The Clan Lamont Society Information

Tartan is a cloth which was generally woven and worn by Scottish Clan members. It is a heavy, thick cloth which gets it colouring from the dyes made from local plants and is very warm which makes it very suitable for the Scottish climate. Because of the plant dyes used, tartans from different areas tend to have a particular colour pallet distinctive to that area and as Clan are generally geographically based these colours can be used to identify which Clan a tartan denotes.

How many different Tartans are there?

There are well over a hundred Clans in Scotland and as any individual Clan may have a number of Tartans, there are literally hundreds if not thousands of Tartans in existence.

There are new Tartans being created all the time - some are new Scottish tartans eg the Flower of Scotland, some football tartans and even some inspired by Hollywood eg the Braveheart tartan. It is possible for an individual to design their own tartan.

Can a Clan have more than one tartan?

Yes - a Clan can have more than one variation of a tartan.

Hunting tartans tend to be more muted in colour to to help the individual wearing it blend into the environment in order to make them less conspicuous to the wildlife they were hunting. Weathered tartans are also more muted in colour.

Ancient Tartans tend to be the traditional pallet of the tartan whilst Modern tartans tend to be more vibrant in colour.

Other Tartans can emphasise a particular aspect of the particular pallet of an individual tartan eg the red, green and pink varients.

Do people still wear tartan?

Yes - people still wear tartan although it tends to be in the form or tartan scarfs and ties etc. Also the tartan pattern is used for such things as upholstery and other fashion items.

There was a recent fashion for girls and young women to wear tartan mini skirts.

In a formal context the wearing of Scottish national costume including a tartan kilt is seen as the black tie equivalant for the scottish gentleman at a formal event including balls and weddings.

What Lamont tartans are there?

Here are a few examples of the Lamont Tartans.

Castles and Locations

The Lamont Clan has it's base in the west coast of Scotland with it's ancestral base being located in Toward Castle near Dunoon. However there are many places all over the world with Lamont connections from Dunoon, throughout Scotland and across continents to the home of the current Clan Chief in Australia .

Below are some of the places with special significance to the clan:

Toward Castle

Toward Castle was built in the 14 th – 15 th centuries. All that remains of this ancestral seat can be found in the grounds of Castle Toward, seven miles south-west of Dunoon. The ruins consist of an ancient keep, courtyard, gateway arch, and what was probably once a kitchen and great hall.

The keep was probably about four stories high and contained a two level cellar, though only one wall now survives with the faint outline of a battlement at the top. The larger cellar also has what would have been a garderobe, and a small mural chamber which may have been a ground level entrance at one time.

The gateway arch is still intact and is very good example of early renaissance carving. The gateway projects to allow for shot-loops giving flanking fire along the wall, whilst within the gate is a vaulted passage with guardrooms on either side.

Most of the other buildings are virtually gone, though signs of the fireplace added when Mary Queen of Scots was entertained at the castle in 1563, can still be traced amongst the ruins. In 1646 Toward was the scene of a bloody tragedy when it was besieged by the neighbouring Campbell clan and it's inhabitants were tortured and killed.

If you decide to visit this site then please take care. The ruins whilst very picturesque do have a lot of loose masonry (especially in the keep area), and the paths leading to and from can get quite muddy in bad weather.

Ascog Castle

The road from Tighnabruich to Kilfanan passes by Ascog Loch, on the far shore of which stands the ruins of Ascog Castle . This was the ancestral home of McInnes Lamonts, who were bound to provide an escort for the chief's galleys when they sailed forth of Cowal. It was built during the 15th century.

This was the other castle destroyed by the Campbells during the 1646 massacre. After a three-day battle on the moor above the loch, the Lamonts withdrew to the castle. The defenders were persuaded to surrender when their chief was brought before the walls by his captors. No sooner had they agreed to surrender and left the castle, when it was ransacked and burned.

Kilfinan Church

Kilfinan Parish Church figures prominently in the history of Clan Lamont. The earliest surviving written record of the clan, and one of the earliest of any clan, is a charter signed in 1235 by Sir Laumon, first Chief of Clan Lamont, and his uncle Duncan, giving the church to the monks of Paisley . Many of the early chiefs, including Sir Laumon's son Malcolm, are buried here. It is still an active parish church

It is located on the western side of Cowal, near the shore of Loch Fyne , almost due west of Dunoon. It's ongoing a restoration project has partly been funded by donations from Lamonts around the world. The Lamont burial vault is at the back of the curch beneath what used to be the Lamont gallery. Nothing of the gallery remains but the vault is still intact and is well worth a visit.

Knockdow House

Seat of the McGorrie Lamonts of Knockdow, the house is located on a 6,000 acre estate, southeast of Dunoon, about 11 miles by route A 815. Located on a large wooded estate, it was built in 1817, and enlarged and remodeled by the last Lamont of Knockdow, Sir Norman Lamont, in recent times. The estate was sold in 1990. Fortunately, most of the contents pertaining to Clan Lamont, were bequeathed to the Clan Lamont Society by Sir Norman's heirs.

Inveryne

Before Castle Toward was built, on the southern end of the East Cowal penninsula, the home of the chief of the Lamonts was at Inveryne. Inveryne is near Kilfinan, on the eastern shore of Loch Fyne, looking across to Knapdale. Nothing now remains of the original ancestral seat except some mounds of grass which might point to where some buildings may have been.

Inverchaolain Manse

At Inverchaolain, on the shores of Loch Striven stands the Old Manse and cottage. The manse was built in 1730 and faces south down the loch with outstanding views of the Isles of Bute and Arran. The Society is currently working on restoring the interior of the manse, whilst the cottage is now available for holiday lets. See the News page for further details.

Dunoon Memorial

The Lamont Memorial at Dunoon was erected in 1906 by the Clan Lamont Society, to commemorate the 1646 massacre of 200 Lamonts by Clan  Campbell .

The memorial was placed near the spot where so many met their deaths. It can be found near the southern limits of Dunoon, adjacent to route A-815 next to MacColl's Hotel. It is located on the left of the hotel and raised above the road, in a small park. Because of it's high location, it is easy to miss, so look sharp. It's weight of over three tons, caused the lorry that was transporting it to Dunoon, to break down, and it finished the trip by ship. The unveiling was done by Chief John Henry Lamont, on September 29, and the principle address was given by Rev. John Lamond. The Society will celebrate the memorial's centenary in 2006.

Chief's House Edinburgh

An exquisite 18th century town house in Edinburgh 's New Town, designed by master architect Robert Adam. The house is beautifully furnished, with collections of beautiful china, shining silver, paintings and furniture all reflect the domestic surroundings and social conditions of when the house was opened in 1796.

Around the end of the 18th century prosperous natives of Edinburgh began to leave the cramped conditions of Edinburgh 's Old Town to build new, imposing townhouse residences, like Georgian House, in New Town.

The house was built by John Lamont, chief of Clan Lamont. In 1815 the Lamont's sold the house, and it passed through several prominent Scottish families until it passed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1966 upon the death of its last private owner, the 5th Marquess of Bute.

The Georgian House fronts onto Charlotte Square , just a few minutes walk west of Princes Street .