Scottish Clans
Armstrong Tartans & Clan
Who Wears Armstrong 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.
- Armstrang
- Armestrang
- Armystrang
- Crosar
- Crosier
- Crozier
- Crozer
- Fairbairn
- Fortenbras
- Grozier
- Harmestrange
- Nixon
- Kinmont
ArmstrongTartans
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.
From the start
Armstrong Clan Origins & History
Explore the history
How it all started
Territories
The Scottish Borders and Lowlands. Among the Border Clans the Armstrongs were one of the most numerous as well as the most powerful and feared. They possessed the greater part of Liddesdale and later spread into Eskdale and Annandale. Their constant forays over the Border to plunder and raid England kept the Borders in turmoil.
Clan Chief
Clan Armstrong is an armigerous clan which means that the clan, family or name is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon, but does not currently have a chief recognised by the Lyon Court. The last chief of Clan Armstrong, Archibald Armstrong of Mangerton was hanged around 1610.
What's in the name?
A variation of the Norman name Fortinbras, and first recorded in Ousby, Cumberland in 1223. According to the Armstrong Clan website (www.armstrongclan.info): "A traditional story claims that the Armstrong clan progenitor was Fairbairn, an armour bearer to a king of Scotland, who rescued his master when he had his horse killed under him in battle. Fairbairn allegedly grasped the king by his thigh and set him on his own horse. An astonishing feat of strength that cynics suggest was a physical impossibility due to the weight of medieval armour."
Gilnockie Tower
Home to the notorious Border Reiver, Johnie Armstrang of Gilnockie, this fine example of a Scottish peel tower is over 500 years old and boasts that the stone in the entrance hall is 2000 years old. Hanged by a Scottish King, King James V in 1530, Johnie's story is told by Walter Scott in "the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border".Lunar links
Clan Armstrong were the first clan on the moon thanks to Neil Armstrong. In March 1974, this famous astronaut returned to his roots, was declared a Freeman of Langholm and climbed to the top of Gilnockie Tower for a view over his ancestors lands. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing and also the restoration of Gilnockie Tower.
Clan Motto: Invictus Maneo (I remain unvanquished)
