somerled, progenitor of the MacDonalds drove the Norsemen from the western Isles. The Clann Mhic Gillebràth were dispersed after King Alexander II of Scotland subdued Argyll in the year 1222.
And that in the 14th century The Clan MacGillivray eventually joined the Chattan Confederation which was headed by the chief of the Clan MacKintosh. I don't know what that means if anything??

Our main McGilvray man Malcolm seemed to head off to Tredegar in South Wales 1850 ish probably connected with work in significant metal forging and finishing at the time. He had a daughter there and then seems to have headed to Liverpool where she married and the family stayed and grew.

A part that really connects happily for us is the Clan motto "Touch not this cat" as we have always had cats about us due the waifs and strays that seem to seek us out.
It's also meaningful because we've just discovered that Scottish Wildcats are in more trouble than we realised.
http://www.scottishwildcataction.org/about-us/

There is a Turner branch and I can't remember where the notion that that could associate with the Lamont clan came from?

Most intriguing is the DeLyle branch that seems to connect with southern France, Scotland and Canada!
If anyone has any clues or suggestions that would be very helpful.

Have never done anything like this before so hoping posting this hasn't committed any heinous sin.
Thanks, Timm

[Liam]

Welcome from Western Canada 🇨🇦!

[Tarheel]

Well met and welcome Timm. Sounds like you've done some good research on your family tree. A tartan that fits most of things listed in your introduction, is the Scottish Wildcat Tartan. The design came from one of our esteemed members and is promoted here as a universal (can be worn by anyone regardless of clan affiliation) tartan. I highly recommend this as a consideration for anything you may want (kilt, sash, scarf, tie, table covering, wall hanging, an endless list).

Other fabrics connected to regions, time periods and family names are available and should be studied in case there is a color pattern that attracts your specific attention. We are also here to help if you need to sift through the past threads to explore your interests. Glad to have you with us.

[Father Bill]

Welcome to the "Great Rabble"!

[Tomak]

Hello and welcome from Southern California.

[Karl R]

Welcome.

There is a Turner branch and I can't remember where the notion that that could associate with the Lamont clan came from?

I've done some research into this, because my great grandmother was a Turner.

Turner can be either an English or Scottish surname. It's an occupation name (for someone who crafted items by turning them on a lathe). Therefore, the name Turner represents many separate families, rather than covering one extended family.

One (or more) of the Turner families is a sept of Clan Lamont.
http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclanlamont.htm

So if you can trace your Turner ancestors back to the same part of Scotland that Clan Lamont lived in (the district of Argyll and Bute, particularly the Cowal peninsula), that would be a strong indicator that your Turner ancestors might be a sept of Clan Lamont. If that's the case, you might want to consider one of the Lamont tartans.

In the case of my family, our Turner ancestors trace back to England, not Scotland (at least to the extent that we've been able to trace them). Therefore, my Turner ancestors would not be a sept of Clan Lamont.

One branch is McGilvray which seems to be an alternative spelling of MacGillivray and/or a branch of them?

McGilvray and MacGillivray would be alternate spellings of the same name.
https://www.houseofnames.com/mcgilvray-family-crest

The MacGillivray have a tartan, and that would certainly be an option that you might consider.

And that in the 14th century The Clan MacGillivray eventually joined the Chattan Confederation which was headed by the chief of the Clan MacKintosh. I don't know what that means if anything??

According to the Clan MacKintosh website, the MacGillivrays were not a sept of Clan MacKintosh.
http://www.mcintoshweb.com/clanMcintosh/septs.aspx

However, the MacGillivrays are a sept of Clan Chattan, Clan MacLaine of Lochbuie, and Clan MacLean.
https://www.scotclans.com/scottish-c...chattan-septs/
https://www.scotclans.com/scottish-c...ochbuie-septs/
https://www.scotclans.com/scottish-c...maclean-septs/

Therefore, you might want to consider the Chattan, MacLaine of Lochbuie, and/or MacLean tartans.

Most intriguing is the DeLyle branch that seems to connect with southern France, Scotland and Canada!
If anyone has any clues or suggestions that would be very helpful.

It looks like you've run into another situation where there are alternate spellings. If you can trace your family back to people named Delisle, they would most likely be French. If you trace them back to people named Lyle, they're more likely to be English or Scottish.

Similarly, in Canada, people who gravitated toward Quebec would more likely be French, while those who gravitated toward Nova Scotia would more likely be Scottish.

If it turns out that the original name was Lyle, it's of both English and Scottish origin (still with older ties back to the French name L'Isle). So you would want to see whether you could trace your family tree back to Scotland.

If they are of Scottish origins, both Lyle and Lisle are septs of Clan Stewart.
https://www.scotclans.com/scottish-c...stewart-septs/

So in that case, you might also want to consider any of the Stewart tartans. (They have lots of tartans.)

And as Tarheel mentioned, the Scottish Wildcat tartan would certainly be an option, as would many other universal or fashion tartans.


Good luck with the genealogy research. It can be very difficult.

[Richrail]

from Reno, NV

[TheGratefulNed]

Welcome aboard, Timm!

[ThistleDown]

Welcome, from Inverness-shire and British Columbia.

[Timm]

Very happy to receive such friendly welcome greetings and such helpful advice.
Yes it does seem that the spelling probs that have often blighted are genetic!
Off to read up on the many links provided now.

Thanks again, Timm