Scottish Clans
Gunn Tartans & Clan
A viking horde. Vikings? Where? Fear not, your village is safe, for now... It is simply that there is a suggestion that the first of the Clan was a chap called Gunni who inherited his land from his wife's brother, the Earl of Orkney. Gunni was said to be descended from Viking raiders.
Who Wears Gunn Tartan? - Associated Names
First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. There are an awful lot of Scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it.
- Enrick
- Eanrig
- Georgeson
- Gaunson
- Ganson
- Gallie
- Henderson
- Inrig
- Jameson
- Jamieson
- Jamison
- Jaisson
- Johnson
- Korman
- MacCorkill
- MacCorkle
- MacHamish
- MacKeamish
- MacIan
- Mann
- Manson
- Manus
- Magnus
- Robson
- Robeson
- Robison
- Robinson
- McRob
- Sandison
- Swanson
- Will
- MacWilliam
- Williamson
- Wilson
- Swan
- Swann
- Swanson
- Swanney
- Sweeney
Gunn Tartans
6 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the start
Gunn Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Gunn
How it all started
Territories
Caithness, Sutherland & Orkeny
Clan Chief
The current chief is Iain Alexander Gunn of Banniskirk. Clan Gunn was without a Chief for 230 years so this was an exciting appointment on April 16th 2016 in Edinburgh.
Where does the name Gunn come from?
Gunn derives from the Old Norse name Gunnr or Gunnhildr.
Clyth Castle
Castle Gunn, Castle Clyth, Castle Bruan or Gunn's Castle as it is also known, is found 7 miles south of Wick in Caithness standing on a lonely rock. Inaccessible today, no-one really knows for sure how the Castle was accessed in the past, perhaps by ship but given the difficulties with tides, wild weather and the treacherous coastline it is thought that there must have been access from land too. If you visit you can see some rough stairs cut into the rock but it is hard to imagine how you could transport castle supplies up and down such a precipice. Deemed to be too small Clyth Castle was abandoned at the end of the 13th century in favour of the more accessible Castle Halberry a little further South. In a fine example of upcycling the stone was used to build the causeway at a nearby harbour.
Clan Gunn's Plant badge is Juniper
Clan Motto: Aut Pax Aut Bellum (Either Peace or War).
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