Jim,

I can appreciate your predicament. My surname, Pope, also has been attached to one of the "Welsh" tartans. I choose not to wear that tartan because my Pope ancestors were English, not Welsh (frankly I'm not convinced that Pope is a very common Welsh surname, but maybe I'm wrong), and because it doesn't have any real connection to the Scottish culture that tartan is emblematic of. My humble suggestion is that you widen your search to consider other family names. In my case my maternal grandmother's surname is Hayes, which derives from the lowland Hay family. Since there's a tartan for the Hay surname and an active Clan Society, that's a better option for me (and incidentally results in more affordable tartan yardage).

Similarly, since Edwards usually (and specifically in your case) is a Welsh surname there really isn't any connection between that surname and tartan, kilts, or Scottish highland culture. That doesn't pose a problem if your desire is to simply own a kilt that is made of tartan that has your surname attached to it. But it's good to be aware that the Edwards tartan (and the other "Welsh" tartans designed by the Welsh Tartan Center) were created "from whole cloth" in the sense that they are simply fashion tartans which have been attached to Welsh surnames. This is similar to the way that House of Edgar designed fashion tartans and then attached them to the different Irish counties. Once again, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this and some of the newly designed tartans are quite attractive. I just wouldn't want you to plunk down several hundred dollars on a kilt based on the assumption that your Edwards tartan dates back to the 19th century and has a shared lineage with Scottish tartans, etc.

Who knows? A quick search using a "sept finder" or Black's Surnames of Scotland may reveal that your mother's family is tied to MacDonalds, Campbells, or Stewarts. If that's the case you won't be an "orphan" if you start attending Highland Games and you'll have a wide variety of affordable Scottish tartans to choose from.

Just an idea...

Cordially,

David