Scottish Clans

Kidd Tartans & Clan

The Kidd’s are home to William Kidd, better known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd who was the infamous Scottish pirate from Dundee who was tried and executed. It’s said that he buried treasure which went on to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

Clan Motto Donec Impleat (Until it fills the World)

Who Wears Kidd 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.

  • Kid
  • Kidd
  • Kydd

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Kidd Tartans

1 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 Kidd

From the start

Kidd Clan Kidd Clan Origins & History

Clan Origin History Image Kidd

Explore the history of Clan Kidd

How it all started

Territories

Dundee and Arbroath

Where does the name Kidd come from?

From the medieval personal name Kid which is a pet form of Christopher

Clan Origin Location Image Kidd

Arbroath

The Kidd family name descended from Arbroath, within the county of Angus and the first people to use the names were the Strathclyde-Britons of Scotland. The first name of this origin that was recorded was in 1357 and the name was Robertus Kyd de Dunde. One famous Kidd that resides from the area is William Kidd, also known as Captain Kidd, who was born in 1654 in Dundee. He was a well known Scottish Pirate and the stories of his adventures and buried treasure inspired many books including Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

Jodie Elizabeth Kidd

One notable member of the Kidd family is Jodie Elizabeth Kidd who is an English fashion model and race car driver.

Clan Motto: Donec Impleat (Until it fills the World)


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