Scottish Clans
Wardlaw Tartans & Clan
The first historical record of the name Wardlaw is around 1306 when Robert the Bruce granted Henry Wardlaw the lands of Wilton in Roxburghshire. It is thought the Wardlaws established themselves during the reign of Malcolm III in the 11th century.
Who Wears Wardlaw 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.
- Wardlow
- Wardlawe
- Wardloe
- Wardlaw-Ramsay
- Mark-Wardlaw
- Wedlaw
- Wedlow
WardlawTartans
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
Wardlaw Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Wardlaw
How it all started
The first historical record of the name Wardlaw is around 1306 when Robert the Bruce granted Henry Wardlaw the lands of Wilton in Roxburghshire. It is also thought the Wardlaws established themselves during the reign of Malcolm III in the 11th century.
Territory in Galloway was lost due to the Wardlaws' support for John Balliol to claim the Scottish crown.
In the 15th century Andrew Wardlaw of Wilton married a heiress from Fife and the family acquired the lands and barony of Torry, or Torrie. Eventually in 1634 the barony of Torrie was sold to pay off debts and the lands were lost.
The family line continued through the Wardlaw branch of Pitreavie.
Clan Chief
There is currently no Clan Chief.
Where does the name Wardlaw come from?
The name Wardlaw means 'watch hill', with 'ward' meaning 'watch' (or guard) and 'law' meaning 'hill'.
The Wardlaw Tartan
The Wardlaw Tartan No. 6600 was created by Clan Wardlaw Association with the help of the former House of Tartan (now our Crieff store) and registered with the Scottish Tartan Authority in August 2005.
We are delighted to offer a Modern and Muted variation of the Wardlaw tartan.
The purple stands for the many royalty connections that the Wardlaws have been associated with for so many centuries. The blue is from the Wardlaw coat-of-arms. The red is for the Wardlaw bloodlines running through their veins. The green is for the beautiful Scottish hills. Finally, the black lines holding it together is the solidarity of the Wardlaws!
Do Clan Wardlaw have a Coat of Arms?
Clan Wardlaw have their own coat of arms: three gold mascles are surrounded by twelve white estoiles on a shield of blue. Below the shield is their slogan ‘Wardlaw Ivermair!’ ('Wardlaw evermore!')
Pitreavie Castle
Pitreavie Castle, near Dunfermline in Fife, was built by Sir Henry Wardlaw, a chamberlain to Anne of Denmark, who was the wife of James VI. In 1631, Sir Henry was made a Baronet of Nova Scotia.
The castle is one of the most well known Wardlaw castles in Scotland and still stands today but is now privately owned luxury flats. In the decades before it was occupied by the Royal Air Force and used during the Second World War as an operational base. An underground bunker was built but has since been sealed up.
Clan Wardlaw Association
Clan Wardlaw Association (CWA) was founded by Diane Wardlaw in 2004. The Association has over 230 members from all over the world. Other clans that are related are Macdougall, Stewart and Maxwell.
If you want to connect with your clan and delve into your clan history then head to their website here!
You can also find out more about the Wardlaw ancestry trees that are available for everyone to see. Find your place in the ancestral lines or get in touch with CWA to add yours in.
Clan Slogan: Wardlaw ivermair! (Wardlaw evermore!)
Image Sources:
View of Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland, and its Inner Bay. Taken atop Ferryhill Road, North Queensferry by Patrick Theiner - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pitreavie Castle before nineteenth century alterations by John Fleming (in public domain)
Pitreavie Castle by Rachel Mackie - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
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