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.
Each tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
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.
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.
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.
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
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.
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Argyll and the Inner Hebrides
The current chief is Major The Hon Sir Lachlan MacLean of Duart and Morvern, Bt.
The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic MacGilleEathain meaning servant of Saint John. As with most surnames, there are many spellings of the name 'MacLean', and there are examples of McLean, MacClane, Maclain and other variants throughout history.
Duart Castle is located on the Isle of Mull and was constructed in the 13th Century by Clan MacDougall. Although the castle was not built by Clan MacLean they did acquire it the following century and it still remains their Clan seat today. In 1647 the castle was attacked by Clan Campbell, but Clan MacLean managed to defeat them and keep hold of the Castle. However, in 1678 the Campbells attacked again and were successful, they took control of the Castle and also most of the lands owned by the MacLeans. Duart Castle was abandoned during the Jacobite Risings of 1745 and fell to ruins. The ruins and surrounding lands then passed hands through different families before it finally ended up back in the hands of the MacLean family once again. The Chief of Clan MacLean had the castle re-built at the beginning of the 20th Century.
"My Great Grandfather was the President of the Clan MacLean Association and organised a very significant gathering at Duart Castle in 1911. My Grandfather was secretary to the Clan MacLean Association for a time. I came into the council in 1976, so I have been much involved ever since and I was the editor of the magazine for a spell. I’ve been involved with Clan MacLean forever. It’s a great organisation. The whole idea of clans is wonderful. With the membership of the Clan MacLean society, there are many more overseas members in Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand and particularly in France, than there are in Scotland. I think there is a sort of duty to keep these institutions going. Many would say it’s completely irrelevant to know where you’ve come from, what your ancestors even are. But it’s a great comfort, in a way, to know what your background is and where you come from. I think that some people feel somewhat adrift when they don’t know where they come from. I mean anybody could survive perfectly happily without knowing this, but it’s just sort of a comfort to know your background and where you’ve come from. And I think these Clan organisations and the whole idea of “Clanship” is very worthwhile on that ground, I really do."
The first chief of Clan MacLean, Gillean of the Battle Axe (Gilleain na Tuaighe in Scottish Gaelic), was an ancient Scottish warlord who fought in the Scottish-Norwegian War, helping the Scots to victory. Born around the year 1210, Gillean spent most of his life in the areas of Argyleshire, Ayreshire and Galloway. Gillean's eldest son and second chief of Clan MacLean, Malise, was first to hold the name "mac Gilleain" or "son of Gillean", name which was later shortened to MacLean.
With 9 tartan variants to choose from, the MacLean Clan is truly spoilt for choice. But what is your favourite MacLean Clan Tartan? Vote now!
How much do you think you know about Clan MacLean? Enough to get all 12 questions correct? Test your MacLean Clan Knowledge now!
Clan Motto: Virtue Mine Honour