Clan Primary Image Cockburn

Scottish Clans

Cockburn Tartans & Clan

Clan Cockburn has no chief, and is an armigerous clan.

Clan Motto ACCENDIT CANTU (He rouses us with song)

Who Wears Cockburn 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.

  • Coburn
  • Cogburn
  • de Cockborne

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Cockburn Tartans

2 variations

Each 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.

Clan Origin Primary Image Cockburn

From the start

Cockburn Clan Origins & History

Clan Origin History Image Cockburn

Explore the history of Clan Cockburn

How it all started

Territories

Scottish Borders

Clan Chief

Clan Cockburn 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.

Where does the name Cockburn come from?

From the Old English cocc, meaning "rooster," and burna, meaning "a stream.

Clan Origin Location Image Cockburn

Cockburn Law

Cockburn Law was an oval shaped fort covering an area of around 150 by 115 metres, built on the summit of the hill and thought to have been a refuge during times of trouble rather than a residence. A single rampart runs around the entire site, with a second rampart on the south and 3 ramparts to the west and north. Nearby Edin's Hall Broch is a hillfort on a larger scale built lower down the hillside. The Berwickshire countryside is stunning and a walk to both sites is very much recommended.

The name Cockburn spread across the Carribbean in the 17th century when Dr James Cockburn, one of the salt traders from Jamaica founded the capital of Turks and Caicos Islands. Dr Cockburn was born in Scotland but lived and died in Jamacia.

Clan Motto: ACCENDIT CANTU (He rouses us with song)


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