The Graham's fought at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296 where Sir Patrick de Graham of Kincardine was the only man of all the Scots fighting not to retreat and instead he fought to the death.
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.
Over the last 300 years, tartans have been a part of official dress for some of the most famous regiments throughout the military world! Their respective regimental tartans became undisputedly tied to the very core identity of the soldiers who wear it. Explore the associated regiments below:
Each tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
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.
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.
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.
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
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.
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Loch Katrine, Perthshire, Dundee and Montrose
The current chief is James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose
The Scottish Grahams claimed descent from a mighty Caledonian chief called Grame, but the first true bearer of the name was William of Graham in the 12th century.
From 1372 to 1700 Mugdock Castle was the seat of Clan Graham. Protected on three sides by Mugdock Loch a ridge of volcanic rock kept the water level high and made an attack difficult. A grooved portcullis gate provided the entry to the south. The Campbells managed to gain ownership in 1647, however the 2nd Marquis of Montrose bought it back again for 50,000 pounds Scots and made it his home. In 1874 the Duke of Montrose gave the lease of the castle to John Guthrie Smith who demolished it in 1875 and built a huge baronial style mansion house in its place. The final occupant of the mansion was Hugh Fraser, Baron Fraser of Allander, who died in 1966 and following a terrible fire that gutted the building, the mansion was demolished in 1967. You can visit Mugdock Country Park today and see the remains of the buildings and one of the original towers.
Clan Graham's pipe music is Killiecrankie
Clan Motto: Ne Oublie (Do Not Forget).