Finding the Family Tartan

March 21, 2023 8:11 PM

I'm trying to find the tartan for the Scottish clan that contains the Meldrum family.

Family tree goes back to circa 1230 and the furthest-back info shows:

Meldrum
Dominus Philippus di Fe Darg
Circa 1230 Tap Alix II
Sir Philip de Melgdrum (his son) circa 1250

I eldest son
Sir William Meldrum of Meldrum. Fought for Balive along with his cousin the Earl of Buchan

II son
Thomas Meldrum
of Teggy circa 1290

III son
Alexander Meldrum
of Cleish

Do you have any idea how to research the tartan pattern for this family?

posted by happy_cat to Society & Culture (5 answers total)

There is a Meldrum Clan tartan that seems to track to the folks you list.
posted by jenquat at 8:52 PM on March 21, 2023

The whole concept of different tartans being associated with different clans is a Victorian construct. It is a good example of an invented tradition, though a very popular one.
Your ancestors would have worn whatever tartan they felt like, and you can do the same.
posted by Lanark at 3:13 AM on March 22, 2023 [18 favorites]

I don't see a Meldrum clan tartan in the Scottish registry of tartans>
posted by jouke at 4:04 AM on March 22, 2023

I bet these people would be happy to help you find the sort of answer you want, although as stated above, this treatment is fairly ahistorical.
posted by rikschell at 5:33 AM on March 22, 2023

Best answer: This is going to be complicated, and going back to 1230 is of no help. I am actually-born-in-Scotland, have worked on the tartans database (before it was a public asset) and have family members who are research genealogists.

Any name can register a tartan. Doesn't need to have any link to Scotland. As Lanark noted, clan tartans are a recent invention.

As to the name Meldrum, there may be a clan, but it appears to have no heraldic arms. The Meldrum/Buchan link suggests an association with Clan Gordon, where Meldrum is listed as a sept. There are lots of Gordon tartans (exclude the military/personal ones: they're for other people).

Meldrum House is in the right general area for Buchan/Gordon things. This was the seat of the Urquhart family, and they have some tartans.

The link to Cleish may be of little help: there's Campbell and Dalyell (pr /DAY-ell/; also spelled Dalziel because we could) stuff going on nearby.

Many of these "I can trace my Scottish ancestry back to ____" documents are, um, somewhat elastic with the veracity of their research. If Meldrum's the family name, then Gordon's most likely your tartan. There are some quite pleasant versions, too.
posted by scruss at 8:31 AM on March 22, 2023 [11 favorites]