6/14/2010

Scottish Pride


A few months ago I went to the Missouri Tartan Day celebration down on Main Street St. Charles. My maiden name/middle name is Lenox hence Lenox Knits. I knew that Lenox/Lennox was an old Scottish clan name but I had no idea how old. I started talking to the vendor St. Croix Weaving and when he heard my name was Lenox he got excited. He said that it was the oldest of the known tartans and he had never woven it before.




I decided to get my father a golf towel for Father's Day and my mother 2 place mats for her birthday which was last week. The bold red and green plaid above is a representation of the old Lennox tartan. The colors are very Christmassy and I'm sure Mom can use them as part of her elaborate decorations for the holiday if nothing else.

I was blown away by the craftsmanship of their work. The colors are rich and the details are lovely. You can special order on-line and they will custom weave your family tartan for you. I think they make very personal gifts with that handmade touch.

You can look up you surname at this free site and see what your family tartan is if you are originally from Scotland or Ireland. Most of the tartans date from the 18th Century with a revival of the Highlands but there is some documentation of the colorful plaids throughout Scottish history. I think it would be really cool to trace my Lenox roots back to the old country and have always wanted to travel there before I die.

I found this info on the site:
Families with the surname 'Lennox' are usually considered related to Clans Stewart or MacFarlane. Some of this surname also choose to wear this distinctive and ancient 'Lennox' tartan. D.W. Stewart reproduced the sett from a 'lost' portrait of the Countess of Lennox dating from the 16th century.

3 comments:

Ann said...

I've always loved the look of tartan.

OLLIE MCKAY'S ~ A Chic Boutique said...

Love the golf towels!! Wished I could have found something that cute around here for my hubby and Papa!

Duni said...

That is interesting information about your name. I love tartan fabrics, I've used a tan-coloured one in one of my bags!

 

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