Something I don't know about after all these years...

[Tobus]

Thanks, MacMillan of Rathdown. That's what I thought the case might be.

In closing, the important bit is the "be descended from" part. If you really want to know if you have a connection to a particular tartan you have to do the research!

I don't know if Josh is in the same boat as me, but it might be possible that he's asking the question because the research leads nowhere. That's where I am with it. I've been poking into family history, and my maternal grandfather who died a few years ago had done a lot of genealogical work. But he ran up against a roadblock. There was a church fire in Alabama in the 1840s, I believe, where all the county records were housed. It is impossible to follow the research any farther back than this, as the records were destroyed.

So all we have is my mother's surname (which is listed as a sept of two different clans) and verbal tradition which points to one clan, with no possible way to follow the evidence to be sure.

[davidlpope]

So all we have is my mother's surname (which is listed as a sept of two different clans) and verbal tradition which points to one clan, with no possible way to follow the evidence to be sure.

I'd pick the "clan" that you most enjoy spending time with at local highland games.

Cordially,

David

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

So all we have is my mother's surname (which is listed as a sept of two different clans) and verbal tradition which points to one clan, with no possible way to follow the evidence to be sure.

If, as you say, there is a strong oral tradition in your family that points to a specific clan-- I'd follow that tradition.

[Ancienne Alliance]

If, as you say, there is a strong oral tradition in your family that points to a specific clan-- I'd follow that tradition.

Aye ! Strong oral tradition is often that witch we can relate to the easiest.


Best,

Robert

[Tobus]

If, as you say, there is a strong oral tradition in your family that points to a specific clan-- I'd follow that tradition.

That's what we've always done, and I'm comfortable with it. But it always stays at the back of my mind that it could be the other clan we originally came from. Or heck, the name is also associated with County Antrim, in northern Ireland! With no way to find out for sure, the only thing we can do is go with oral tradition.

[Jordan]

There is always the most common way of finding your tartan used in Scotland today... Ask the person in the kilt show which tartans they have available to rent

In Scotland people generally have about the same interest in someone's tartan as people in Texas have about someone's blue jeans. In other words, it no big deal what someone else is wearing.

Unless the tartan is something special loud mc leod/loud SP? being the obvious choice for this example

Jordan

[figheadair]

Can anyone tell me how it is determined that you are part of a major clan via your last name, even if its not that clan's name. Like my last name has its own clan, however, I'm entitled to wear the Lamont and MacMillan tartans. How is that determined. Does this belong in tartan&heraldry ?

The question should be to which clan or tartan is my name associated. There is no sure thing as 'entitled'. That pre-supposes that other are not 'entitled' to a paraticular see but that is fraught with historical difficulties.

[Jock Scot]

There is always the most common way of finding your tartan used in Scotland today... Ask the person in the kilt show which tartans they have available to rent



Unless the tartan is something special loud mc leod/loud SP? being the obvious choice for this example

Jordan

Ahem. Some would regard "loud MacLeod" as very special indeed.

MoR is dead right though, we in Scotland don't bother which tartan any one is wearing and it would never occur to us to enquire either. It is noticed if more than one tartan is worn though. Most certainly most of us would be bored silly if some one started pontificating about thread counts, colours, tartan registration date, clan history and the rest. We have far more interesting things to talk about, like shooting,fishing, football, rugby,beer, weather, whisky, and some such.

[English Bloke]

... we in Scotland don't bother which tartan any one is wearing and it would never occur to us to enquire either. It is noticed if more than one tartan is worn though. Most certainly most of us would be bored silly if some one started pontificating about thread counts, colours, tartan registration date, clan history and the rest. We have far more interesting things to talk about, like shooting,fishing, football, rugby,beer, weather, whisky, and some such...

Rugby and beer... Ooooh yesss!

Interestingly (or not as the case may be) on our recent visit to Dumfries, I was asked by a couple of the locals in one establishment why, as an English Bloke, I was wearing the kilt but not once was I asked about the tartan I was wearing.

Then we got on to Rugby and beer... remarkable!

[Jordan]

Ahem. Some would regard "loud MacLeod" as very special indeed.

MoR is dead right though, we in Scotland don't bother which tartan any one is wearing and it would never occur to us to enquire either. It is noticed if more than one tartan is worn though. Most certainly most of us would be bored silly if some one started pontificating about thread counts, colours, tartan registration date, clan history and the rest. We have far more interesting things to talk about, like shooting,fishing, football, rugby,beer, weather, whisky, and some such.

I knew it was loud MacSomething, and I suppose it would depend on your definition of special

Your right, the amount of times Ive been asked what tartan im wearing can be counted on one hand with fingers to spare (my time in dumfries excluded) compared to the amount of times ive been asked why im wearing a kilt which must be in the hundreds