Scottish Clans
MacArthur Tartans & Clan
MacArthur means sons of Arthur and by this we mean that Arthur, sword in the stone, round tables and watery maidens handing out weapons - King Arthur. Ok, the stories of King Arthur are all over the place but there are some very early Scottish poems which mention a brave warrior named Arthur who fought off the English. Any way, King Arthur has to be Scottish, he left his seat sitting in the middle of Edinburgh.
Who Wears MacArthur 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.
- Arthur
- Arthurson
- Dewar
- MacArtair
- McArthure
- Mcarthur
- Macarthur
- Makarturicht
- Maccaiter
- Makkerthrye
- M’Carthur
- Maccarter
- MacCarter
- M’Erthir
- M’Arthur
- Makarthure
- M’Carthair
- M’Artour
- M’Carthour
- McCarthair
- M’Artoure
- M’Arthor
- M’Arthour
- M’Carter
- M’Airthour
- M’Cairter
- M’Kartur
- McHarter
- McKerter
- MacArtur
- McKairtour
- M’Cairtter
- McAtur
- Makcairtour
- MacCartair
- MacCairter
- Mackartar
- MacArter
- McCartur
- Mcerter
- McArter
- M’Cartour
- Maccart
- McArtor
- M’Arthure
- mcArther
- Makarta
- M’Cartur
- McArthour
- Magarta
- M’Arthur
- McArther
- Mecarta
- McArta
- mcArtor
- MacArta
- MacAtair
- McCartor
- Carter
- MacArtar
- McArthor
- Cartter
- McAuthur
- McArtair
- Makarthour
- MacArther
- McArthur
- MacArtor
- McArther
- McArthur
- McCarter
- MacArthur
- Mcarthur
- McArthor
- McArthur
- Mcarthor
- MacArthor
- McArtour
- Mcartur
- MacIndeor
- Milton
Macarthur 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
MacArthur Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan MacArthur
How it all started
Territories
There is a proverb used by West Highlanders when talking about the past "there is nothing older, unless the hills, MacArthur, and the devil." Well, Clan MacArthur might not be as old as the hills but they have been around for a devilishly long time. The Clan shares a common origin with Clan Campbell, however the MacArthurs were the more dominant Clan in the early years of these two mighty groups. When these two Clans came into being, Campbell had no territory in Argyll while MacArthur had large tracts of land, even in Garmoran - the eventual seat of the Campbells.
Clan Chief
The full story of the various MacArthur Clan Chiefs over the years can be found on the blog, however since the reign of Robert I the MacArthur's held large tracts of land and fared well until King James took over and beheaded many of the chiefs he perceived as a threat to his rule, including Iain MacArthur. Thereafter a less powerful Clan muddled on until Patrick MacArthur died without heirs in 1771, and the chieftainship of Clan MacArthur died with him. In 1986 the members Clan MacArthur decided to rectify their armigerous state and track down the chief. Genealogists determined that the line of Chiefs could be traced back to a common ancestor in 1495 and so the hunt began for someone who shared this ancestor. After five years of searching they found a Canadian named James Edward Moir MacArthur of Milton who shared this common ancestor. In 2003 James was made Chief of Clan MacArthur, a title that has passed on to his son, John Alexander MacArthur of that Ilk.
Where does the name MacArthur come from?
MacArthur means sons of Arthur and by this we mean that Arthur, sword in the stone, round tables and watery maidens handing out weapons - King Arthur. Okay, the stories of King Arthur are all over the place but there are some very early Scottish poems which mention a brave warrior named Arthur who fought off the English. Anyway, King Arthur has to be Scottish, he left his seat sitting in the middle of Edinburgh.
Argyll
Argyll is a historic county located on the west coast of Scotland and was formerly the lands of Clan MacArthur. During the reign of Robert The Bruce, the MacArthurs fought on the side of Robert The Bruce for Scotland's Independance and due to this sacrafice and loyalty they were awarded the lands of Argyll.
Clan MacArthur is also a sept of Clan Campbell
Clan Motto: Fide Et Opera (By Fidelity and Work)
MacArthur means sons of Arthur
