Welsh
Griffiths Tartans & Clan
The name Griffiths comes from the rugged landscapes of Middle Wales and is a pet name from the ancient name Gruffydd which saw many Welsh princes. Gruffydd ap Cynan, ap Llewelyn, ap Rhydderch and ap Gwenwynwyn were all Welsh kings from the lineage and sporadically held the Welsh throne between the 9th and the 13th centuries. Gruffydd ap Cynan who was the King of North Wales, was the first founder of the Royal tribe of Wales and he was also the eldest son of Rhodri Mawr who was the first official King of Wales.
Who Wears Griffiths 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.
- Gittah
- Gittings
- Gittoes
- Griffidd
- Griffen
- Griffies
- Griffin
- Griffing
- Griffyn
- Gruffydd
- Gruffudd
- Gryffin
- Griffis
- Griffith
- Grippiud
- Gryphon
- Guto
- Gutyn
- Gryffudd
- Gryffuths
Griffiths Tartans
1 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
Griffiths Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
The name Griffiths comes from the rugged landscapes of Middle Wales and is a pet name from the ancient name Gruffydd which saw many Welsh princes. Gruffydd ap Cynan, ap Llewelyn, ap Rhydderch and ap Gwenwynwyn were all Welsh kings from the lineage and sporadically held the Welsh throne between the 9th and the 13th centuries. Gruffydd ap Cynan who was the King of North Wales, was the first founder of the Royal tribe of Wales and he was also the eldest son of Rhodri Mawr who was the first official King of Wales. The surname Griffiths was first found in Chirk, where Gruffyd ap Madog Vnyon was listed in 1392. Currently in the United Kingdom Griffiths is the 58th most popular surname.
What's in the tartan?
The Griffiths Welsh tartan is mainly a muted green with red, white and blue accents running throughout.
Twthill Castle
Twthill Castle is found in the town of Rhuddlan in North east Wales and is a large motte which marks the site of Rhuddlan's first castle. The original castle where the conical lump is built on is believed to have been the royal palace of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, who was the only Welsh king to have ruled over the entire territory of the present day Wales between 1057 and 1063. Today, you can visit Twthill and the fact that the mound is still visible today shows a hint of just how enormous these fortresses would have been!
The Griffith clan motto is 'le bon temps viendra', meaning 'the good times will come'.
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