Scottish Clans
Home Tartans & Clan
The Haughty Homes. Haughty, eh? I'm not sure I like the sound of that! Don't worry, the name comes from the fact that many Homes have achieved great success in academic fields such as David Hume, world famous philosopher and historian (Home is pronounced Hume, David changed it so the English wouldn't get confused), Lord Kames, or Henry Home, one of Scotland's Institutional Writers - An Institutional writer being an academic whose writings are considered formal sources of Scot's law. As well as Academics, the Homes can count successful playwrights, balladists and a Prime Minister as members of their clan.
Who Wears Home 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.
- Ayton
- Buncle
- Bunkle
- Dundar
- Eaton
- Greenlaw
- Haliburton
- Landale
- Landels
- Mack
- Nesbitt
- Nisbet
- Wedderburn
Home Tartans
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
Home Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Home
How it all started
Territories
Clan Home has held immense power within the region of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders, near where the ScotlandShop HQ is based! The original seat of the Home clan was Hume Castle which dates back to the 13th century, however, they were unfortunately forced to move after Oliver Cromwell destroyed the castle during his conquest of Scotland. Since then the seat of the clan has been moved to Hirsel House.
Clan Chief
The current chief of clan Home is Michael the 16th Earl of Home. The Home chiefs in recent memory have all been great politicians with his father David Hume being a member of the House of Lords and was even made a Knight of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest Order of Chivalry. David Home became Chief after his father Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom passed away in 1995.
Where does the name Home come from?
The Home name originates from the old English word Hôm which means a place on a hill, and if you ever have the chance to visit Home Castle this name will make more sense! Trust me my legs are still sore from the scramble up the extremely steep approach. The Clans namesake originates from William the Lord of Greenlaw, who is a descendant of many great kings such as William the Lion and King Aethelred, the Dane slayer. If you are a fan of Netflix's 'The Last Kingdom' you will know that name very well. William the Lord of Greenlaw later married his cousin and was granted the land of Home on which he built Home Castle. In the modern day, the Home name is largely spelt Hume so that English people across the border could understand.
Hume Castle
Since the 13th century Home Castle has dominated the landscape between the river Tween and Lammermuir Hills. Hume Castle served as the seat of the powerful Hume clan until the 1600s when Alexander, the 6th Lord Hume purchased the lands of Hirsel. They were forced to move after Cromwell arrived and done what he done all around Scotland and demolished the beautiful castle. In its near 800 year history, this castle has seen everything from sieges, queens and dead kings. If you want to learn more about the Home castles click here!
Clan Hume's Plant Badge
Clan Home's plant badge is a Broom otherwise known as Cytisus scoparius. This beautiful bright yellow plant is native to western Europe and got its name from the fact that its long, whip-like stems were cut and tied together to make brushes. Despite being the plant badge for the clan the plant was used against the clan in the pre-war tensions with England before the battle of Flodden. On the 5th of August 1513, Lord Home led 7,000 border reivers across the border to raid English farms and villages (Find out more on the blog about the enduring tradition and celebration of the Reivers held every summer in our local town of Duns). Little did they know the English were waiting for them. The English hid in broom bushes and waited for the Scottish forces to pass, then slaughtered 600 Scotsmen. The others were lucky enough to escape.
Famous Homes...
The Haughty Homes. Haughty, eh? I'm not sure I like the sound of that! Don't worry, the name comes from the fact that many Homes have achieved great success in academic fields such as David Hume, world famous philosopher and historian (Home is pronounced Hume, David changed it so the English wouldn't get confused), Lord Kames, or Henry Home, one of Scotland's Institutional Writers - An Institutional writer being an academic whose writings are considered formal sources of Scot's law. As well as Academics, the Homes can count successful playwrights, balladists and a Prime Minister as members of their clan.
Hirsel Lake
Clan Home purchased the Hirsel Estate from the Kerr clan after Cromwell sadly destroyed Home castle. Generation after generation of the Home family have continued to grow and support the wildlife within the estate. With their love for wildlife they built Hirsel Lake in 1785 which now forms part of the Hirsel Country Park. A lovely place for a walk if you are in the area. The lake has become famous within the birdwatching community hosting over 170 species which were all documented by Henry Douglas-Home AKA “the Birdman". Another interesting part of this body of water is something you have probably noticed... it is a lake, not a loch, making it one of few bodies of water named a lake within Scotland.
Clan Hume War Cry
" Home, Home, Home"
The Home's were losing disastrously in an unknown battle when they heard the war cry sending the soldiers back home and saving hundreds of lives. This war cry is definitely more effective than having to shout two lines of Latin!
The Man with the Iron Chains
The battle of Flodden was a fateful day for the history of Scotland and Clan Home. On the 9th of September 1513 the largest battle ever between England and Scotland occurred. Tensions had been rising between the bordering countries due the English monarch’s membership in the “Catholic League”. Soon the French waged war against the English and King James IV had the option to honour the Auld Alliance or the Treaty of Perpetual Peace. The world watched and waited for the decision that could change the history of not just Scotland but the entirety of Europe. King James IV made a daring decision and soon arrived at the English border with 40,000 men. The Earl of Surrey met the Scottish forces and quickly out manoeuvred and defeated the Scots, killing King James IV. 200 years later the body of the King had still not been recovered until workers on the reconstruction of Home castle ventured into the caves underneath the castle, and there lay a man with an iron chain around his waist. We will never know if this was the body of the king but either way it is a great story!
The Clan Home Association
The Clan Home association is a wonderful place for all Home’s and Hume’s who are looking to get more involved in their clan. The association continues to celebrate their fantastic history and culture by having regular clan gatherings in its original home region, Berwickshire!
The Story of Clan Home
On a clear day, Hume Castle makes a glorious viewpoint, this is also what made the castle become a major defensive structure, in a very valuable strategic position between the river Tweed and the Lammermuir Hills. Due to this fantastic location, the castle was involved in many battles, with leaders such as King James II, Oliver Cromwell and of course Lord Home using it as a base. Most famously King James II used Hume Castle as his base whilst attempting to destroy Roxburgh Castle in 1460 when it was held by the English.
Clan Home
Quiz
How much do you think you know about Clan Home? Enough to get all 12 questions correct? Test your Home Clan Knowledge now!
Home Clan
Famous Faces
The infamous private detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first featured in 1887 and has gone on to be adapted over 25,000 times. Holmes is a staple to British television and his character is timeless and remains to be be present in new books and movies.
Tartan Poll
Clan Home
There are 2 variants available for the Home Clan, featuring gorgeous blues and reds, this Clan is truly spoilt for choice. But which is your favourite Home Clan tartan? Vote Now!
Top 5 Facts on Clan Home
Learn more about the origins of the Home name and William the Lord of Greenlaw, the story behind the clan’s plant badge, Broom. Come along to discover if King James IV's body was actually found underneath Hume Castle.
The Castles of Clan Home
Wedderburn castle that is less than 10 minutes from our office in Duns! Clan Wedderburn controlled these lands up until 1413 where the Home's took them on. During the late 1400's and the early 1500's the Home family were constantly at war, the most notable battle was Flodden, during this battle Sir David Home of Wedderburn was killed and the land was taken off them.
Clan Motto: True to the end
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