Clan Primary Image Forsyth

Scottish Clans

Forsyth Tartans & Clan

One tradition provides a Norman descent from Forsach, one of the Norsemen who settled on lands on the River Dordogne in Aquitaine. The Viscomte de Fronsoc accompanied Eleanor de Provence to London to marry Henry III and lived at the English court from 1236 to 1246. It is believed that his family obtained lands in Northumberland, and thence to the Borders of Scotland.

Clan Motto Instaurator Ruinae (A repairer of ruin)

Who Wears Forsyth 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.

  • Forsath

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

Forsyth Tartans

2 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 Forsyth

From the start

Forsyth Clan Origins & History

Clan Origin History Image Forsyth 1

Explore the history of Clan Forsyth

How it all started

Territories

Borders of Scotland

Clan Chief

The current chief is Alister Forsyth of that Ilk, Baron of Ethie, supporter of the Scottish National Party and previously a councillor Angus, now living in France.

Where does the name Forsyth come from?

If the name is Celtic in its origin, it may derive from the Gaelic personal name ‘Fear Sithe’, meaning ‘man of peace’. It may, however, allude to a place of peace, and refer to a particular place, or lands.

Clan Origin Location Image Forsyth

Ethie Castle

Famously haunted and reputed to be Scotland's second oldest permanently inhabited residence, Ethie Castle in Arbroath dates back to the 12th century when monks built a sandstone keep. Originally the seat of the Forsyth Clan, the building was later occupied by Cardinal David Beaton, the 15th Century Abbot of Arbroath. Beaton was known for his vicious persecution of Protestants in the 16th century and revenge was taken when he was killed by Protestant nobles who hung his body out of a window. Legend has it that the ghost of Beaton can still be heard at night moving around Ethie Castle. The Castle was restored by Charles Forsythe, very in keeping with the clan motto "Instaurator ruinae" - meaning "repairer of ruin", and sold to the Earl of Wigtoun in 2003. Now a B&B you can go and stay there and explore your roots and experience castle life.

The Clan Forsyth plant badge is the Forsythia flower

Clan Motto: Instaurator Ruinae (A repairer of ruin).


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