The MacTamicks

The Clan MacTamick traces its history back over 800 years. Their original holding was in the Grampian Mountains in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The stark tower of MacTamick Keep still stands where the clan was founded. It looks a lot like this, but habitable. (Well, sort of. If you don’t need comfort.)

 

The MacTamicks kept sheep and goats until The Rascal Septimus MacTamick married The Spinster Henrietta Croy. In this marriage, they acquired barley lands near St. Abbs Head. Septimus decided to distill the barley into whiskey to get a better price for Henrietta’s crop. This enabled Clan MacTamick to survive the Highland Clearances.

 

The MacTamick tartan (plaid) goes back to around 1550. The MacTamick motto is “Loyal Through Adversity,” and refers to their steadfast loyalty to the Catholic Church, even when they were persecuted by English and Scots Protestants. Their heraldic design and badge is a black silhouette of MacTamick Keep, surrounded by Scotch Thistles. The background is white with a green border.

 

Bancroft MacTamick was officially designated Clan chief by The Court of Lord Lyon. As a businessman, he is typical of today’s clan chiefs. He represented Clan MacTamick at Clan Gathering 2009, which he helped to organize. He also serves as President of the Clan MacTamick Society, which is his real power as a Clan chief.

 

This is a rendition of the MacTamick tartan. Here are some excerpts from the Official Company History of MacTamick’s Finest Scotch, Ltd.