My mothers side of the family has a coat of arms, and I'd ba annoyed to see someone who's not a Hall touting that as their coat of arms. I'd assume the same goes with clan tartans.
Coat-of-arms are a whole different ball game, Alan, especially when it comes to Scottish arms -- there is no such thing as a "family" coat of arms in Scotland, contrary to what the "bucket shops" over here try to tell (and sell) people. Arms in Scotland (and the rest of the UK) belong to an individual, not a family. Scotland has one of the strictest protocols involving the granting and displaying of arms. Even the Chief's Arms are his arms, not the clan's arms (unless he registers arms with the Lyon Court, the office of heraldry in Scotland, for the society, which has been done by several Chiefs for Clan Societies) -- the crest badge is the crest (the top part of the arms) of the Chief, and signifies that the wearer is a member of the clan.

Sorry to get off track, but heraldry is one of my passions. :mrgreen:

Don't forget the Scottish District Tartans as well -- some of the district tartans are the "great-grandaddy" of the concept of "clan" tartans, and I wish more people would choose to wear the tartan of their ancestors district.

Cheers,

T.