Scottish Clans
MacDougall Tartans & Clan
Who Wears MacDougall 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.
- Carmichael
- Coles
- Conacher
- Cowan
- Cowen
- Dougal
- Dougall
- Dowall
- Dowell
- Dugal
- Dugald
- Eunson
- Howell
- Howells
- Livingston
- Livingstone
- Lucas
- MacClintock
- MacConacher
- MacConcher
- MacCoul
- MacCowan
- MacCowell
- MacCoyle
- MacCullagh
- MacCulloch
- MacDill
- MacDool
- MacDougal
- MacDoul
- MacDowall
- MacDowell
- MacDugald
- MacEwan
- MacEwen
- MacHale
- MacHowell
- MacKinchan
- MacLinden
- MacLintock
- MacLucas
- MacLugash
- MacLullich
- MacNamel
- Macoual
- Macoul
- Macowan
- Macowen
MacdougallTartans
3 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.
Dall’inizio
MacDougall Clan Storia e Origini
Esplorare la storia di Clan MacDougall
Come tutto è cominciato
Territories
Argyll
Clan Chief
The current chief is Madame Morag MacDougall of MacDougall, 31st Chief of the clan and Honorary President of the Clan MacDougall Society of North America.
Cosa c'è nel nome MacDougall?
The name Dougall comes from the Gaelic Dubh-gall which translates as black or dark stranger, which was a Gaelic term for those of Norse descent. Mac means "son of" and the MacDougall's were the son of Dugal. Clan MacDougall was a powerful influence on the West Highland Coast and many other Scottish families played important roles in the history of the clan. The MacDougalls of Lorn are the senior branch of the royal house of Somerled, a famous warrior King of the Hebrides and ruler of Argyll until his death in 1164.
Dunollie Castle
The earliest record of Dunolli Castle dates back over 1300 years to 686 and it has been destroyed and re-built many times since then, it is currently being restored thanks to the MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust. The Castle is located just outside of Oban on the coast, overlooking the sea. Dunollie Castle has been in the MacDougall family for generations and is the current seat and ancestral home of Clan MacDougall and chief Madam Morag MacDougall of MacDougall. Today it is open to the public to visit and there is even a museum within the grounds where you can learn all about the fascinating history of Dunollie Castle and Clan MacDougall, built by the Vikings and full of Scandinavian history and Norse mythology.The Raven and the Heather
Clan MacDougall's plant badge is Bell Heather and their clan bird is the Raven. The common raven (also known as a "corbie" in Scots) is known to be Britain's most intelligent bird and appears frequently in Celtic and Norse mythology, depicted floating in the updrafts of a mountain crag or ruined castle in Scotland. The raven is a sign of the mark of Odin in Norse mythology, they were his messengers and the source of his knowledge, traversing Earth and informing Odin of what was happening.
Clan Motto: Buaidh No Bas (Victory or Death)
