Scottish Clans
Abercrombie Tartans & Clan
Abercrombie is an armigerous clan and the first finding of the name was in Fifeshire, now more commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife.
Who Wears Abercrombie 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.
- Abercromby
Abercrombie Tartans
2 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
- Dress
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.
Dress 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.
Desde el principio
Abercrombie Clan Historia y Orígenes
Explorar la historia de Clan Abercrombie
Cómo empezó todo
Territories
Abercrombie, Fife
Clan Chief
Clan Abercrombie is an armigerous clan which means that the clan, family or name is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon, but does not currently have a chief recognised by the Lyon Court. Pictured is Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801) a great military reformer noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars.
¿Que hay en el nombre Abercrombie?
The Gaelic name for Clan Abercrombie is Obar Chrombach
The Fifers
The first finding of the Abercromby name was in Fifeshire, now more commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife. Through his allegiance to Edward 1 of England, William de Abercromby received lands in the parish of Abercromby in Fife. Following a history of religious discord and military achievements early in the seventeenth century the lineage of the family was moved further north to Banffshire and the house of Abercromby of Birkenbog.
An overview
The Abercrombie tartan was first recorded in 1831 by James Logan, however the earliest mention of name dates back to 1296 when William de Abercomby did homage to Edward I of England for the Barony of Abercrombie in Fife.
Clan Motto: Petit Alta (He seeks high deeds)
The Gaelic name for Clan Abercrombie is Obar Chrombach
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