A History of Scottish Clans, Tartan & Kilts

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily eSIM data plans! Download Saily app and use code LINDSAY at checkout.

While getting swept away in the latest season of Outlander, or researching your own highland heritage, you might wonder about these key elements of Scottish culture and history. What was a clan and how did they work? Does my last name mean that I belong to a certain clan and that I can only wear that clan’s tartan? What is tartan, what is a kilt, and what do Scotsmen wear under them? Buckle on your sporran, or pin up your bonnie wee tartan shall, and lets answer these questions and more as we explore the history of Scottish clans, tartans and kilts!

Early Tartan and Kilts
The Scottish Clan System
Tartan and Kilts after 1745
Scots in America & Around the World
Tartan and Kilts after 1745


Check out the History Tea Time Podcast:

Music: Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod

[LindsayHoliday]

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily eSIM data plans! Download Saily app and use code LINDSAY at checkout.

[areiaaphrodite]

Fun Fact: Actress, Rose Leslie (who played Ygritte in Game of Thrones, aka Jon Snow's lover) is the daughter of the current Cheiftan of the Aberdeenshire branch of Clan Leslie. She was actually born and raised in her family's ancestral seat of Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire. Her mother is also a descendant of Clan Fraser and Charles II of England. And of course, she's now married to Kit Harrington, who is also a descendant of Charles II, and the son of the 15th Baronet Harrington.

[joshuawells]

I got a kilt as my big souvenir from a semester abroad at the University of St. Andrews. Since my grandmother's maiden name is Hunter and my 3x great grandfather is John Hunter, the royal physician to King George III, I got the tartan of Clan Hunter. I mostly wear my kilt for the Christmas Eve service at my church, but my folks encourage me to where it whenever i get the opportunity.

[victoriaclark]

My husband and I are Scottish and got married just last month, he, his uncle and grandfather all wore their family tartan 🥰

[mgailp]

I was fortunate enough to visit Culloden a few years ago. I love the irony that my maternal family is a Scots and Irish mix while my paternal line comes from their often allies, being French.

[areiaaphrodite]

Fun Fact: For the movie, Brave, The Walt Disney Company created 3 original tartans for the 4 clans in the movie and even registered Clan DunBroch's tartan with the Scottish Register of Tartans 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😊

[vivienmartin]

Omg the way I am OBSESSED with Outlander

[lilliedoubleyou]

One of your best, Lindsay! I especially love the episodes that explore lesser known customs, knowledge, or people, and while I'm sure we've all heard of tartans and clans, the information from your research is fresh and insightful for most of us! Well done.

[mayfraser]

Fraser here! Visited Cullodan some years ago. It was very powerful.

[waikatowizard]

Thanks for this one Lindsay. Ill show it to my partner. She is a descendant of the Stewart's and Shaw's on her Mothers side, and a large number of her Fathers ancestors fought and died at Flodden, so she is very much Scottish heritage. A large part of Her Family have been in New Zealand since the mid 1800's, so were among the scots that came early to NZ.

On the other hand, I'm a first generation Kiwi, my family are all Dutch.

Its crazy how far we can all go from our roots, but always can look back and see the past. I really enjoy the videos you make, Thank you from NZ

[nbunnysnowboard]

I’m from Clan Thomson on my papa’s side and Clan MacInnis on my nana’s side. Their families emigrated from Scotland to Canada and my grandparents met on Prince Edward Island before moving to the US. I’m trying to find more information on their families but it’s been a lot harder than finding information on my maternal Swedish side who kept a lot of ancestral records. This video is immensely helpful, especially the maps! Love all of your videos but this one felt like it was made for me! Thank you! 😄

[oliviasmith]

Fellow Bruce here! I've been able to trace back to the 1760's in Hamilton but hit a document wall... Great video, it may inspire me to keep researching!

[vidarodinson]

I love Scotland, it reminds me of my culture too.

I'm a Bataknese from Northern Sumatra Highland, we do have strong clans system, we also have traditional cloth known as Ulos, and we do have clan system that bounded clansmen by marriage.

[caseydanielllle]

i’m from north carolina and my family are what’s left of Clan Beaton - originally Bethune, we crossed the channel with William the Conqueror and were granted titles, land and castles recorded in the Domesday Book. most of us fled the country after my 14x great grandfather, Cardinal David Beaton, was assassinated at his home of Saint Andrew’s Castle 🙃

[stevenbaker]

My ancestors on my grandmothers family side, were Red Douglas, Black Douglas, Wyllie, Cushnie, Maize, Blackett, and so on in history. Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Ayrshire. Many were also originally Irish (Cushnie and Maize). Forced to move under Cromwell from Ireland to Scotland. Long running family history.

[aplangley]

Can’t wait for new Outlander season!!! 🩷🩷

[mazokuchan]

My closest ancestor that's from Scotland is one of my and grand-father. Their name was Drysdale, but upon moving to french north of New-Brunswick it became Dresdelle

[NigelDMarvin]

The Scottish part of my ancestry is from Clan Douglas, but we spelt it as Douglass (double s). And when I visited Scotland a few years ago, I got my clans tartan.

[ladyrancher]

Thank you for your video! Both sides of my family are from Highland Clans. I absolutely love all your videos! Thank you for your hard but fun work!

[susannpatton]

My maternal grandmother was born a McIntosh. Thank you for this