Clan Tartan Appropriateness

[sevenoaks]

I guess that to simplify, let's to back to SteveB and Jock. I have no affiliation with MacNeils or Jock. How would you guys personally feel if I were wearing your tartans? Would it raise your hackles a little? Would you not care in the least?
I would not be offended if you wore my family tartan. In fact I would be appreciative if you found it to be to your liking and feel honored that you did so. I appreciate history but tartans and clans are not that old as far as history goes. I think you can wear any tartan you like other than the tartans that are limited and registered to that Family or clan. There are not that many that are restricted.
If you want to wear a kilt, I would ask you to wear it proudly and not desecrate in anyway.
Go for it and enjoy a garment that just feels right on a man.
We have so many commercial business that sell, Americans, mostly, there clan, history,tartan, and coat of arms. The coat of arms are registered to only one person and most of these store sold documents are not legitimate. That being said. It dose no harm if someone wishes to be associated with Scotland. I am sure if you traced your family tree far enough back, you may find a few drops of the liquid that runs through the peat bogs of the North Countries.
Do wear what you will and wear it proudly. I for one will shake the hand of a man who lives his life as he wants to.

[chrisupyonder]

The problem with clans is that most clans have many surnames. My name is not MacLaren but my surname is one of the major family names. When I contacted the Clan MacLaren Society and gave them my surname they replied...

Origin of Clan MacLaren
The MacLaren name was derived from Labhran (Laurin) of Ardveche, the hereditary Abbot of Achtus in Balquhidder in the 13th Century. Major family groups include MacLaren, Law, Lowe, and Lowery, including all variant spellings.

As my surname is one of the above, they welcomed me with open arms (after I had paid membership fees etc. )

Because I made this effort to find my clan and actually joined the clan society and paid my dues, I would feel a bit miffed if I saw someone who I knew did not have any connection at all with Clan MacLaren wearing a MacLaren tartan but would not say anything and probably not make friends. But if I just saw them on the street or in a pub, how would I know. I would not just ask a kilted stranger if he was of a particular clan. I would not, except for a few, know what any particular tartan was.
Even if he gave me his name, I would not know if it was one of the family or sept names of the clan. The clan MacLaren has around 230 different surnames which could be members of the clan. I can only remember a few.

From the clan lierature..
Eligibility for Membership.
One automatically becomes a member of Clan MacLaren by birth, marriage, or adoption, if your name is one of the clan family or sept names.

I also have a kilt in the Douglas tartan from my mothers side. Douglas is a armigerous clan and does not have a clan chief or a society in the UK.
There are many armigerous clans but I feel there should be at least some connection even if small.

I feel that if anyone does not have any clan connection at all, then there are many fine non clan or generic tartans available or if you are really serious you can design your own tartan and have it woven.
But in the end I would not make a big deal about it, there are no tartan police! ith:

That is the way I see it, hope this helps.

Chris.

[piperdbh]

My clan, Lockhart, is small, our tartan was created in 1996, and Dalgliesh is the only weaver (that I know of) producing it. If I saw somebody wearing the tartan, I would assume that he/she at least had a connection to the name, and would probably ask about it. If the wearer was wearing Lockhart "just because it's pretty", I would be alright with it, because I'd know that a small business had made a bit of money, the wearer obviously had good taste, and I'd be able to enlighten the wearer about our clan and family history. Now, if this yahoo were wiping mud off his boots with my tartan, or using it to clean the bird droppings off his windshield, that would be a horse of a different feather!

Jock and Chrisupyonder, it appears that your countrymen and mine have exactly opposite hypothetical responses. If I'm reading right, both of you have written that you would not ask the person why he/she was wearing your clan's tartan, while some of my fellow Americans and I have said that we would ask. Interesting, don't you think?

Back to the OP's question:
I agree with my southern neighbor, fluter. If your step-grandfather was the only grandfather you knew, or if he was more "real" to you than your other grandfather, then I would say you were part of his family. If it were my clan, I would have no problem at all with the situation. In fact, I would have great respect for the gentleman, who, even though you were not his biological grandson, treated you as such and caused you to love and respect him. If a clan member had any problem with your explanation, or felt that you weren't entitled to the tartan because of differing DNA, I would have to assume that that person was from the "other side of the family" from your grandfather and be glad that you were on his "side".

[Jock Scot]

Subtle Jock, reeeeeally subtle!

In regards to your stepsons, if one of them told you that, due to his affinity for you and your family, he would prefer to wear your tartan as his clan tartan, would you council him against that, or accept his choice with honor? I'm just trying to figure out if there is a difference over there between a wife's choice, as with accepting a husbands name when married, compared with other's choices.

"...older than some countries" What are we going to do with you?

Best regards,

Brooke

My step children are free to choose which tartan they wear and when the subject came to the fore(getting a kilt made for one of them)they made a choice and I have to say, one that I fully approve of.

[Jock Scot]

Jock and Chrisupyonder, it appears that your countrymen and mine have exactly opposite hypothetical responses. If I'm reading right, both of you have written that you would not ask the person why he/she was wearing your clan's tartan, while some of my fellow Americans and I have said that we would ask. Interesting, don't you think?

Yes it is interesting, but after being around for more than a few years, I am not surprised.To a Scot, a Highland Scot in particular, it would be regarded as impertinent at the very least, verging on being rude, to ask and they would have to know some one really well and for many years(I kid you not) before they would even dream of asking, that is, if they were interested enough in the first place and generally they are not and if they were, they will have already worked it out!

Secondly, and please don't get upset with this, after years of experience it is wise not to ask visitors to Scotland about the tartan they are wearing,-----you know the courteous bit about being friendly to guests, as one should and ignoring rule one----- best to stick to talking about the weather------ as the almost inevitable and dreaded two hour justification lecture will follow and once the faded pictures(obviously dearly loved and highly important and significant to their owners) of great Aunt Morag and Uncle Hector in his Crimean War uniform are brought forth, then we are doomed and can write most of the day off!

[tripleblessed]

Aunt Morag and Uncle Hector? Crimean War uniform? Jock, if I had only realized that was you...... I could have spent another three hours on their
connections in and around Fort William.

[Mickey]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses! This is very interesting, seeing the different points of view.

[Geoff Withnell]

Hmmm. My own practice is to wear only "universal" tartans e.g. Isle of Skye, or clan tartans that I have some connection to. If someone wants to wear Leatherneck tartan who is not a Marine, I have no real problem, altho I do tend to assume the wearer is a Marine. This tends to embarass them more than me, when they have to say "Oh no, I wasn't in the Corps". That said, someone wearing an EGA, or rank, or awards that they didn't earn? THAT frosts me. If it's a child, I am upset with the parents, not the child. People have died for those bits of colored ribbon and metal.

[Lyle1]

Wear any tartan that has some meaning for YOU! What other people might think need not be part of the decision process.

My paternal grandfather was born in Scotland, and I presently only wear the tartans of the clan with which my grandfather's family is historically associated. I do so to honor the memory of my grandfather, with whom I was very close when I was a child, I do not personally have a sense of personal belonging with the clan, and my grandfather never mentioned the clan, but I have good memories of my grandfather, so I honor him. My Scottish ancestors, on both sides of the family, came from many clans (well over a dozen when I stopped counting), and included some of the most notable figures in Scottish history, but I was born and raised in the U.S, so belonging to a clan is, at best, an abstract concept that has only sentimental value for me. I am proud of my Scottish heritage, but I don't attach undue significance to it; I am more concerned with today than yesterday.

I also have more than a few Irish lines, which I also proudly acknowledge, but when I think of my Irish ancestors, I think first of my maternal step-grandfather ( a term I do not generally use). I was never as close to him as with my paternal grandfather who lived with us, but he was family. When I was in my young teens, he introduced me to one of his friends as his grandson without clarifying the matter, which surprised his friend. I remember being very pleased that he thought of me that way. I never met my maternal biological grandfather who died very young, so he is mostly only a line on my family tree, but my step-grandfather will always be truly family. I respect the memory of my maternal biological grandfather, but I have loving memories of my step-grandfather, and him I try to honor.

Honoring your grandfather or step-grandfather is as good a reason to wear a particular tartan as any, and better than some.

[Sharkman]

Mickey,

My take on it is that wearing a tartan to celebrate and honor a family member is an awesome thing and I personally would never have a unkind word to say to any individual expressing themselves that way.

I am a member of Clan Campbell of North America and I wear the Campbell tartan, but I am related distantly and through my mothers family and "technically" for the crumudgeons I am not a real Campbell. My understanding is that the Scots trace their lines paternally.

That being said I am welcomed by Clan Campbell of North America and we are encouraged to wear the tartan if we wish to express our affiliation to the Clan. We also encourage membership for non-Campbell's as well. This is really not much different than how it was done in the old country when smaller weaker families would ally themselves with their dominate and stronger neighbors.

I say wear it in good health and "the devil" to anyone who would try to scold or mock you for it!