Welsh
St. David's Tartans & Clan
St. David was a leading Christian figure and monk in the early Welsh Church throughout the 6th century. He was believed to have been born close to Non's Chapel on the South-West Wales coastline in 520AD, with both his parents known to have been descendants from Welsh royalty. Although there is little known about St Davids life, he did successful found a monastic community which connected the people of Wales with Ireland, Cornwall, France and the Scottish Isles gathering a great number of followers from across Wales.
St. David's 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
St. David's Clan Origins and History
Explore the History
How it all started
St. David was a leading Christian figure and monk in the early Welsh Church throughout the 6th century. He was believed to have been born close to Non's Chapel on the South-West Wales coastline in 520AD, with both his parents known to have been descendants from Welsh royalty. Although there is little known about St Davids life, he did successful found a monastic community which connected the people of Wales with Ireland, Cornwall, France and the Scottish Isles gathering a great number of followers from across Wales. One of the most famous tales of St. David was when he spoke at the Synod of Brefi, the earth rose up creating a hill beneath where he stood so his words could be heard far and wide. He died on March 1st in 589 AD, which is the day now nationally celebrated as St David’s Day.
What's in the tartan?
The St Davids tartan is the Welsh national tartan and is also know as the Brithwe Dewi Sant. The traditional design is recognised across the country and the world which tributes Wales and the patron saint. The tartan is largely green with burgundy, red and white accents running throughout.
St. Davids Day
St David's Day is celebrated as a national holiday in Wales on the 1st of March every year. The celebrations tend to consists of parades, concerts, and eisteddfodau's (which are Welsh festivals of music language and culture!) Normally, a National St Davids Day parade is help in the city centre of Cardiff which has lots of exiting performances by dragons and theatre groups celebrating traditional Welsh cultures. Across the country, lots of towns and villages host their own parades and concerts, while many of the country's castles and heritage sites let people come to visit them for free!
St. Davids Cathedral
The 12th century St Davids Cathedral stands on the site of a much older religious building founded by the patron saint himself, where in which he founded his monastery during the 6th century which established the Christian prominence across Wales. In 1115, when the Normans were under Welsh control, King Henry I of English appointed Bishop Bernard as the Bishop of St Davids. Bernard began to improve life within the community which was founded by the saint and commenced the construction of the new cathedral which was completed by 1131. However, once Henry II of English visited in 1171 saw an increase in following of the St Davids church and therefore the need for a larger cathedral. The newest structure which stands today was built in 1181 and completed not long afterwards and has been built on and improved for hundreds of years right up to the Cromwellian Era. Today, you can visit the purple stoned cathedral where you can marvel at the intricate and breath taking structure honouring the Welsh saint!
One of St. Davids used phrases was 'Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd', which means 'Do the little things in life', and this continues to be a well-known saying in Wales today!
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