Scottish Clans
Buchan Tartans & Clan
The earliest Buchans on record date back to 1200 and before. Major-General Thomas Buchan, was born at Auchmacoy in 1641, led the forces of King James II during rebellions of 1689 while his brother Colonel John Buchan of Cairnbulg fought on the opposite side.
Who Wears Buchan 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.
- Cheyne
- Chiene
- Common
- Commons
- Cummin
- Cummings
- Cumyn
- Farquharson
- Macniven
- Niven
- Russell
BuchanTartans
5 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
Buchan Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Buchan
How it all started
Territories
Buchan region, northeastern Aberdeenshire
Clan Chief
The current chief is David Buchan of Auchmacoy
Where does the name Buchan come from?
The Buchan region, in the northeastern part of Aberdeenshire, verging on Banffshire, is the origin of the name of this clan.
Auchmahoy House
Captain David Buchan was only 17 when he inherited the 14th century Auchmahoy estate, near Ellon in Aberdeenshire in 1947. Previously home to his grandfather, the 18th Earl of Caithness, the lands are believed to have been in the family's possession from the beginning of the 1300s. In 1503 this was made official when Andrew Buchan received a charter for the lands from King James IV of Scotland.
Famous Buchans
There was a famous Dr Alexander Buchan in the early days of meteorology (Buchan's cold spells), and more recently John Buchan the author who became Governor-General of Canada and Lord Tweedsmuir. The chiefs of the family live at Auchmacoy House, Ellon and have been there continuously since around 1350.
Clan Motto: Non Inferiora Secutus (Not having followed mean pursuits)
Not Buchanan
The name Buchan is not, as commonly presumed, anything to do with clan Buchanan, but is derived from the district of the same name, in the north east of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.
The first Buchan
The earliest Buchans on record date back to 1200 and before. Major-General Thomas Buchan, was born at Auchmacoy in 1641, led the forces of King James II during rebellions of 1689 while his brother Colonel John Buchan of Cairnbulg fought on the opposite side.
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