Scottish equivalent of "Smith"

[Twa_Corbies]

The clan system predates feudalism. As the power of the central government grew, such as it did, in the Middle Ages and later, the clans were slowly incorporated into feudalistic government, with the chief or chieftans becoming feudal barons and lords, and lesser clansmen becoming their tenants.



As noted, the clan system is no more, other than in a few vestigial rights and privileges that as often custom rather than law gives to the chiefs.

The end of the clans as viable political entities is usually reckoned to be 1746, with the failure of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. The revival of tartans and things Scottish started in the reign of George IV, several decades, not 200 years, later.

It's certainly true that not everyone had ancestors who were associated with a clan, but many of us wear tartans only from the clans from which we descend.

It should also be pointed out that there is very little evidence for clans wearing any particular tartan to identify their clan affiliation before the 1800's. The notion of certain names being attached to certain tartans came about as a marketing gimmick on the part of tartan manufacturers like Wilsons of Bannockburn back in the early 19th century. In the 1700's and earlier tartans were worn, but probably had no specific identity in regard to clan or family association. The various Highland regiments named after their commanders - The Gordon Highlanders, the Atholl Highlander's, MacLeod's Highlanders, the Seaforth's, the Sutherland Highlanders, etc. were probably the origin of the notion of certain names being associated with certain tartans, since the different Highland regiments often worn tartans based on the Blackwatch, with the addition of colored overstripes in the tartans - the Gordon Highlanders added a yellow stripe to the Blackwatch, the MacLeods added buff and red stripes, the Seaforths added white and red stripes, etc. These then became associated with the clans Gordon, MacLeod, MacKenzie, etc.

If you look at very early portraits of kilted Scottish chiefs, you will notice that the tartans often changed from generation to generation, and the Campbells used to wear red tartans - very unlike the lighter colored Blackwatch tartan now known as Campbell (lots of Campebells served in the Blackwatch, and this may be the reason that they adopted that tartan as their own.