Beck surname

[redbeard2]

Hi ya'll. I just came from the Scottish festival in Arlington, Texas and was told of your site while attending. My Beck surname is listed in some sources as a clan with a Beck tartan (STA #3819). I would like to have a kilt, etc. made with this tartan but only if the information is accurate. I got most of this information from Scotweb.com.uk. but a few books did give some obscure references to the 14th century clan but no details. I would appreciate any thoughts from any of you to help ease my mind before I make the leap. Does having an assigned STA number mean the existence of the clan and if so, how does one find the proper clan with which to associate? How "official" is the STA designation? Also, can anyone vouch for the Scotweb company? Mail order custom clothing worries me. Thanks for your help and sorry for the length of the posting.

[The Wizard of BC]

First, welcome.

Now to your questions.

If you were on the Scottish Tartans Authority website looking for the "Beck" Tartan you should have found the two Tartans listed as ITI #3819 and #3943.
These Tartans were only designed in 2002 and are personal Tartans belonging to Alan Duncan Beck. It has no affiliation to any Clan.
The Scottish Tartans Authority and the Scottish Register of Tartans are the worlds last word on Tartan. The Register is designated by the Scottish Parliament as the official body for listing and registering Tartans.
You can take the information found there to the bank.
They are both simply listings of those Tartans which have been registered with them. There are Tartan being designed every day. Most are Regional, personal, or corperate Tartans and have no connection to a Scottish Clan. In fact of the almost 7000 Tartans registered today very few are representative of a Clan.
So just because there is a Tartan with the same name that you carry does not mean it is your Clan.

Scotweb is a very reputable site. It was the first to sell Highland Wear over the web.
The Scot Web store is an advertiser here and Dr. Nick Fiddes is a member.
I would trust him as I trust any member of this site. That means I trust him totally. If you take a look at the ScotWeb section of this site you will be able to read reviews and customer comments of the service and products offered.

The ScotClans listing of Clans and Septs is an accepted and reputable source for starting your research into the History of Scottish Clans. If you enter "Beck" as your surname you find that that name is not associated with a particular Clan. That does not mean that your family did not come from Scotland or that you do not have Scottish ancestors but simply that your family name was not associated with one of the Highland Clans. Big deal, neither was mine. But I still wear the Kilt.

[Bugbear]

Welcome.

[JolyStNicholas]

Welcome from Lake County, Central Florida.

[KFCarter]

Hello and welcome from Savannah, GA.

[Mael Coluim]

from the Old Dominion State!

[Dardanelles]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

[Merlin]

Wow...thank you Wizard of BC... that was a thorough and detailed answer for the lad.

Sir Redbeard... if you would like help finding out if you are of true Scottish decent, I'd be glad to help you. Don't let this stop you from getting a kilt, however. I understand you wanting it to have more meaning and all.... I was the same. I had to go back to my great,great,great,great,great grandfather before I found my connection to Scotland. (David L. Wilson who fought and died at the Alamo....which is why I had a hard time fidning his death certificate. It seems Santa Ana just burned all the bodies and didn't keep good records)
As the Wizard said... there are very few tartans associated with a clan. I'll get the full wear with all my clan tartans,pins, hat badges etc.... but I'll also get kilts in other tartans as well.

[BEEDEE]

from coastal North Carolina. Another useful source is Tartans for Me by Philip Smith. It lists Beck not as a sept of a clan but associated with Galloway District. That gives you another option to pursue.

Brina

[McFarkus]

from Chicago