District Tartans

[arrogcow]

I know that the heraldry guys are scans, that's why I said "proof". As for the book, I have no idea, but again it was confirmed yesterday on the Tartan's authority website, so there must me a reason why I can wear Aberdeen, at least according to the tartan police.

The Cornish Hunting is nice, but I can't really prove a connection there either. Most of my family actually seems to be Welsh.

Adam

[macwilkin]

I know Smith & Teall's "Tartan for Me!" lists various Scottish, Irish, Scots-Irish, etc. surnames and appropriate tartans, and I believe they determine which tartans by areas where large numbers of people with that particular surname live -- Matt, you want to help me on this?

However, if you know your ancestry to be Welsh, then a Welsh tartan, like the Welsh National, might be more meaningful, but certainly not "required" or your only choice.

T.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Todd,

For the record, "Tartan For Me!" was written solely by Phil Smith. Gordon Teall was not involved. Teall and Smith co-authored the book called District Tartans , which is probably what you are thinking about.

Anyway, if the people who looked up your name recommended the Aberdeen tartan, they were probably using "Tartan For Me!" because that's about the only widely available reference that also includes district tartans.

A few points. First, this book is not an official sept name list of any sort. It is simply a list of recommended tartans for various names. Even in the cases of a clan tartan being recommended, it does not necessarily mean you are part of that clan -- the tartan could be recommended for other reasons, other types of historic connections.

When district tartans are recommended, it becomes a bit trickier, and I always tell people to do more research to see why that tartan was recommended. It could be for a number of reasons. It could be that the family once held signifigant landholdings in that area. It could be that the earliest instance of that name on record in Scotland was from that area. It could be that this is where the largest numbers of families with that name have lived, or currently lived. There could be any number of reasons.

When I get a district tartan listed in "Tartan For Me!" one of the first things I do is to go to Black's The Surnames of Scotland to see what I can find out about the name there. Sometimes the information I find gives me cause to recommend another district tartan.

In the case of the name Duke, the earliest record of the name found in Scotland (as listed in Black's) is a David Duce de Montrose, witness in Brechin, in 1490. No other really signifigant information is given that might lead one to beleive the name was more common in one area than another.

Brechin is also on the east coast, a bit farther south than Aberdeen, but perhaps Aberdeen was the closest large area with its own tartan, so it was recommended. Then again, this David Duce is said to be of Montrose, not Brechin, and is merely recorded as having been a witness in Brechin. So if I were to recommend a district tartan based on this earliest instance of the name on record, I would recommend the Montrose district tartan.

But choosing which tartan to wear can be a tricky thing. It's not nearly as straightforward as selecting a clan tartan.

Do you want to wear a tartan for the place your ancestors first owned land? Or the place that the lived in Scotland immediately before migrating? Or the place where you currently live? Or the place you were born but no longer live in? Or a place that you take your annual vacation to and just fell in love with? Or a place that you feel is historically signifigant and wish to honor? There are any number of reasons to wear a district tartan, and you needn't limit yourself to just one!

My recommendation is to research a bit more into your particular family and see what else you don't come up with.

Aye,
Matt

[arrogcow]

I'm not fishing for a tartan I can wear. I am "entitled" to wear the Army tartan, California (by birth) and Kentucky (due to the fact that I have lived most of my life here). While I would like a tartan that I am connected to, I am of the camp that as long as you are respecting it, wear it (though if the chief of Clan Montgomery ever asks, I'll swear fealty).

On the other thread we've already discusses what you are "entitled" to wear as a tartan. I would wear Thompson (my mom), but many of the tartan police don't approve of a matrilinial descent, and based on geanealogical research, we aren't related to Clan Thompson anyway (at least not for at least 350 years).

I was mostly just cuerious as to how my surname got linked to Aberdeen. Seems to me that someone just made a list of all Brittish sounding names (cause Tollus, my only verifiably Scottish ancestor, isn't listed anywhere and they were in Fife since at least 150 AD - at least according to some geanealogists I have seen - you'd think they would be), and started randomly giving them a district tartan to wear.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

Adam

[macwilkin]

The egg is on my face, Matt! I WAS thinking of "District Tartans" and instead typed "Tartan for Me!" Oops!

I knew you could explain "Tartan for Me!" far better than I could. :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Todd