Welsh
Howells Tartans & Clan
The name Howells is an angelized form of the ancient Welsh name of Hywel. The earliest Hywel came from the late 5th and 6th centuries, King Hoel, also known as Sir Howel and Saint Hywel, was a member of the ruling dynasty of Cornouaille. They ruled across the region throughout the 6th century with Hywel appearing in numerous Welsh myths and folklores as 'king of Brittany'. Howells itself started being used by a dynasty of kings from Wales and Brittany during the 9th and the 10th centuries found in Monmouthshire where the family was seated before the arrival of William Hastings in the 11th century. Vychan Howel was a Welsh prince of the time and was believed to have been a son of Rhodri the Great.
Who Wears Howells 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.
- Hawell
- Hoel
- Hoells
- Hole
- Holl
- Howael
- Howell
- Howel
- Howle
- Hugh
- Hywel
- Howells
- Howeles
- Huwal
- Howels
- Powel
- Powell
HowellsTartans
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
Howells Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
The name Howells is an angelized form of the ancient Welsh name of Hywel. The earliest Hywel came from the late 5th and 6th centuries, King Hoel, also known as Sir Howel and Saint Hywel, was a member of the ruling dynasty of Cornouaille. They ruled across the region throughout the 6th century with Hywel appearing in numerous Welsh myths and folklores as 'king of Brittany'. Howells itself started being used by a dynasty of kings from Wales and Brittany during the 9th and the 10th centuries found in Monmouthshire where the family was seated before the arrival of William Hastings in the 11th century. Vychan Howel was a Welsh prince of the time and was believed to have been a son of Rhodri the Great.
What's in the tartan?
The Howells Welsh tartan is mainly a light blue purple colour and has red, green and some white stripes running throughout.
Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda was a king of Deheutbarth during the late 9th and early 10th century and eh eventually came to rule most of Wales. He became the single king of Seissllywg in 920 and shortly afterwards he established the region of Deheutbarth and subsequently gained control over the whole country from Penbroke all the way to Prestatyn. He was a highly esteemed medieval Welsh ruler of his time, with his name being largely linked to the traditional Welsh law which was known as the Laws of Hywel Dda. The fact his name Dda literally translated to 'good' refers to the fact these laws were just good!
The name Howells translates to 'the sun', but it can also mean 'high' or 'exalted'.
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