Scottish Clans
Lauder Tartans & Clan
The current Earl of Lauderdale is Ian Maitland, he is the 18th Earl, however he is not chief of the Lauder Clan. The Clan Seat is Thirlestane Castle in the Scottish Borders.
Who Wears Lauder 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.
- Lauder
- Low
- Leader
- Maitland
- Mautalents
- Lauderdales
- Maitlens
- Medlins
- Maizlands
- Maitlands
Lauder 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
Lauder Clan Lauder Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Lauder
How it all started
Territories
From one common ancestor in Normandy to Lauderdale in the Scottish Borders
Clan Chief
We are unsure who the Clan Chief of Clan Lauder is. The man in the picture is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale.
Where does the name Lauder come from?
The name originates from Lauder in Berwickshire
Thirlestane Castle
Thirlestane Castle is located in the town of Lauder in the Scottish Borders. A large fort was built on the lands of Thirlestane in the 13th Century, this was built in order to defend the troops when they marched to Edinburgh from the South of Scotland. Extensions and re-modeeling was carried out multiple times throughout the years, the first being in 1590, again in 1670 and finally in the 1840s. Thirlestane Castle is the seat of the Earls of Lauderdale and has been owned by the Maitland family since 1587. The Lauder family gained their name as they lived in the town of Lauder. While it is not the Lauder family that own Thirlestane Castle, the family that own it are connected to Clan Lauder. The Maitland family that own the Castle are also known as the Earls of Lauderdale, this is where the connection to Clan Lauder presents itself.The Maitlands
During the 16th century the status of the Maitlands changed from border lairds living in a peel tower to peers living in a grand castle in Lauderdale, owners of all the land in sight.
Clan Motto: Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum (Under the Shadow of Thy Wings)
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