Scottish Clans
Douglas Tartans & Clan
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Clan Douglas gained considerable power and influence, gaining favour with Robert the Bruce (Sir James "The Black Douglas" was the one to carry Bruce's heart to the Holy Land) as well as marrying into the royal family on several occasions. however, by 1440, the royal family became wary of the Douglases and sought to diminish their power. At the Black Dinner William Douglas and his brother were invited to eat with the King but during the meal they were dragged to Castle Hill and executed.
Who Wears Douglas 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.
- Agnew
- Bell
- Blackadder
- Blackett
- Blacklock
- Blackstock
- Blackwood
- Blaylock
- Breckinridge
- Brown
- Brownlee
- Carruthers
- Cavan
- Cavers
- Cleland
- Clendenon
- Crockett
- Dalyell
- Dalzell
- Deal
- Dick
- Dickson
- Dickey
- Drysdale
- Forest
- Forrester
- Foster
- Galbraith
- Gilpatric
- Glendinning
- Glenn
- Hamilton
- Harkness
- Home
- Hume
- Inglis
- Kilgore
- Kilpatrick
- Kirkland
- Kirkpatrick
- Lockerby
- Lockery
- Lockhart
- MacGuffey
- MacGuffock
- McKittrick
- Maxwell
- Moffat
- Morton
- Pringle
- Rowell
- Rowle
- Rule
- Rutherford
- Sandilands
- Sandlin
- Simms
- Soule
- Sterrett
- Syme
- Symington
- Troup
- Turnbull
- Weir
- Young
Associated Regiments
Over the last 300 years, tartans have been a part of official dress for some of the most famous regiments throughout the military world! Their respective regimental tartans became undisputedly tied to the very core identity of the soldiers who wear it. Explore the associated regiments below:
- Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
- Natal Mounted Rifles (South Africa)
- Royal Auxillary Air Force 602 Sqn
- Royal Auxillary Air Force 603 Sqn
- Witwatersrand Rifles (SA)
Douglas 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.
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
Douglas Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Douglas
How it all started
Territories
Lanarkshire, Galloway, Dumfriesshire and Angus
Clan Chief
His Grace Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, the 16th Duke of Hamilton is heir to the chiefdom of Douglas, but cannot assume the title of chief since the Lord Lyon King of Arms requires him to assume the single name Douglas.
Where does the name Douglas come from?
Douglas is thought to derive from the Gaelic dubh glas, meaning black stream
Douglas Castle
First built around 1288 the first Douglas Castle was destroyed and rebuilt several times until a large mansion house was built in its place in the 18th century. A corner of the 17th century tower still remains today but that is all. Said to be the inspiration of Sir Walter Scott's novel Castle Dangerous, this was also the seat of Britain's Prime Minister 1963-64, Sir Alec Douglas-Home.
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Clan Douglas gained considerable power and influence, gaining favour with Robert the Bruce (Sir James "The Black Douglas" was the one to carry Bruce's heart to the Holy Land) as well as marrying into the royal family on several occasions. However, by 1440, the royal family became wary of the Douglases and sought to diminish their power. At the Black Dinner William Douglas and his brother were invited to eat with the King but during the meal they were dragged to Castle Hill and executed.
The historic seat was at Douglas Castle in South Lanarkshire (also known as Castle Dangerous thanks to it being the inspiration of Walter Scott's novel of the same name).
Clan Douglas
Tartan Poll
With five tartan variants to choose from, the Clan Douglas is truly spoilt for choice. But what is your favourite Douglas Clan Tartan?
The Famous Faces of Clan Douglas
Donna Douglas was an American actress, known for her role as Elly May Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies. Following her successful acting career, Donna became a real estate agent, gospel singer, inspirational speaker and author. Read more about the famous faces of Clan Douglas.
Castles of Clan Douglas
Douglas Castle was built in the late 13th Century and served as a stronghold to the Douglas family up until the 19th century. Today, all that remains of the once thriving castle is a small corner of the structure. Situated just outside the town of Douglas, the ruins of the castle are certainly worth a visit if you are keen to explore the history of the clan and feel the atmosphere of days gone by.
Clan Motto: Jamais Arriere (Never behind).
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