Clan Primary Image Agnew

Scottish Clans

Agnew Tartans & Clan

Clan Chief: Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw

Clan Motto Consilio non impetu (By wisdom not by force)

Who Wears Agnew 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.

  • O'Gnive
  • O'Gnyw
  • MacGnive

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1 variations

Each 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.

Clan Origin Primary Image Agnew 190829 154226

Dall’inizio

Agnew Clan Storia e Origini

Clan Origin History Image Agnew

Esplorare la storia di Clan Agnew

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Territories

The Clan Agnew lands are Wigtownshire and Galloway

Clan Chief

The current chief is Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, 11th Baronet, and a well-regarded lawyer and scholar. In line with his ancestors Sir Crispin is also an adventurer and has taken part in and led many daring expeditions around the globe including to Mt Everest and the Northern Patagonian Ice Fields.

Cosa c'è nel nome Agnew?

The origin of the Agnew name is disputed and one theory is that the name is of Norman ancestry from the Barony d'Agneaux. The second possible origin of the name is a Celtic one through the native Ulster sept of O'Gnimh (pronounced O'New). The O'Gnimh were the hereditary Bards to the great O'Neils of Clan Aodha Bhuidhe in Antrim. The name went through many transformations, O'Gnive, O'Gnyw, MacGnive, finally being anglicized to Agnew. This would give the Agnews a common descent with other great names such as MacDonald and MacDougall through Somerled, the twelfth century King of the Isles.

Clan Origin Location Image Agnew

Lochnaw

Regardless of the much disputed origins of Clan Agnew there is no doubt that the family became established in Wigtownshire in south-west Scotland, with Lochnaw Castle as their base. Andrew Agnew was appointed Sheriff of Wigtown in 1451 and his descendants hold that office to this day.

Lochnaw Castle is the hereditary home of Clan Agnew and has an impressive 5 storey keep.

Clan Motto: Consilio non impetu (By wisdom not by force)


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