Scottish Clans
Henderson Tartans & Clan
Henderson’s can claim descent from a King of the Picts and down through five unique bloodlines evolving from the regions of Caithness, Fordell, Glencoe, Shetlands/Liddesdale and Ulster. Henderson’s from the Glencoe region have strong ties to the MacDonald Clan and were renowned as pipers and bodyguards to the Glencoe MacDonald Chief (MacIan). Henderson’s from the Caithness region have ties to the Clan Gunn.
Who Wears Henderson 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.
- Henderson
- Henry
- Hendry
Henderson Tartans
3 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
Henderson Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of Clan Henderson
How it all started
Territories
The clan's historical seat is at Fordell Castle in Fife.
Clan Chief
The current chief is Alistair Donald Henderson of Fordell
Where does the name Henderson come from?
There are three possible beginnings of the name Henderson. There were Hendersons who were septs of both Clan Gunn and Clan MacDonald of Glencoe. However, the main origin of the name seems to lie in the Scottish Borders, where it arose from sons of Henry, creating the Henryson variant of the name. There is not thought to be a connection between these three origins.
Fordell Castle
Fordell Castle was built in the 16th Century, it is located in Fife and is the historic seat of Clan Henderson. The Henderson family accquired the Fordell lands in the late 15th Century and shortly built the castle within the grounds. However, the Castle did not stand long as it was destroyed in 1568 as the Henderson Family supported Mary Queen of Scots. After this the Castle was re-bult numerous times, with hardly any of the structure standing today from the original build. The Castle and the grounds are now in private ownership and was recently renovated at the start of the 2000s.
The Henderson's are here!
Henderson, Henry and Hendry are names so closely tied and so widespread it is not possible to determine one single line as being the first. Through its Gaelic translation into English, the name MacKendrick is revealed as another variation of Henderson. The Henderson's war cry is "The Henderson's Are Here!"
Clan Motto: Sola virtus nobilitat (Virtue alone ennobles)
