Clan Primary Image Barclay

Scottish Clans

Barclay Tartans & Clan

Clan Motto Aut Agere Aut Mori (Either action or death)

Who Wears Barclay 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.

  • Berchelai

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Barclay Tartans

4 variations

Each 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.

Clan Origin Primary Image Barclay 190830 083108

From the start

Barclay Clan Origins & History

Clan Origin History Image Barclay

Explore the history of Clan Barclay

How it all started

Territories

Roger de Berchelai came to England with William the Conqueror and was granted Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Roger's son, John, was granted the lands of Towie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, as well as the title, Barclay of that Ilk.

Clan Chief

The current chief is Peter Barclay of Towie Barclay and of that Ilk

Where does the name Barclay come from?

The early form of the Barclay name is Berchelai and was believed to be the Anglo-Saxon version of 'beau' meaning beautiful, and 'lee', a meadow or field.

Clan Origin Location Image Barclay

Towie Barclay Castle

Built in 1593 by Clan Barclay, Towie Barclay Castle is an L-plan Tower House and can be found south-east of Turriff in Aberdeenshire. Legend has it that a curse was put on the male line of Clan Barclay by Thomas the Rhymer in the 12th century following a pillage of a nunnery, and this was given as the reason for the sale of the castle to the governors of Robert Gordon's hospital in 1755. The turrets were removed in 1792 annd the ditch filled up, the Castle fell into disrepair in the 20th century, only to be rescued in the 1970s by the American musician Marc Ellington. 7 years of restoration later the Castle has resumed it's former glory.

John de Berchelai

Roger de Berchelai was mentioned in the Domesday Book as well as his son, John. In 1069 John de Berchelai accompanied Margaret (later St. Margaret) to Scotland. In gratitude for his service, King Malcolm (Canmore) granted him the lands of Towie, near Turriff, in Aberdeenshire, as well as the title, Barclay of that llk. 900 years of Barclay history in Scotland descend from John's three sons, Walter, Alexander, and Richa.

Clan Motto: Aut Agere Aut Mori (Either action or death).


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