Clan Primary Image Mac Killop

Scottish Clans

MacKillop Tartans & Clan

Many of the MacKillop families are linked to other Scottish clans. In Argyll the MacKillop's were a sept of the MacDonald’s of Glencoe as well as being standard-bearers to the Campbells of Dunstaffnage and in Inverness-shire they were a sept of McDonnells of Keppoch.

Clan Motto Per mare Per Terras (By Land and By Sea)

Who Wears MacKillop 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.

  • McKillop
  • Philip
  • MacFhilib
  • Filib
  • MacPhilip

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Mackillop Tartans

1 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 Mac Killop

From the start

MacKillop Clan Origins & History

Clan Origin History Image Mac Killop

Explore the history

How it all started

Territories

Isle of Arran, Argll and Inverness-shire

Clan Chief

We are unsure who the Clan Chief of Clan MacKillop is.

What's in the name?

Derived from the Gaelic MacFhilib, meaning son of Filib.

Clan Origin Location Image Mac Killop

Isle of Arran

Clan MacKillop does not actually have its own historic seat, however a few branches of the MacKillop family did originate in the Isle of Arran, as well as Argyll and Inverness-shire. Arran is the seventh largest island of the coast of Scotland and the island is sometimes referred to as "Scotland in miniature". Originally Arran was primarily a gaelic speaking country from the 6th Century, however during the 19th Century clearances this language was wiped from the island along with their traditional way of life. The Island has since re-built itself and now most income is made from tourism.

Glens of Antrim

Clan MacKillop migrated to north Glens of Antrim during the Ulster Plantation in the early 17th century.

Clan Motto: Per mare Per Terras (By Land and By Sea)

MacKillop

Many of the MacKillop families are linked to other Scottish clans. In Argyll the MacKillop's were a sept of the MacDonald’s of Glencoe as well as being standard-bearers to the Campbells of Dunstaffnage and in Inverness-shire they were a sept of McDonnells of Keppoch.


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