Colville tartan

[piperchris]

Good Morning, Guys!

My stepfather is a Scot and his father was born in Campbelltown. His father came to the United States as a small child around 1905. His surname is Colville. I am trying to find out if there is a Colville tartan and/or what clan the surname is most closely related to. I understand from some piper friends in the area that there are still many Colvilles in the Campbelltown area. The name is French in origin and I understand that the Colville ancestors came to Scotland in the 15th or 16th centuries. My stepfather heard one story that Mary, Queen of Scots put the Colvilles under her special protection, this would figure given her close ties and association with France. My stepfather thinks the Colville name is related to the Stewart clan but another source said the stronger association was with the Lindsay clan, hence one of my kilts is of the Lindsay tartan. Any information would be most appreciated! Have a great Sunday guys!

[figheadair]

Can I suggest that this should be in the 'tartan' rather than the 'kilts' thread. Mods?

In answer to your question; yes, there is, after a fashion, a Colville tartan: see - http://www.tartansauthority.com/tart...n_name_search=

I say after a fashion as just because some chap named Colville in Canada 'adopted' an 18th century tartan for his own use that does not make it a clan/family tartan unless the head of the name accepts it. Even then it cannot be unique to the name as is already existed.

[piperchris]

Thank you for you response. I am a newbie so I didn't consider what catagory I should post this question in. I appreciate your information. I must say that I'm a bit disappointed in the tartan that you sent, in my opinion it's not the most attractive one out there! Because Colville is an old name there must be something else out there, especially in Scotland, because as you said this is "after a fashion" i.e. somebody just picked a tartan and called it Colville. Thank you for your response.

[figheadair]

Thank you for you response. I am a newbie so I didn't consider what catagory I should post this question in. I appreciate your information. I must say that I'm a bit disappointed in the tartan that you sent, in my opinion it's not the most attractive one out there! Because Colville is an old name there must be something else out there, especially in Scotland, because as you said this is "after a fashion" i.e. somebody just picked a tartan and called it Colville. Thank you for your response.

Beauty of course is in the eye of the beholder. It was I that discovered the orginal pice and I have to say, it's fantastic but it depends what you like. There is no other tartan for the name Colville and give its origins there is the possibility that it's like to a number of families although I expect that historically they were all Lowland rather than Highland clans.

[davidg]

Have a look at this site:

http://www.scotclans.com/scottish_clans/clan_colville/

It suggests the Ayrshire District tartan for your name

[Matty Ross]

This was really great. By following the links provided I discovered some very interesting information. My wife grew up in the town of Colville in Northeast Washington I never expected to see a connection between Colville and Scotland. I learned something new.