UJ Ull' .L' '.YllLIES of STRACHAN of ~~ Cannylie ·Branch. St ..... , w.. • In 1300 go t from D• \lexaa>cla de Stnlhechia ol s~ cardinu hin, (Robert •l II c:i...n.r ol l&oda ol Y orpbie Wes..,. in Kia. ohire, ol Siz H•nry de l!aa •D ' 1 Inda). Re married ChrioU&D, oaly da"f!blar Lt.od.o ol c~ ot Panmaro and .-i•od "11.b bar u dowry I.be i. -..l DrummadiL.b. (Beg. do Panmun..) I-. Aluandi I ... Henry Socceodod in !&Del.a a Joun 1361 bad tack ol l&Dd Cum7W.. ln In 1n4 go• along wilh Yooca hio of Bkyrne .t wiJ1 from bi.a uncle Wall

-..: . ... ·.::~:.: ·.:. . y--- ::)-::."' . (J.....,. 1) Btnchan who oataialy died . . . I in l8l.a WK t..fetled in a loaemenl al Moolloee u heir of Ilia gn ~ &:ra-ol Bdinb1IJ'llh. (Edin. Oaild. B"ll.) In 1828 got P"lt of ~ . (Beak of Cocuoail -..l 8-ioa.) m. Mary, daughter of D . . ~.;.::.. ,~~ --· Died J&Duazy 81h, 18'

Job.n, b. Joly, lJJ J...,..., b. Joly, 16 Darid wn9CI heir O J 1769, lo Ilia .. Slnchan, Depoly ,- --· ~-(Semoea Sir Thamu Str&Cha ...; :&rt., 8ernd.: . ~. Bir P11rick ~ . Clarlt'I O.l!lce, in army of Leopolo l I "of Germany 3_,.,iB.....,,..t.M.D., ' and recoiTed ho ..,, ~I of Physician lo Gncn- Baronetcy from 1- vn i.a wioll Boapilal Ill. . . which bo ia de1CI i.W M · opnuig daogbt.u of c.j,tain . Bir John Strachan, from the bouoe of ~loo. Be Oregoiy, R.N. · · o! Clitlden, near T wu 1tyled of lac ldath!IL Bona "Aogoat lOlb, 1114-0, . . of 0 1 aboul 162S, Di• John Btnolwl it~. ~711. s:i-* grandtalher: .. r 7 ·.~ ..":" . I . heir mala in gooeraJ Sir John ~ .trMbaa· . n • ....::·.L h~-'--- . • , Jinl .Barooel Of Tht ...... _. ~ - the lille E.liubc Third Doror<«, c :aptaia, lLN. Llool. B.N., m. 1769, "'"" ' "'-Blaclai Ia 1771 comml.Dd• Ml H.K. 8blp Caroline, daughter of ....,.., 0 1 00 "Ox!orcL" m. Ells. llmh. dao. of Capt.John Pitmoro,B.N. Bob, 1812. Miu College, Aberdeen. m. 1669, Barbara, m. R.,.. Lado-rich Louioa Dillon. .I. l 'eb. 28, 1838. 3rd daashlor of Robert Forbes of Graal.Miniator ul . _L ------.-. iewlon. °°' from hio lather, 1681, Dathill 11.Dd bad a I I • n11igaalioa ol Ilia ..1a11o. (Res. Jl()D Ludo-rich. A Son CbarlolleLeop01di.ae U11g, Mag. Sii!r) Diad i.a hi1 laU.er'1 lifelime. (Bes. ~. Sig.) born April 80111, 1811, · . ..8hl.18l6 , m.April 2nd.1887, .., dl.J in ialai "!1- . .­ Emanuel. Coant Zl41lney. '.l'hoo. Allan wu/ Jam~ nJ iu i.otaucy. Malilda P..- 1;bom TIJ'Do.ria. Died NOT, 1861. Yaopbmaoa Heo.7, !day Slol. 181'- ia.Jw>w 8al'JI Low.a, married : u . na.April 11, H .E.I Couae.eu a.rt' llOldl. now I.be Prinoeu 81.Antlnio. lm.ob.a.p. oa. 0., Her elda1! eon u the 1868. 1830 D.W di Bagnaro. B oogbo a.p.l I i \ ------'!- 1------Ti Blr William Slraoh&u, Kt. (•1Audre of JJOAbod

Jr.nw Jlnchan. J~au. of :l«onboddo. Bad Charier of lanil.o, 16!16. uf Azbimy, C"'8hail and Kirk- hoadl, Kincanlineohire. m_ Janel Oardio. {Reg. Mag. Sig.) I John Slraohan, of ?dooboddo. In 1661 be got low of Craigybill, Kiooudinabin. (R• lha. Big.) Wu ..u .. Dec.. 1671. (Car Jualialar.) I J a.mu Blracban, Of Jlooboddo. !llontiooed in legal inolr ment of dale 16112, (lleii. M•B· Big,) a1 will of Alexander Slncban of Tboroto l e-01. •.Edin. Con. Reg.) Died Jaly lOt 161'. (Coo. Reg. of 81. Alldnwa.)

d. J uly, 16\H.. ~8. J . yonns. 1 tbe 21at April . Anna boru 1737, J]Lu•. Bbipowner. ali•e Cha.dee . Jaan, born 1742, cllacl in lD.laaoy, Go.. rnor of if H ein, Town Jaaa, b. 1743, m. Job.o Bilobell, BhiPowuar. .iontrooe.) Halan born 1744, m. CA!'t&i.n Spink.. I Mary born 1740, m. Poler WW. Marohaot, D...... i..., I I Re•. J 1me1J Will. Minia­ John CAPI. Axuin1' ler of Galbria, of Jamaeia, Will. of· 112nd cl. o.p. m.- ~DC.. I d. ap. I I Boom. Da"8hler. m. Wllllam Sho.r.a, J. 8bereaal of Mlcldlo Solicitor. I T::.t~ ~=-t~· a Oaagbler. 1. Col. OgllriA- Ioabel. yonngeet daagbler, Heory Olflhio, born 1768, m. 1700•. a... Lioal., R.N. J._ Scroll, ?dlaialer, of Benholmo, cllacl April 18th, 11188- I 1 . lot --,-----q2~n;r------r-r~d I Dooid, •lied yonng. B.nolly labbolla Diane7,= Thomu Alounder Wiae,,:Harriel EliA&bolh Pi..u..i. ------~ ' W'llliam, Cr.pLin R E.l.O.ll. Dr. Heroulae Boott. .LD.ae m.Jln.JohnO., Sn! ii& ag Mr of Pawn" M.D .. J.P.. da"lhler of Prot.uor of Koral Phi. KID!aln of Berrie. ouooeoded W. father in Iba N0> ._ Dimey, of Dublin. married (1) Manib l61b, W'llliam PhoJ.ao. Eaq~ of eal&le of Hillbaolt, died loeophy, KinR'• eou.r, Dao. m. Be.. Dr. Trail. ob'. ~yc:l.,~lllBV, al 1828. al Caloul\a ; Roclt Abbey, Tipperary. Abenieon. Prof....,r of Diruuly, t1IlDl&l'riad, No•. 4th. 1845. 1 J&DDNy 'th. 1848, " , . Dr. John Booll, Aberdeen. I Daoaa, B.npl. Pbyoloian in London. I I . ~~~~~~~...... ,..::.=::..:::.:;;:;;:; ..... E1111li0> Ja.meaFowna=.A,:• Low Anna Mar!!a-=Col Alben lhnrie\la=Clemo.o' P . Ca pl. Som....,, Norton Wi.., orly .i..... of Hoary Bernard .." a.a.O.L20. Locke Bahinpm I Lawl- of William c.s. na. May ~!1, M.D. Blal! of Co~ Low (al at Do"3laa 1881, Niobolaoa., na.. NOT. 4, na.May 1, I. 27, 1868 81 Ind. Oo•ern. IM C1at&e a.a. SepL 8nl, Xilorone, Oo. HoosbJ7. 1071h .Beg. 1886. " I Cot-It, 1eu.u 1868," al Hoosbk m. JD111 11\o· i..ib'.) fioosbly. Edinb..,P..· Edlnb..,P. r. ob. ob. jar. lllM.u £aa ~ue. ·•00. Hoogbly. , II 1~ . bu -- :/ 508 CLANS, SEPTS, AND REGIMENTS OF TllE SCOTTISH lllGllLANI>S TECllNICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF ARMORIAL DEARINGS

A nns of Chief Heraldic Description of Armorial Arms of Chief Heraldic Description of Armorial (or important Chieftain). Bearings. (or important Chieftain). Bearings.

Arms : Party per fess or and azure, a lymphad of the first nagged gules, sails furled, oars in action proper, In the Arms : land 4, Azure a bend between six cross­ dexter chief point a dexter hand couped crosslets fitchee, Or. Crest: On a chapeau i fesswlse grasping a dagger erect palewise Gules furred Ermine two wings each of ten pen gules, and In the sinister a cross-crosslet leathers erected and addorsed both emblaroned ,. fltch~e gules. Crul : A cat sejant proper. as the ehlclcl. SupporttrJ : Two grllllna argent, Supporters : Two Highlanders (In tartan armed, beaked and winged Or. doublets of the Cluny tartan). their shirts Lyon Register, XXX, 67. (or " lclne chrolch ") fastened between their bare thighs, helmets on their heads, dirks by their sides, and targets on their llOUSK OP MAR, arms. M ollo: '"Touch not the cat but KARL OP MAR CLUNY·MACPHKRIOH (without) a glove." Lyon Register, 49, 711. Arms: Gyronny of eight sable and gules, e. MACOUARRIK Not matriculated. lion rampant or, armed and langued azure. Crest : Issuant from an antique crown or a hand brandishing a scimitar fessways all proper. Motto: " Fae et Spera," and on a compart­ MACQUIU!N Not matriculated. ment embellished of roses four-petalled or. ~ I This motto "O'Chian." I Lyon Register, XLVI, 137.

Arms: Argent a fess azure between three mullets In chief and a lion rampant MATHESON OF MATHESON In base gules. Crest: A cubit arm grasping ., a sword proper. Motto: " Fortitudine" (By fortitude). Lyon Register, XXVII, 16. Arms: Argent, a chief gules. Crest: A savage's head erased proper. Supporters : Two ~. savages wreathed around the head and loins MACltAS OP IMVSltlMAT& proper. Mollo: (over) " VII God I zal." Lyon Register, I, 186; XLII, 141.

Arms: Argent, on a saltire azure MENZIES OF MENZIES between four stags' heads erased gules, five mullets or. Crest : A tower argent. Supporters : Two stags at gaze proper, collared and with chains reflexed over A rrns : Or, an eagle's head erased gules. the back or. Mottoes: over crest, " In Crest: An eagle on the perch proper. Sup­ ardua tendit" (Aims at lofty things), and, porters: Two eagles proper. .\fotta: "Dread under crest, " Deus refugium nostrum " God." (God ls our refuge) . Lyon Regi11u, I, 189; XXXIX, 1. I.yon Register, II, 179, 49, 115. MALCOLM OP' POLTALLOCR

MUNRO OP' FOULIS SCOTTISH •. " - '""' ".' IT\/ CAL\f 0°· PA OR TARTANS SOCIETY ~. ·-· 1,~0~.1vAL SOClETY Highland Heritage Museum Trust, Fonab House, Pitlochry, PH16 5ND, RESEARCH REPORT Perthshire, Scotland. ;-.;OTE : The informJtion ~ven hereunder is correcl in 1he li!(h~~f\itlo~ (0796) 474079 knowlcdi:c . bu! could Jller subscquen1ly, followin!? new discoveries. cc.w.orvDm>irHounYl '.\'here TllR£AD COUNTS a.re referred 10, 1hesc represent the number of threads uf each of !he colours used in that particulu tartan. SETI is the :irrJn~ement of colours - of any type - in a tartJn pattern, and it is i;ener:illy taken to be J complet.e sequence of colours before the pallcrn beg.ins Jj,'.ain . As the pattern compnscs one of more PIVOTS, around which the sett should be 1he s:ime in. four direction~. most patterns :l!e symmetrical. In some early lat'.Jns, I here ts an JSym111c1m:al pat:crn meaning th:it there is no such pivot in which the sequence of colours :ire murored. The thread count for the pivot is ~ivcn in FULL. i.e. for the \l.'hoJc width of th:it colour.

SUBJ ECT : STRACHAN, STRACHEN , STRAUGHEN

REPORT :

The Strachans are not a clan or part of a clan, but, together with the Morrer. To ughs and Marrs formed what is known as the "Tribe of Mar" . 1 Th e Ch.:. of the Mar Tribe and the family of Mar is the Earl of Mar and Kellie.

2 According to Dr Black, the name and its variants is territorial in ori~ and is derived from the lands of Strachan (pronounced Strawn) in Kincardineshi1 As can be seen from earlier spellings of this name (as given in 'BlacJ.. it was originally S:trath.. meaning a valley. The name has been sof.tened 3 England into Strachan in, ,. iccordance with pronounciation .

The family of Strachan of Strachan is of great antiquity. 3 The · name " first recorded when Waldeuus de Stratheihan, who with the consent of l: son and heir Ranulfus, granted the lands of Blarkerroch to · the c hurch St. Andrews cl200 . Between 1203-14, Ranulph de Stratheuchin witnessed charter granted by Thomas de Lunedin. .Thomas de Strathechyn who serv on an inquest in 1333 may be the same Thomas de Strathawyn who had a lea f r om the Abbey of Abirbrothic of lands in .-the Mearns in 1342, and Thon: de Stradeqwhyn designed "dominus de Knokkis in le Mernys" 1351. 1

In 1489 , Sir John Stradachyn, a cleric, was witness in Aberdeen and sever years later in 1512, David Straughin was procurator of the Scottish "Natio. in the University of Orleans. In later years some thirty or so. variatio: in spelling of this name are on record.2

Th ere ~s no Strachan tartan, but the name has been associated with t h e Tri of Mar and people of this name may wear the Mar tartan, which ivas register with Lyon Court on 23rd May 1978 (This tartan is also known as the Ske. tartan ) .

Copyright STS 2/12/ 85

1. Adam,· Frank: Clans, Septs & Regiments of the Scottish Highlands .

2 . Black, G.F: Surnames of Scotland, their origin meaning and history.

3 . Anderson W: The Scottish Nation.

l'R£slDENr. His GAACE 1l

Mar (Tribe of•• ) District tartan 1978 Lyon Court Boot 1978 Source: Rt Hon Margeret of Mar ftiere is IUCb debate over tbe true representation of tbe llar District tartan. In order tbat tbe utter sbould be settled and tbe design be 'known and recognised as tbe proper tartan of tbe Tribe of llar', tile Rt Bon lla?CJ8ret of llar, Countess of llar, aade a petition to tile Lord Lyon to record tbis sett. !be desiqner is unbon and tbe date is possibly pre 1850. Prank Adal called tbe sett stme, and said it cae frOI tbe ~ of rife wbose ucestors owned llar Lodge. Botb stenes and Robertsons lived in tbe llar district in tile nortb east of SOotland. .. •' SCOTTISH TARTANS SOCIETY Highland Heritage Museum Trust, Fonab House, Pitlochry, PH16 5ND, Perthshire, Scotland. Tel:Pitlochry(0796)474079 RESEARCH REPORT CCAU.DIVDIZDEPKOUPLY) NOTE: The information given hereunder is correct in the: lil!ht of existin~ knowledie. but could alter subsequently. followintt new d"'=llveries. Whcre THREAD COUNTS are referred to. these represent the number of threads of each ot" the colours used in that particular tartan. SETI is the amml!cment of colours - of any type - in a tart:m pattern. and it is generally taken to be a complete sequence of colours before the pattern be[Eins al!'lin. '" As the: pattern comprises one of more PIVOTS. around which the sett should be the same in four directions, most patterns arc symmetri\..":ll. In some early tartans, there is an asymmetrical patt~rn meaning that there is no such pivot in which the sequence of colours are mirrored. The thread count for the pivot is given in FULL, i.e. for the whole width of th:n colour.

SUBJECT: MAR/MARR

REPORT: RED BLACK GREEN BLACK YELLOW 2 3 45 3 2 (a) 2 4 32 4 2 (b)

There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the origins of this tartan known as the Mar District/Tribe of Mar and also Skene. There is a note in Adams 5th EditiQn edited by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney which states,1 that he got it as Skene: - "from the Duke of Fife (whose ancestors had owned Mar Lodge from the eighteenth century) ". The fact that the Skenes ·· were in the Mar Area and were known in Gaelic as 'Clan Donnachaidh Mhairr' (Clan Robertson of Mar), has led to this confusion being greatly increased. Later editions of Adam's work (8th) show a different tar~an for Skene, this one not being included at all. There appears to be no reference to the above tartan ever baving been called the Mar. District or Tribe of Mar prior to this century. Indeed it does not appear to have existed as such prior to this date.

After careful study what appears to have happened is that this tartan has originated by a series of errors in the drawing of the Old Skene tartan I as .. suggested in Stewart's workf and the above sett will clearly be seen to be a simplified or contracted form of Stewart 's sett. James Logan ,3 gave a sett for the Logan tartan, but not one for Skene. At . some point between this and his joint venture with Macian,4 he seems to have learnt of one. However Macian appears to have rendered this inaccurately, and the full scale does not appear in a published form until Macintyre North 's work. 5 Mcian 's drawing shows a sett' very similar to the one given above but the red and yellow are · shown twice before the stripe changes colour as opposed to alternatively · being red and yellow as in the Mar sett. It would t:herefore seem that M.cian was responsible for .. this sett,. under the name Skene, and that at some point (presumably this ·centurq) the sett was further simplified by mistake or design and became Mar. . Mcian claimed that his setting was taken :from an Old Skene kilt, however by the time John MacGregor Hastie came to verify this in the l930's, the kilt was no longer 'available' for inspection.

Regardless of the exact origins or the date at which it was first called Mar, this tartan is now accepted by the Chief of the Tribe of Mar and was recorded by the Court of the Lord Lyon· on . May 23rd 1978 as "the proper tartan of the Ancient Tr~~~~~is that officially recorded by the Lyon Court together with the :following petition: - "Be it known

.. ·---··· ·-- -··- -·- --·- -- ...... _ - -2-

REPORT CONTD/ MAR/MARR

unto all by these present, I, 'l'HE RIGH'l' HONOURABLE MARGARET OF MAR, 'l'hirtyfirst Countess of Mar and Chief of the .Ancient 'l'ribe of Mar considering that confusion has arisen in the past as to the correct tartan to be worn and used as the ordinary tartan of my 'l'ribe or · Mar and it being the wish of many memb~rs of the Clan that a tartan should be known and recognised as the proper · tartan of the 'l'ribe of ·Mar and thus now be defined and recorded to the effect that the same shall not be the subject of unwarrantable and inconvenient variations: WIT YE ME that the exercise of the power competent to and vested in me as Countess of Mar and appointed likeas I now order and appoint that the proper tartan of my said. Tribe of Mar is and shall be of the colours and proporti~ns ·hereinafter specified, videlicet: ".

Count (b) comes from .an older sample in the Society's Collection and it will be noted that there is a slight variation 1n the count/proportions (notably a smaller green ground), which according to the above petition should not be found in production . today. It is doubtful whether this exact thread count (a) would be met with in material form as it has a rather unworkable thread count, being mostly uneven.

The name Mar/Marr is bg no means confined to Scotland (where it is apparently specific to Aberdeenshire), but is also found 1n several locations in England. 'l'he name comes from the Norse word 'marr' meaning marshy and can therefore be included in the group of names originating as topographically descriptive ones. 6 In Scotland the district of Mar is that. lying between the Don and Dee rivers, an area which was one of the old maormordoms into which the north of Scotland was divided prior to the clan systems having evolved. The Mars were therefore never a clan . as such, but are of a far older grouping normally referred to as a 'tribe' •

The first reference to the area one finds is in 1065 when Martachus, maormor of Marr witnessed a charter by Malcolm Canmorf!. 7 William de Mar c.1235 appears to be the first recorded, using this as a personal designation/surname. He was a witness to a grant to the Abbey of Kelso. B In 1501 Johnne of Mar and Dauid Mar are on record to be 'abbat and priour of bonacord', in Aberdeen.

This name has become somewhat confused with Mair, a name which Dr Black derives from the office of 'one who serves legal writs' • However he also includes this spelling in the records of names .under the section on Mar, while at the same time including the record of spelling Marr or Mare for Mair under the latter section. In certain cases it ·could also be that Mair has arisen from the Gaelic genitive form of Mar. It .would seem likel Y thererore that the name was interchangeable.

The Earldom of Mar, formally belonged to the Skenes and later passed· to the Erskines, who were Jmown as Earls of Mar and Kellie. 'l'his has lead to the assumption that the Mars could wear the Er"Skine tartans although they had no ancient links with this famj.ly 's area 1.n the Borders. However as the Mars now have a recognised Chief of their own, it would be quite wrong for them to use the crest and tartans of the Erskines or any ot~~.r; clan or family. It has also been suggested that the Mars might use· the Gordon tartan as a form of district sett for Aberdeen. The above equall Y applies to the Gordon tartan, and the Mars should now remain firmly with their own tartan.

NOTES:/ ,; ..... SCOTTISH TARTANS SOCIETY Highland Heritage Museum Trust, Fonab House, Pitlochry, PH16 5ND, Perthshire, Scotland. Tel: Pitlochry (0796) 4 74079 RESEARCH REPORT NOTE: The information given hereunder is correct in the: ti~ht of existin~ knowledge. but could alter subsequently. followinit new discoveries. Where THREl\D COUNTS are referred to. these represent the number of threads of each of the colours used in that particular tartan. SETI is the auanltemcnt of colours - of any type - in a tanan pattern. and it is generally taken tc.l be a complete sequence of colours before the pattern b~ins again. •l As the pattern comprises one of more PIVOTS. around which the sett should be the same in four directions, most patterns arc symmetrical. In some early tartans, there is an asymmetrical patt~rn meanin~ that there is no such pivot in which the sequence of colours arc mirrored. The thread count for the pivot is given in FULL, i.e. for the whole width of that colour.

SUBJECT: MAR/MARR

REPORT: RED BLACK GREEN BLACK YELLOW 2 3 45 3 2 (a) 2 4 32 4 2 (b)

There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the origins of this tartan known as the Mar District/Tribe of Mar and also Skene. There is a note in Adams Sth EditiQn edited by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney which states,l that he got it as Skene: - "from the Duke of Fife (whose ancestors had owned Mar Lodge from the eighteenth century)". The fact that the Skenes ··were in the Mar Area and were known in Gaelic as 'Clan Donnachaidh Mhairr ' (Clan Robertson of Mar), has led to this confusion being greatly increased. Later editions of Adam's work (8th) show a different tartan for Skene, this one not being included at all. There appears to be no reference to the above tartan ever having been called the Mar. District or Tribe of Mar prior to this century. Indeed it does not appear to have existed as such prior to this date.

After careful study what appears to have happened is that this tartan has originated by a series of errors in the drawing of the Old Skene tartan, as ... suggested in Stewart's workf and the above sett will clearly be seen to be a simplified or contracted form of Stewart 's sett. James Logan ,3 gave a sett for the Logan tartan, but not one for Skene. At . some point between this and his joint venture with Macian, 4 he seems to have learnt of one. However Macian appears to have rendered this inaccurately, and the full scale does not appear in a published form until Macintyre North 's work. 5 Mcian 's drawing shows a sett 1 very similar to the one given above but the red and yellow are· shown twice before the stripe changes colour as opposed to alternatively · being red and yellow as in the Mar sett. It would t'herefore seem ~hai: M.cian was responsible for this s~tt, under the name Skene, and that at some point (presumably this centurq) the sett was further simplified by mistake or design and became Mar.. Mcian claimed that his setting was taken from an Old Skene kilt, however by the time John MacGregor Hastie came to verify this in the 1930 's, the kilt was no longer 'available' for inspection.

Regardless of the exact origins or the date at which it was first called Mar, this tartan is now accepted by the Chief of the Tribe of Mar and was recorded by the Court of the Lord Lyon· on . May 23rd 1978 as "the proper tartan of the Ancient Tr~::'tr:J:MJ:Lt~is that officially recorded by the Lyon Court together with· the following petition:- "Be it known -2-

REPORT CONTD/ MAR/MARR

unto all by these present, I, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE MARGARET OF MAR, Thirtyfirst Countess of Mar and Chief of the .Ancient Tribe of Mar considering that confusion has arisen in the past as to the correct tartan to be worn and used as the ordinary tartan of my Tribe or Mar and it being the wish of many memb~rs of the Clan that a tartan should be known and recognised as the proper · tartan of the Tribe of ·Mar and thus now be defined and recorded to the effect that the same shall not be the subject of unwarrantable and inconvenient variations: WIT YE ME that the exercise of the power competent to and vested in me as Countess of Mar and appointed likeas I now order and appoint that the proper tartan of my said. Tribe of Mar is and shall be of the colours and proport.i'?ns ·hereinafter specified, videlicet: ".

Count (b) comes from .an older sample in the Society's Collection and it will be noted that there is a slight variation in the count/proportions (notably a smaller green ground), which according to the above petition should not be found in production. today. It is doubtful whether this exact thread count (a) would be met with in material form as it has a rather unworkable thread count, being mostly uneven.

The name Mar/Marr is by no means confined to Scotland (where it is apparently specific to Aberdeenshire), but is also found in several locations in England. The name comes from the Norse word 'marr' meaning marshy and can therefore be included in the group of names originating as topographically descriptive ones. 6 In Scotland the district of Mar is that. lying between the Don and Dee rivers, an area which was one of the old maormordoms into which the north of Scotland was divided prior to the clan systems having evolved. The Mars were therefore never a clan.as such, but are of a far older grouping normally referred to as a 'tribe' •

The first reference to the area one finds is in 1065 when Marta ch us, maormor of Marr witnessed a charter by Malcolm Canmore. 7 William de Mar c.1235 appears to be the first recorded, using this as a personal designation/surname. He was a witness to a grant to the Abbey of Kelso.B In 1501 Johnne of Mar and Dauid Mar are on record to be 'abbat and priour of bonacord', in Aberdeen.

This name has become somewhat confused with Mair, a name which Dr Black derives from the office of 'one who serves legal writs ' • However he also includes this spelling in the records of names ,.under the section on Mar, while at the same time including the record of spelling Marr or Mare for Mair under the la.tter section. In certain cases it ·could also be that Mair has arisen from the Gaelic genitive form of Mar. It .would seem likel Y thererore that the name was interchangeable.

The Earldom of Mar, formally belonged to the Skenes and later passed to the Erskines, who were Jmown as Earls of Mar and Kellie. This has lead to the assumption that the Mars could wear the Er"Skine tartans although they had no ancient links with this famj.ly 's area in the Borders. However as the Mars now have a recognised· Chief of their own, it would be quite wrong for them to use the crest and tartans of the Erskines or any ot~~li clan or family. It has also been suggested that the Mars might use · the Gordon tartan as a form of district sett for Aberdeen. The above equally applies to the Gordon tartan, and the Mars should now remain firmly with their own tartan.

NOTES:/ ··- .. . ------...... f . ·:- , _. . •' . . ~ ...... :- . . . . .•:- x

SKENE, MAR (DISTRICT) RKG:YK(G) - cf. BKR:YKG R K G K y 2 4 32 4 2 2 3 45 3 2 Lyon Register 23 Mar. 1978

Frank Adam No 106 Sett given by Adam is Setts 230 ? The Setts No 232 in later additions.

See Mcian's plate. BRB:BRG KBK:WRG RKG:YK

Rev. A.N. 2/12/88

ORIG. SLOG RKG:YK SKENE , MAR (DISTRICT) RKG:YK(G)

·' .

'I ,,r -3-

NOTES: 1. Frank Adam. The Clans, Septs and Regiments of the Scott=ish Highlands. Johnston & Bacon, Edinburgh 1908: Revised 1975.

2. D. c. Stewart. The Sett=s of the Scottish Tartans. Shepheard­ Walwgn. London 1974.

3. James Logan: The Scottish Gael. Smith, Elder & Co. London 1831.

4. R.R. Mcian. The Costume of the Clans. 1845-47.

5. C.N. M'Intyre North. The Book of the Club of the True Highlanders 1881

6. P.H. Reaney. -A Dictionary of British Surnames. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London 1958.

7. William Anderson. The Scottish Nation. A Fullarton & Co. Edinburgh 1863. 8. Dr George Black. The Surnames of Scotland. New York Public Library 1946.

Copyright STS Revised 1987 •

• ' • SO District Tartans of Scotland ' DEE SIDE Gaelic Name Strath Dhe Designer Fenton Wynes Date 1963 There are two rivers with the name Dee in Scotland; One in the Grampian Region in the northeast, the other in Dumfries and Galloway in the southwest. It is to the former that the Deeside district tartan relates. The northern Deeside is an extensive area since the river Dee drains some 765 square miles of countryside, mainly in the former county of Aberdeenshire. The river rises in a spring on Braeriach, one of the peaks in the Cairngorms, 4061 feet in height, with a secondary source, the Pools of Dee in the Lairig Ghru. Its initial course flows j: southwards through the wild, steep-sided Glen Dee, until it joins the Geldie Burn at White Bridge. Thence it turns east­ wards through Aberdeen. Wooded slopes flank the river in many places. It is not surprising that Queen Victoria chose it as the site for her Scottish home, Balmoral. The names ofmany of its towns and villages are known throughout the Highland world because of their Highland Games. Braemar, always attended by the Royal Family, Ballater, Aboyne, Banchory and Aberdeen, among them. Deeside, too is renowned for its fine salmon fishing. The Deeside district tartan was designed in 1963 by a well­ known local historian and architect from Aberdeen, Fenton Wynes, on behalf of the Dee Valley Textiles Ltd. The tartan is symbolic, which is unusual for Scottish district tartans. The colours represent - Grey the granite rocks and pinnacles and enshrouding mists Blue the River Dee and the two great mountain ranges, the Grampians and Cairngorms Green the pine forests, che Scots firs and larches White the slender birch trunks and the snow in remote corries Yellow the broom, gorse and the bracken Purple the heather, bell and ling and the Royal Purple for the Celtic ·dxnasties and their present-day successors, the House of Windsor W N P N G B y 4 4 10 30 4 20 4 \ . TARTAN I NAME

STORM CULLODEN DIST STORMONT FIFE DIST STORRAR CULLODEN DIST STORRIE,-EY OGILVIE STORY TYNESIDE DIST STOTT ABERDEEN DIST STOUT ABERDEEN DIST STOW(E) EDINBURGH DIST STRACHAN DEESIDE DIST STRACHAN MAR DIST STRACHAN STRATHSPEY DIST STRACKAN,-EN MAR DJ;ST STRADE ABERDEEN DIST STRALOCH ABERDEEN DIST S'l'RANACK ,ABERDEEN DIST STRANG(E) ANGUS DIST STRANGE(R) MAC GREGOR STRAT(T)ON EDINBURGH DIST STRATH ABERDEEN DIST. ·sTRATHARN STRATHEARN DIST STRATHEARN · STRATHEARN DIST MARR

MARR, Scotch CREST A' cross crosslet, fitched, gold MOTTO IN CRUCE SALUS (Salvation from the cross)

]/)

MARR, English CREST A horse's head, erased and bridled, proper

l

MARR, Essex CREST Two lions' gambs, erased, in saltier, gold, in each a battle axe, handles, gules, blades, argent

MARR and KELLIE, Earl of, Baron Erskine and Dirleton, Scotch, CREST In dexter hand, couped above wrist, a dagger, erect, proper, pommel and hilt, gold. · MAR

MAR, Scotch

CREST . A goat's head, erased

J.8 -3-

NOTES: 1. Frank Adam. The Clans, Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands. Johnston & Bacon, Edinburgh 1908: Revised 1975.

2. D. C. Stewart. The Setts of the Scottish Tartans. Shepheard­ Walwgn. London 1974.

3. James Logan: The Scottish Gael. Smith, Elder & Co. London 1831.

4. R.R. Mcian. The Costume of the Clans. 1845-47.

5. C.N. M'Intyre North. The Book of the Club of the True Highlanders 1881

6. P.H. Reaney. -A Dictionary of British Surnames. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London 1958.

7. William Anderson. The Scottish Nation. A Fullarton & Co. Edinburgh 1863. 8. Dr George Black. The surnames of Scotland. New York Public Library 1946.

Copyright STS Revised 1987.

,. SKENE, MAR (DISTRICT) RKG:YK(G) - cf. :BKR:YKG R K G K y 2 4 32 4 2 2 3 45 3 2 Lyon Register 23 Mar. 1978

Frank Adam No 106 Sett given by Adam is Setts 230 ? The Setts No 232 in later additions. See Mcian's plate. BRB:BRG KBK:WRG RKG:YK

Rev. A.N. 2/12/88

ORIG~ SLOG RKG.:YK SKENE , MAR (DISTRICT) BKG:YK(G)

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