Welsh
Morgen Tartans & Clan
The surname of Morgen/Morgan was first found in Caernarvonshire in Wales, a former county which was anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. It stems from the Old Welsh name of Morcant which possibly comes from the Welsh 'mor' meaning 'sea', and 'cant' meaning 'circle'. The surname of Morgan itself however derives from a powerful Welsh family during the 14th century by Morgan ap Llewelyn. It is possible that the name could have Celtic roots coming from the Cornovii Tribe who lived in the North of Scotland and anciently centred in the Severn Valley near Wrekin in Shropshire.
Who Wears Morgen 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.
- Morgan
- Morgaine
- Morgain
- Morgant
- Morgans
- Morgun
- Morrgun
- Morgraunt
Morgen Tartans
1 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
Morgen Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
Territories
Newport, South Wales
Clan Chief
The surname of Morgan was first found in Caernarvonshire in Wales which was a former county which was anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. It stems from the Old Welsh name of Morcant which origins is uncertain but possibly comes from the Welsh 'mor' meaning 'sea', and 'cant' meaning 'circle'. The surname of Morgan itself however derives from a powerful Welsh family during the 14th century by Morgan ap Llewelyn. It is possible that the name could have Celtic roots coming from the Cornovii Tribe who lived in the North of Scotland. but did anciently centre in there Severn Valley near Wrekin in Shropshire as well.
What's in the tartan?
The Welsh Morgan tartan is mainly a mustard yellow with stripes of red and black running throughout.
Tredegar House
Tredegar House which is in the town of Duffryn in Newport has been home to the Morgan family for hundreds of years after claiming descent from the Welsh princes. The family have been largely influential in Newport and the counties surrounding and played a large part is social, economic and political aspects across the region. The Morgan's inherited Tredegar House in the late 17th century, with Sir William Morgan the first to call the stately house his home. The estate has been a large part of the surrounding areas and has been occupied by the Morgan family ever since.
The Morgan family motto is "audaces fortuna juvat", meaning "fortune favours the bold".
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