Keith tartan
Clan tartan of Clan Keith.
Wilsons of Bannockburn's surviving letters and pattern books place this sett's earliest appearance around 1838, though the same design turns up nineteen years earlier under the name 'Austin' in one of their 1819 pattern books. The design is shared with the Falconer and Marshall tartans, both families with ties to the Keiths through the forfeited estates of the Earls Marischal. For centuries the Keiths held the hereditary office of Great Marischal of Scotland, and the clan's name is closely tied to Dunnottar Castle, the ruined clifftop fortress near Stonehaven.
Thread count
K8 WG36 FSB16 K16 FSB12 K16 FSB16 WG36Each letter is a colour and each number a count of threads. This sett has no pivots: it runs to the end and then repeats from the start.
Colours
- K — Black
- WG — Wthrd Green
- FSB — Fs Blue
Shades follow the Register's palette for this entry. Woven cloth varies by mill and by colourway.
Get the kilt
When you order a kilt, ask for the tartan by its full name — for example “Keith” — and say which colourway you want. “Modern” is dark and strong, “ancient” is lighter, “weathered” is muted. The sett is the same in each.
We are choosing retailers we trust and will list them here soon.
Wear the colours
Our own Keith range is on its way: the name, the tartan and the motto on a heavyweight tee, a hoodie and a mug. About the shop.