About Tartans and Clans

Understanding the unwritten history of your family is like trying to complete a giant jigsaw puzzle without the box-cover picture to guide you. There is a dearth of seemingly-conflicting information. You must continually theorize about the completed picture with each new piece of information that you find.

To put the origins of the surname Cadzow in some context, it is helpful to understand how the association between surnames and families, clans, and tartans evolved in Scotland. The following information is excerpted from the Collins guide to Scots kith & kin: A guide to the Clans and surnames of Scotland HarperCollins Publishers, Glasgow 1989 (revised edition).

You will find that the traditional view of how you research your lineage, at least prior to 1700 AD, becomes a little more cloudy...

Origins of the Clans

The modern word clan came from the Gaelic word for "children", more accurately translated as "family". The term clan became accepted in the Scottish highlands during the 13th century.

A clan is a social group whose core comprises a number of families derived from, or accepted as being derived from, a common ancestor. Almost without exception, that core is accompanied by a further number of dependent and associated families who have either sought the protection of the clan at some point in history or have been tenants or vassals of its chief. That chief is owed allegiance by all members of the clan, but ancient tradition nevertheless states that "the Clan is above the Chief".

Allegiance was generally given to the father's clan, but Celtic tradition includes a strong element of descent through, and loyalty to, a mother's line. In reality, the chief of a clan would "ingather" any stranger -- of whatever family -- who possessed suitable skills, maintained his allegiance and, if required, adpoted the clan surname.