Tartan Samples

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A Brief History of Clan Stewart

The Clan Stewart motto is “Virescit vulnere virtus”, which means “Courage grows strong at a wound”. It was a Highland and Lowland Clan with many individual Stewart/Stuart clans spread across the country. There wasn’t a single Clan Chief of Clan Stewart but instead, each branch had its own Chief.

Clan Stewart (also Stuart) is best known for producing 9 of Scotland's Kings and Queens who ruled Scotland alone before James VI ascension in England. For a Clan with such power, their beginnings were quite humble. The Stewart Clan origins can be traced back to the Counts of Dol and Dinan, a french family. Walter Fitzalan was a direct descendant of this family and in the 12th century was given land by King David the First. Walter Fitzalan was made hereditary High Steward of Scotland. The title of this office is where the Stewart name was adopted by the family and later adapted to Stuart.

Possibly the most famous Stuart was Bonnie Prince Charlie who was the grandson of the exiled King James II and VII. Prince Charles Edward Stuart, also known as the Young Pretender, led the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of 1745 - 1746. His aim was to restore his father to the British throne and although he managed to gain support throughout the highlands of Scotland, he failed to gather enough in France. Ultimately his rebellion ended on Culloden Moor, where roughly 1200 Jacobites died and hundreds were captured. The failed rebellion also saw Prince Charlie on the run in Scotland for 5 months till he was able to flee back to France.

From reds and blues to greens and blacks, the Stewart tartans are as varied and as dramatic as their Clan’s history. There are multiple variants of the Stewart tartan that represent the different Clan Branches as well as Prince Charlie's own tartan. There are also hunting variations that contain more earthy tartans.