Scotland Clans and Tartans

Scottish Clans & Tartans

In Gaelic, the word 'clann' means family or children. The peculiarly Scottish social system of clans was a distinctly Gaelic tribal culture, but one which eventually encompassed many peoples of different ancient origins, whether Celtic, Norse or Norman French. By the 13th century, the clan system was well established in the Highlands of Scotland. And in its 15th century heyday it even
threatened the authority of the monarchy.
The geography of the Highlands and Islands may, in the distant past, have played a part in the formation of the clans as social groups, each on its own territory, divorced from its neighbours. And the clans were completly seperated by langauge, custom and geography from the southern 'Sassunachs', (nowadays spelled 'Sassenachs' - meaning of Saxon origin, aword applicable to both
English and Lowland Scots ).
There are links to web sites with long lists of clans and families in the sections later on this page. These are extremely useful but usually only provide basic information (tartan, crests, septs, and perhaps war cries). It is the individual clan and family societies or, in some cases, individual enthusiasts who create more extensive information. The sites will usually cover clan history or possibly some genealogy and information about the area in which the clan was originally located.
Many have a clan/family society for people with genealogical links to the clan.
When you are thousands of miles away from Scotland it has been very difficult to research your family tree. But, thanks to the Internet, it has became dramatically easier with the Scottish Records Office providing their database of 20 million records on-line. But that is not the whole story so here are some words of advice on how to go about finding your Scottish roots. First of all, get as many details as possible from other members of the family - especially the older generation! Getting copies of birth, marriage or death certificates can be extremely helpful but even recollections of names and places can put some of the jig-saw into place.
The important thing to remember is that all useful records have been centralised in General Register Office of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Usefull Clan & Tartan Links

U.K. Genealogy,Excellent resource for UK and Ireland genealogy.

	Tartans of Scotland Register of all publicly known tartans
	Clan Duncan Society
	The Kilt an authentic history

Tartan FTP Site.

Caledonian Foundation