Scottish Clans
Thompson Tartans & Clan
Once thought to be a sept of Clan Mactavish, Thompson are an official clan of the Borders. Through the hard work of the Clan Thompson Society, the clan was officially recognised by the Lord Lyon in 2012.
Who Wears Thompson 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.
- Thomason
- Thomson
Thompson Tartans
8 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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Thompson Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Thompson
How it all started
Territories
Scottish Borders, & the Lothians
Clan Chief
Clan Thompson is an armigerous Clan and therefore does not have a Clan Chief.
Where does the name Thompson come from?
Thompson means son of Thom. Men would give their children their personal name as a last name, which means that there are many different starting points for the Thompson family and therefore not all Thompsons are related. The name is very common in the Scottish Borders, Perth and the Lothian areas.
Thomson's Tower
Thompson's Tower was built in the 19th Century, so it is fairly new in comparison to other Clan Castles and Buildings. Thomas Scott, Walter Scotts brother, was very active in bringing a minister to the tower, as he was advocating for Rev. John Thompson to take on the role. The Tower was recently restored, back in 2009 after the Heritage Lottery Fund gave a sum of money to go towards the renovation of the Tower.
Thompson and MacTavish
Once thought to be a sept of Clan Mactavish, Clan Thompson is a clan in its own right. The first known appearance of Clan Thom(p)son was the Thompsons of Eskdale who were known to be fierce border reivers. They were infamous for their raids in the border regions between England and Scotland. Although not linked by blood, the clans do share a tartan - Thompson Red Modern.
Let's talk about tartan...
The Thompson Camel tartan is very similar in design to the famous Burberry check.
Famous Faces of Clan Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson is an actress, screenwriter, activist, author, and comedian, Thompson has had much success throughout her illustrious career. A winner of several awards, Thompson is the only person to have received Academy Awards for both acting and writing. In 2018, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, for her services to drama.
Clan Motto: Pro Patria (For one’s country) or Deny Us Not
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