Honored Clan
Celebrate Scottish heritage with us in appreciating this year's honored clan, House of Gordon.
House of Gordon Crest: From a crest coronet, a stags head.
House of Gordon Motto: Bydand (Remaining).
Gordon Tartan from Huntly, home of the Clan Gordon:
The modern Gordon tartan colors are dark green, navy blue, black and yellow. The Gordon ancient tartan is light green, light blue, black and yellow. The popular Gordon dress tartan colors are forest green, navy blue, white, yellow, black and royal blue, and the colors of the Gordon weathered tartan are khaki, slate grey-blue, weathered black and muted yellow.
The Gordon tartan is the regimental tartan of the famous Gordon Highlanders and was selected by the Alexander, the 4th Duke from a choice of three submitted by William Forsyth, a weaver and outfitter from the town of Huntly. Forsyth wrote on 15th April 1793 'When I had the honor of communing with His Grace the Duke of Gordon, he was desirous to have patterns of the 42nd Regiment plaid with a small yellow stripe properly placed. I imagine the yellow stripes will appear very lively.' A Gordon website claims that the Duke offered the other two Forsyth samples to Gordon Branch or Cadet Families. The Gordons of Hallhead and Esslemont selected the tartan with three yellow lines and the Gordon-Cumming of Altyre and Gordonstoun chose the tartan with two yellow lines. The earliest known date from a list compiled by D.C. Stewart from Wilsons of Bannockburn letters is 1798.
Gordon Clan History:
The name emerges in Scotland in late 12th century from the Parish of Gordon in Berwickshire. Richer de Gordun was lord of the Barony of Gordon in the Merse and between 1150 and 1160 granted a piece of land and the church of St Michael to the monks at Kelso. Sir Adam de Gordon was a Warden of the Marches in 1300 and, a supporter of Robert I, was sent to Rome to petition the Pope for Bruce's excommunication to be lifted. For his services, he was granted the lands of Strathbogie in Aberdeenshire.
The 4th Earl of Huntly gained the nickname "Cock o' the North" for his lavish receptions, a name which is still used for the current clan chief. The Gordons were advisors to Mary of Guise when she ruled in the absence of Mary Queen of Scots.
Surname distribution in Scotland:
The highest concentrations of the Gordon name occur in Aberdeenshire (includes all of the historic counties of Aberdeenshire, Kincardineshire and part of Banffshire), Aberdeen City, Moray (including most of historic Banffshire), Highland (includes the historic counties of Caithness, Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Ross and Cromarty and Sutherland), Perth and Kinross (Perthshire and Kinross-shire) and Dumfries and Galloway (Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire).
Associated family names (Septs):
Adam, Adams, Adamson, Addie, Addison, Adie, Aitchison, Aiken, Aitken, Atkin, Atkins, Atkinson, Barrie, Brander, Connon, Craig, Cromb, Crombie, Cullen, Darg, Dargie, Dorward, Duff, Durward, Eadie, Eddie, Edie, Edison, Esslemont, Gardiner, Gardner, Garioch, Garrick, Garriock, Geddes, Gerrie, Huntly, Jessiman, Jopp, Jupp, Laing, Lang, Laurie, Lawrie, Leng, Marr, Maver, Mavor, Meldrum, Mill, Mills, Miln, Milne, Milnes, Moir, More, Morrice, Morris, Muir, Mylne, Tod, Todd, Troup.