Clan Primary Image Brodie

Scottish Clans

Brodie Tartans & Clan

In 1645 the rival Gordon Clan burnt Brodie Castle, during this fire the family lost most of its early charters and documents meaning the clan origins are uncertain.

Clan Motto Unite

Who Wears Brodie 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.

  • Brodies
  • Brody
  • Bryde
  • Brydie

Shop Brodie Tartans & Clan From Curtains to Clothing, use the filters below to navigate through everything we offer in Brodie Tartans

Brodie 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 Brodie

From the start

Brodie Clan Origins & History

Clan Origin History Image Brodie

Explore the history of Clan Brodie

How it all started

Territories

Morayshire and Nairnshire

Clan Chief

The current chief is Alexander Tristan Duff Brodie of Brodie. The first known chiefs were the Thanes of Brodie and Dyke in Morayshire.

Where does the name Brodie come from?

The Ancient Brodie family take their name from the lands of Brodie near Forres in Morayshire. It's also suggested that the name may derive from the Gaelic word "Brothaig" meaning ditch or muddy. Or "Brodha" which means a point, spot or level piece of land.

Clan Origin Location Image Brodie

Home to over 100 varieties of daffodil

Found near Forres in Moray, Brodie Castle with its turrets and rose colouring, was originally build in 1567, and the ancestral home of the Brodie clan for over 400 years. Ninian Alexander Brodie of Brodie bequeathed the castle to the National Trust for Scotland in 1978 and because his descendants were not pleased with this transfer no Brodie lives there today.

Cursed

Legend has it that the Brodie chiefs were cursed "to the effect that no son born within the Castle of Brodie should ever become heir to the property". Story has it that one of the early Brodie Chiefs induced an old woman to confess being guilty of witchcraft by offering her a new gown, and then, instead of fulfilling his promise, had her tied to a stake and burnt.

Clan Motto: Unite

MacBeth

Macbeth's Hillock is found on the lands of Brodie. Shakespeare's "blasted heath" where MacBeth met the three witches made this location famous.


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