Stewart Old Clan Collection

I. Introduction

In the deep loam of Scotland’s past, where time turns stone to story, the Stewart Old Clan stands as the primal root of their royal line. Clad in the weathered Stewart Old tartan, they bear a legacy of origin and endurance. Their tale, scored by ancient pipes and sealed with wounds, hums with a courage that grows strong—a timeless chord in Scotland’s song.

II. Origins of the Stewart Old Clan

The Stewarts sprang from Walter Stewart’s marriage to Marjorie Bruce, their Stiùbhard name crowned by Robert II in 1371. The Old tartan, a muted echo of their earliest weaves, ties to the Stewarts of Stirling and Renfrew, the cradle of their rise. Woven in reverence for their genesis, it honors a clan whose royal blood is Scotland’s bedrock.

III. Historical Evolution

A. Medieval Dawn

In Stirling’s shadow, the Stewarts emerged, their thistle badge a mark of nascent power. As stewards turned kings, they laid the foundation for a dynasty, their roots deep in feudal soil.

B. Jacobite Memory

The 1745 rising bore their old threads into battle, "The White Banner of the Stewarts" a fading echo of their prime. Culloden’s wounds, as Virescit Vulnere Virtus vows, rooted their courage in ancient earth.

C. Timeless Echo

The Old tartan endures, worn by those who trace their line to the source. It cloaks a clan that carries Scotland’s dawn into its dusk, their heritage a living relic.

IV. Crest and Motto

A. Crest Symbolism

The Stewart crest—a pelican in her piety, feeding her young with her own blood—graces the clan with a visceral emblem of sacrifice. Nestled in its nest, the pelican pierces its breast, a poignant reflection of the Stewarts Black, who bled for kin and king, their courage sustained by the wounds they bore.

B. Clan Motto

Virescit Vulnere Virtus, or "Courage grows strong at a wound", is the clan’s guiding star. Penned in Latin, it encapsulates their ethos: from every trial, strength emerges anew. This motto, paired with the pelican’s imagery, weaves a narrative of resilience that defines their history.

V. The Old Tartan

Faded green, brown, and grey weave the Stewart Old tartan, a fabric of time’s gentle wear. A modern nod to their origins, it threads their first steps into Scotland’s plaid.

VI. Prominent Figures

Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward (d. 1326), sowed their royal seed, while Robert II (1316–1390), the first Stewart king, bore their old spirit to the throne, his reign a wound-made-strong.

VII. Conclusion

The Stewart Old Clan roots Scotland’s history in the soil of its birth, their tartan a shroud of ancient pride. From steward’s hall to king’s crown, they prove that courage grows from the deepest wounds—a legacy as old as the nation itself.