Scottish Clans
Drummond Tartans & Clan
What is the clan connection with Hungary? The tradition is that a Hungarian admiral named George was accompanying Edgar Aetheling in his flight from William the Conqueror, settled east of Stirling in the parish of Drymen. One of George's progeny was Malcolm Beg, the first chief of the Clan Drummond.
Who Wears Drummond 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.
- Begg
- Brewer
- Cargill
- Doig
- Grewar
- Gruer
- Maccrouther
- Macgrewar
- Macgrowther
- Macgruder
- Macgruther
- MacRobbie
Drummond Tartans
8 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
Drummond Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Drummond
How it all started
Territories
Clan Drummond's lands are traditionally in Perthshire with the historic seat of the clan at Drummond Castle near Crieff. Today the Clan is seated at Stobhall castle, eight miles from Perth.
Clan Chief
The current chief is John Eric Drummond, 18th Earl of Perth
Where does the name Drummond come from?
Drummond comes from the Gaelic drumainn, a derivative of druim meaning ridge
Drummond Castle
John, 1st Lord Drummond, built Drummond Castle on a rocky outcrop around 1490, about 3 miles south west of Crieff in Perthshire. The tower had 5 or more storeys and a lower wing, but the 17th century Renaissance gardens are the high point, abandoned after the Jacobite Risings, then restored to their former glory in the 19th century and definitely worth a visit today.
Clan Drummond's plant badge is Holly
Clan Motto: Gang Warily (Go carefully).
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