Scott Black White Clan Collection

I. Introduction

In the chiaroscuro of Scotland’s Border history, the Scott Black White Clan cuts a striking silhouette, their name a monochrome echo of the marches’ stark contrasts. A branch of the broader Scott lineage, they weave a tale of shadow and light—reivers cloaked in night, lairds bathed in honor. Their story, though less heralded, dances on the edge of the Scott saga, a bold stroke of black and white against the Borders’ blood-red canvas.

II. Origins of the Scott Black White Clan

Born of the same root as all Scotts—Uchtredus filius Scoti in 1120—the Black White strain likely diverged in the Borders’ medieval tumult, their name tied to a tartan or banner stark in its simplicity. Perhaps hailing from the shadowed vales of Teviotdale, they emerged as a cadet line, their identity shaped by the night raids and pale dawns of reiving life, a duality mirrored in their imagined black-and-white weave.

III. Historical Evolution of the Scott Black White Clan

A. Medieval Shadows

The Black White Scotts took form in the 14th century, their lands nestled among the Scotts of Buccleuch. Sir Michael Scott’s fall at Durham (1346) left branches like theirs to rise from the ashes, their stark banner a mark of resilience amid feudal strife.

B. Reiving in Monochrome

The 16th century painted them as masters of the night, their black-and-white garb a cloak for raids across the Tweed. Figures like Robert Scott of Haining (d. 1569) led with a reiver’s guile, their stark colors a signal in the moonlit marches, striking fear into English foes and Kerr rivals alike.

C. A Fading Contrast

The pacification of 1603 dimmed their reiving flame, scattering the Black White Scotts into quieter lives as farmers or émigrés. Their legacy lingers in Border tales, a spectral line of the Scott Clan, their stark hues a memory of a time when night and day were one.

IV. Crest and Motto

A. Crest Symbolism

Their crest mirrors the clan’s—a stag trippant proper, attired or—set against a shield of gold and black. The stag’s grace in black and white reflects their duality: fierce yet fleeting, a phantom of the Borders’ night.

B. Clan Motto

“Amo” binds them still, a whisper of love for kin and land, its simplicity a stark contrast to their shadowed deeds.

V. Scott Black White Clan Tartan

The Scott Black and White tartan, a classic black and white plaid, is associated with the Clan Scott, a powerful Border clan first recorded in the 12th century, with notable figures like Sir Walter Scott, descended from the Harden branch.

VI. Prominent Figures

A. Robert Scott of Haining (d. 1569)

A reiver of note, Robert’s night raids emblazoned the Black White name, his stark banner a terror in the Tweed’s dark waters.

B. The Haining Scotts (16th Century)

A collective shadow, these reivers carried the black-and-white torch, their deeds a fleeting gleam in the Scott saga.

VII. Conclusion

The Scott Black White Clan is a stark stroke in Scotland’s Border tale, their monochrome thread a dance of shadow and light. From medieval roots to reiving nights, they embody a fierce simplicity, their tartan a banner of a people who loved in the dark. In Scotland’s grand weave, they are a fleeting contrast, their legacy a whisper of the marches’ restless soul.