MacCallum Tartan History

The MacCallum family tartan is deep rooted, much like most of this Scottish clan’s history. Folklore, original Scots and name changes make up this tartan.
The name MacCallum is thought to come from a Gaelic term ‘son of colm’ which is in reference to Saint Columba. This leads to the notion that the ancestors of the MacCallums are actally the first Scots of Ireland who settled into the ancient Kingdom of Dalridia.

While this cannot be proven, the first recorded use of the name was not until 1414 in Argyll. This was in papers which granted Reginal MacCallum of Corbatton the lands of Lorn in Argyllshire.

There is much folklore surrounding the MacCallums in history, including the tale of the chief family at Colgin in the 13th Century. Legend has it that the 3 sons of Colgin all wanted to make their own lives away from home, so their father gave them a proposal. Wherever their horse’s panniers should first fall should be where they build their home.

One son never made it past his father’s farm, another got as far as Glenetive and the third built his home at Kilmartin. The tale goes that this is how the MacCallums became spread throughout Scotland.

However in the late 18th Century, the name MacCallum had been altered to Malcolm by Dugald MacCallum of Poltalloch. This broke off to create a new clan which shares many ancestral histories with MacCallum.

The family tartan of MacCallum is predominantly a deep royal blue, with green, light blue and black. Thick green chunks pattern the blue both horizontally and vertically to create a chequered pattern. The green sections are bookended by black stripes on either side, with fainter black lines criss-crossing through the middle of the blue squares. Within the green chunks, there are 2 faint horizontal and vertical blue lines brightening up the pattern.