Like people of Scottish descent
everywhere, many Maxwells and members of allied families enjoy
showing the family colors by wearing or displaying their family
tartans. Which tartan to wear is simple for Maxwells, because
there is only one pattern (or sett) which is generally
recognized. This “red MAXWELL” pattern
can be authenticated to the middle of the 19th century and can be
seen in all three of the usual color variations, referred to as
Modern, Ancient, and Weathered. There is another MAXWELL pattern
of very recent origin, the “HUNTING MAXWELL,”
which was developed by our first President and Chieftain, the
late Scotty Maxwell. It is the same pattern as the
“red” sett but with the red and green colors switched,
resulting in a green sett with prominent red lines.
Two of the allied families in Clan
Maxwell USA also have their own tartans.
— Clan POLLOCK adapted the “HUNTING
MAXWELL” sett, differentiated by a white oversett.
— The BLACKSTOCK family organized a Society
and engaged a Fellow of the Scottish Tartan Society to design two
tartans for them, a dress tartan and a hunting tartan.
In addition to those tartans which were designed for formally
organized groups of our allied families, three individuals have
commissioned tartans, all of which are relatively new.
— MAXTON tartan was designed at the request
of L.E. Maxton, of California. It was done by the Tartan
Educational and Cultural Authority (TECA) and based on the
“HUNTING MAXWELL.”
— KIRK tartan, also designed by the TECA,
is based on the red “MAXWELL” sett.
— DINWIDDIE tartan is a new sett designed
by a New England weaver for W.J. Dinwiddie, of California. This
is an original design with no obvious connection to the MAXWELL
sett.
If none of these patterns
appeal to you, there is an another approach which may especially
interest our allied families. Several DISTRICT TARTANS
have been devised for use by those who do not wish to wear a
tartan bearing a family name not their own — and for those
who simply would prefer a different tartan for aesthetic
preferences. Several of these patterns relate to areas connected
with Maxwells and allied families.
— NITHSDALE tartan is an obvious choice
because of the Nithsdale area’s strong Maxwell and Dinwiddie
connections. It is a darker pattern comprised roughly of equal
parts of red, blue, and green. It was introduced in 1930.
— GALLOWAY tartan comes in two patterns
which were introduced in 1950. The more popular version is red
and blue with five green and yellow lines. The other consists of
two shades of green with five lines of red and yellow.
— GLASGOW tartan is a very attractive
pattern which predates 1819 and the MAXWELL tartan by more than
20 years.
— PAISLEY tartan, designed in 1952, might
be appropriate if your family can be traced to the area near
Glasgow. This district pattern has been adopted by the Paisley
Clan Society as their tartan, so it is less recognized as a
district tartan.
— EAST KILBRIDE tartan was designed in 1990
with elements to symbolize the Maxwells of Calderwood.
— ROXBURGH tartan reflects the place in the
middle marches with the earliest identifiable traces of the
Maxwell family. This tartan predates 1850.
Clearly, there are many possible tartans from which to choose.
Let your individual taste dictate your choice — which seems
to be the way Maxwells have always done.
— Larry Long, Kingsport TN
