Scottish Clans
Mackgill Tartans & Clan
James Makgill of the Galloway family was a prominent merchant in Edinburgh during the reign of James V of Scotland, he went on to become the Provost of Edinburgh.
Who Wears Mackgill 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.
- MacGill
- Mac an ghoill
MackgillTartans
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.
Dall’inizio
Mackgill Clan Storia e Origini
Esplorare la storia di Clan Mackgill
Come tutto è cominciato
Territories
Galloway
Clan Chief
Ian Arthur Alexander Makgill, 14th Viscount of Oxfuird
Cosa c'è nel nome Mackgill?
The name MacGill originates from the gaelic name Mac an Ghoill, which means "son of the stranger", and it derived from the area of galloway.
Oxenfoord Castle
Oxenfoord Castle is located just outside of Edinburgh and is the historic seat of Clan MacGill. In the 12th Century the lands were owned by the Riddel family, but by the 16th Century the MacGill family took over ownership and built a four storey tower house on the lands. In 1760 the Castle was passed to the hands of the Dalrymple family through marriage and they commissioned the re-build of the Castle which took place in 1782. The Castle was then re-modelled again in 1842 and now the original building built by the MacGills can no longer be seen. The Castle was never passed back to the MacGill family and is now still owned by the Dalrymple family, who have converted it into a venue that can be hired out for events such as Weddings or Conferences.James Makgill
James Makgill of the Galloway family was a prominent merchant in Edinburgh during the reign of James V of Scotland, he went on to become the Provost of Edinburgh.
Clan Motto: Sine Fine (Without end)
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