Scottish Clans
Kerr Tartans & Clan
There was a disproportionately high number of left-handed swordsmen in the Kerr ranks which gave the Kerrs an advantage on the battlefield, the Kerrs even designed the spiral staircases in their castles to favour left-handed swordsmen.
Who Wears Kerr 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.
- Carr
- Carre
- Cessford
- Ker
Kerr Tartans
11 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
Kerr Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Kerr
How it all started
Territories
The Kerrs are one of the great riding clans of the Scottish Borders, with the two main branches of the family associated with Cessford and Ferniehirst in the historic county of Roxburghshire.
Clan Chief
The current chief of Clan Kerr is the 13th Marquess of Lothian, Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, who is better known as Michael Ancram. Born in 1945, the Marquess studied History and Law at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh, and has had a distinguished career as an MP, holding the position of Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party from 2001-2005. Since 2010, he has sat in the House of Lord as a life peer, the only Marquess to do so. He is a keen country music fan - he is known to have played the acoustic guitar during Conservative Party Conferences!
Where does the name Kerr come from?
The name "Kerr" is from the Old Norse "kjrr," which means "marsh dweller." The origins of the family can be traced to Normandy in France. One tradition states that two brothers Ralph and John, came to Roxburgh from Lancashire after the Norman Conquest of England - the Kerrs of Ferniehurst claim descent from Ralph, and the Kerrs of Cessford, descend from John. The first recorded use of the name in Scotland is a Johannes Ker, who lived at the end of the 12th century. Associated septs of Kerr include Carr, Carre, Cessford, and Ker.
Ferniehirst Castle
Ferniehirst Castle was built in 1470 and is the historic seat of Clan Kerr. The castle is located in the Scottish Borders just a mile outside of the town of Jedburgh and was originally built by the Kerr family. The Kerr family resided there until 1523 when the English attacked the castle and took it for themselves, the Kerr family managed to reclaim the castle in 1549 with the help of the French but the English attacked again in 1570 and again occupied the castle. The Castle was eventually demolished in 1593 under the command of King James VI as punishments for crimes towards the crown, however it was re-built in 1598 by Sir Andrew Kerr. The Kerr family resided here until around the 17th and 18th Centuries when the castle fell to ruins and was no longer liveable. The Castle was unoccupied until the 20th Century, when it was finally restored in 1986 and opened to the public to hire out for events.
"The deadliest foes"
James Hogg wrote: "But the Kerrs were aye the deadliest foes,That e’er to Englishmen were known,For they were all bred left handed men, And fence[defence] against them there was none."
Do Clan Kerr have a Plant Badge?
Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) - perhaps a nod to the marshlands from which the clan takes its name!
Left-Handedness in Clan Kerr
There is a supposed link between the Kerrs and left-handedness. It is claimed that the spiral staircases in their castles were constructed in a way that meant they could take advantage over right-handed swordsmen. A study in 1972 claimed that there was some truth to this legend - about 30% of those with the surname Kerr were said to be left-handed as opposed to a background 10% of the population.
Do clan Kerr have a crest?
The Kerr crest is made up of the Latin motto 'Sero Sed Serio' (late, but in earnest) with the image of the sun at it's centre. The motto was founded after the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1545, which took place around 10km from Ferniehirst Castle. The crest is described as ' The sun and his splendour'.
Clan Kerr Association
Clan Kerr societies can be found across the globe, and give you the chance to connect with the clan’s heritage wherever you may be!
Clan Kerr of the United States and North America boast of having almost 400 members, making among the top third of all US Clans registered in North America. The non-profit corporation celebrates Kerr and Scottish heritage across the continent. Of the members, 53% are Kerrs and 15% are Carrs.
The Kerr Family Association of North America was founded in 1977, and has been recognised by the Marquess of Lothian as his representatives in North America. They have a family tent at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, and maintain a genealogical database for members interested to explore their own Kerr heritage.
Clan Kerr Society Australia hold an annual dinner at Glen Innes in New South Wales every May.
The Battle of Bellendean
The Kerrs were often at feud with other Scottish border clans including Clan Scott and Clan Heron. In the 15th century, a battle at Bellendean between Clans Kerr and Scott ended in the death of both clan chiefs. The two clans continued to feud, and in 1552 the Chief of Clan Scott of Buccleuch was killed by the Kerrs of Cessford in Edinburgh. Fighting between the two clans continued until a peace agreement was signed in 1602.
Kerr Pronunciation
There is a lack of agreement on how the name "Kerr" should be pronounced. In the USA, the name is pronounced as "kur". In rare cases, it is pronounced "carr". In Scotland, the most common pronunciation of the name is "care." Let us know how you like to pronounce your name!
Do clan Kerr have a Coat of Arms?
The crest of the Kerrs of Ferniehirst, the branch of the family from which the clan chiefs are drawn, is Gules, on a chevron, Argent, three mullets, of the field.
Gules describes the tincture of the colour red, argent is the tincture of silver, the chevron represents the roof of a house from the French word ‘chevron’ meaning rafter, it signifies protection and the chevron was granted to those families who had participated in some noble enterprise or had built churches or fortresses. A mullet is a representation of the rowel of a spur. These are English mullets, indicating the Norman origins of the Kerrs. The Scottish mullet includes a small circle inside the star.
The Kerrs Important role in History
In 1526, Sir Andrew Kerr of Cessford was killed near Melrose while escorting the infant James V to Edinburgh. In return for his sacrifice, the Clan were given royal rewards including titles. Over the years, the Kerrs have been given the Barony of Newbattle, the Earldom of Lothian, the Lordship of Jedburgh, the Earldom of Ancram, and the Dukedom of Roxburghe.
Clan Kerr on the River Teviot
Most clans have a link to a Scottish Loch, however you won’t find lochs in the Scottish Borders, but a waterway that has a close association with Clan Kerr is the River Teviot. The Teviot stretches through the heartland of the clan, running from the border of Dumfries and Galloway through the villages of Ancrum, Monteviot and Roxburgh before joining the River Tweed to the southwest of Kelso. Water from the river is used by the Borders Whisky Distillery, and traditionally it had many mills along its length.
Monteviot House, seat of the Marquesses of Lothian and the current clan chief Michael Ancram, is located on the river – the Kerr family acquired the lands in the Sixteenth century, building a small fishing lodge and later the house that stands on the site today.
Do Kerr have a tartan?
Traditionally the two recognised tartans of Clan Kerr were the modern and hunting varieties. However, there are now many more options to choose from if you want to showcase an association with the Clan - from the red of Kerr Weathered, to the purple tones that run through Kerr Orchid, Kerr Fuchsia and Kerr Purple.
Clan Kerr
Famous Faces
Beloved children’s author and illustrator Judith Kerr is just one of the famous members of our April Clan of the Month, Clan Kerr. Kerr’s book “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit” is a semi-autobiographical account of her childhood, recounting her Jewish family’s journey from Berlin to London on the eve of the Second World War. Kerr is perhaps best known for her Mog stories – which follow the adventures of a forgetful tabby cat – and “The Tiger who Came to Tea.”
Discover more notable Kerrs on the tartan blog!
Clan Kerr
Tartan Poll
With 11 tartan variants to choose from, the Kerr Clan is truly spoilt for choice. But which is your favourite Kerr Clan Tartan? Vote now!
Clan Kerr
Learn where the family name originates, their battles with the Scott clan and the famous castles belonging to the Kerr family . Discover the Kerr Clans top 5 facts, how many do you know?
The Story of Clan Kerr
Embark on a journey through time as we delve into the complicated history of one of the most fearsome Border clans- Clan Kerr. From their bitter rivalries to their participation in great Scottish historic events, we cover it all. We take a look at the most influential castles that belong to the Clan, and of course look at the colourful variations of the Kerr tartans.
Clan Kerr
Quiz
How much do you think you know about Clan Kerr? Enough to get all 12 questions correct? Test your Kerr Clan Knowledge now!
Clan Motto: Sero Sed Serio (Late But in Earnest)
Explore More...
