Scottish Clans
Bowie Tartans & Clan
In 1489 John Bowey held Dunbarton Castle against the armies of the new King James IV but was later pardoned for doing so. Jerome Bowie was master of the royal wine cellar for King James VI from 1585 to 1589.
Who Wears Bowie 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.
- Boye
- Bowy
- Boee
BowieTartans
1 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
Bowie Clan Origins & History
Explore the history
How it all started
Territories
The Kingdom of Dalriada & Kintyre
Clan Chief
The Bowie Clan does not have a Clan Chief.
What's in the name?
From the Gaelic nickname buidhe, meaning yellow or fair-haired
Dumbarton Castle
John Boye, alias Bowy, alias Boee, a Scotsman living at Yarmouth, had letters of designation in England, 1481. John Bowey had remission for holding Dumbarton Castle against the king in 1489. Overlooking the River Clyde and fondly known as the Rock of the Clyde, Mary Queen of Scots sailed to France from Dumbarton Castle in 1548. Dumbarton Rock is an in-filled crater of a volcano active 350 million years ago and the castle is built on this rock. Prepare to storm your way up 500 steps if you wish to breech the threshold.Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie is one of the most notable members of the Bowie family, despite his birth name actually being David Robert Jones. He was a leading musician for over five decades and during his lifetime sold an estimated 140 million albums worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time.
Clan Motto: Quod non pro patria (What would not one do for his country)
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