Which family tartan

[Carolina Kiltman]

I'm mixed scottish, irish, english and native american, so I really get an eclectic mix. Add to that the man that's raised me since I was 3 months old is a Stewart of Appin, makes for an interesting selection of tartans.

Just a quick reminder: There are (I have been told) three ways to become a member of a clan; Be born into it, marry into it, or be adopted/assimilated into it. So take your pick..

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Hello

...when I went to a kilt store the young lady informed me that the custom was actually to use your mothers name.


Thanks
FP

As Jock Scot so sagely pointed out, it is usual to follow the male line. If your father wasn't Scottish (and if that's the case you have our commiserations) you can wear your Mothers tartan, or follow CarolinaKiltman's advice and become assimilated into the clan of your choice by that form of adoption known as a "bond of manrent". This is a simple document issued to you by the clan chief whereby he acknowledges your desire to come under the protection of his clan, and accepts you as one of his own. This is as official and legal as it gets, and it means that you and your posterity are members of Clan X, establishing, if you will, your own "sept" within that clan.

[Derek Conley]

As Jock Scot so sagely pointed out, it is usual to follow the male line. If your father wasn't Scottish (and if that's the case you have our commiserations) you can wear your Mothers tartan, or follow CarolinaKiltman's advice and become assimilated into the clan of your choice by that form of adoption known as a "bond of manrent". This is a simple document issued to you by the clan chief whereby he acknowledges your desire to come under the protection of his clan, and accepts you as one of his own. This is as official and legal as it gets, and it means that you and your posterity are members of Clan X, establishing, if you will, your own "sept" within that clan.

Forgive my ignorance, but regarding clans... are there websites (for example) associated with each which would be considered "official"...?

[gilmore]

Forgive my ignorance, but regarding clans... are there websites (for example) associated with each which would be considered "official"...?

Yes. Many of the chiefs of clans and chieftans of septs have their own websites (though not all do by any means) which I guess could be called official as to that person.

There may be several associations for each clan with their own websites, usually distributed geographically. E.g., a _________ Clan Associatoin of North America, _____ Clan Association of Australia, and so on. I guess those are official as to that clan association.

Clan associations are of course groups of people who descend from a clan and were formed by and governed by them. I think it would be accurate to say that the chief of a clan, or chieftan of a sept, are the final arbiters of most matters involving the clan directly.

If you Google, you can probably find the one(s) you are interested in. If not, post a request for info here. There are quite a few knowledgeable folk here.

[gilmore]

Double post deleted

[gilmore]

...or follow CarolinaKiltman's advice and become assimilated into the clan of your choice by that form of adoption known as a "bond of manrent". This is a simple document issued to you by the clan chief whereby he acknowledges your desire to come under the protection of his clan, and accepts you as one of his own. This is as official and legal as it gets, and it means that you and your posterity are members of Clan X, establishing, if you will, your own "sept" within that clan.

Do you know of any instances of this actually happening within the last few hundred years?

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manrent

[FreakPower70]

As Jock Scot so sagely pointed out, it is usual to follow the male line. If your father wasn't Scottish (and if that's the case you have our commiserations) you can wear your Mothers tartan, or follow CarolinaKiltman's advice and become assimilated into the clan of your choice by that form of adoption known as a "bond of manrent". This is a simple document issued to you by the clan chief whereby he acknowledges your desire to come under the protection of his clan, and accepts you as one of his own. This is as official and legal as it gets, and it means that you and your posterity are members of Clan X, establishing, if you will, your own "sept" within that clan.

Are you serious? Can I do this even if I am Canadian and not Scottish?

[Ian.MacAllan]

Heraldry and clan stuff goes through the male line.
. . .

But not exclusively, under Scots law at least. I'm not certain what all the conditions are (except of course that the approval of the Lord Lyon King at Arms is necessary) but there are conditions under which both Arms and a Chiefship can pass down the distaff line. An example: Dame Marjorie MacLachlan was chief of Clan MacLachlan for more than 50 years in the 20th century. She succeeded her father, who was killed in the Blitz, and was succeeded by her son, the present chief.

.

[gilmore]

But not exclusively, under Scots law at least. I'm not certain what all the conditions are (except of course the approval of the Lyon King at Arms, which is necessary) but there are conditions under which both Arms and a Chiefship can pass down the distaff line. ...
.

True. Also quite a few, perhaps most, peerages in the peerage of Scotland are hereditable by women, unusual in European aristocracies.

[Derek Conley]

Yes. Many of the chiefs of clans and chieftans of septs have their own websites (though not all do by any means) which I guess could be called official as to that person.

There may be several associations for each clan with their own websites, usually distributed geographically. E.g., a _________ Clan Associatoin of North America, _____ Clan Association of Australia, and so on. I guess those are official as to that clan association.

Clan associations are of course groups of people who descend from a clan and were formed by and governed by them. I think it would be accurate to say that the chief of a clan, or chieftan of a sept, are the final arbiters of most matters involving the clan directly.

If you Google, you can probably find the one(s) you are interested in. If not, post a request for info here. There are quite a few knowledgeable folk here.

Gilmore, thank you for the input. I suppose, luckily for me, the "Conley" name is a sept of Clan Stewart of Appin and I did manage to find websites regarding Stewart both here and in Scotland. My fear was that I'd be inundated with various organizations and wouldn't know where to begin.