The Fullerton Clan

     

     As promised, I have done some more research on the Scottish heritage of the Fullerton family.  I am a bit reluctant to share my results with Tom as I am afraid it will upset the balance of power in our home.  The Fullarton/Fullerton clan is said to be armigerous.  Well, I had to look up that word; I’m still not sure I understand but I get the feeling the Fullertons were underlings of another clan.  

Scottish Clansmen

     "In Scotland, an "armigerous clan" is a clan without a chief, which is therefore said to bear a coat of arms collectively, rather than have a chief who bears the arms.  The validity of this term is dubious, since under Scottish heraldic law, it is impossible for two men to use the same coat of arms, let alone an entire clan of people." (wikipedia)
     Just look at those words....without, dubious, impossible, let alone...How would you feel if you were armigerous?

    

Fullerton/Fullarton

     When I entered my name, Fullerton, on the clan page, there was no response.  I expected that; I knew exactly what to do….Fullarton. No Fullerton/Fullarton tartan.  They fall under Stuart of Bute tartan. There was even a disclaimer on the website that said: "There is no registered tartan for this clan."

Stuart of Bute Tartan

    They do have a crest.  The caption under it says, "An otter's head erased, Gules."  Erased?  Gules?  More research needed.

(Fullerton)Fullarton Clan Crest

    And they have a motto.  Lux in Tenebris which translates to Light in Darkness.  I do like that!!
Despite a valiant search, I did not find a Fullerton castle, but I did find a beautiful House with a capital H.

Fullarton House

     Not to be outdone by Clan Mathiesons, I thought maybe I’d share my Canadian version of my personal heritage.

My Castles:

My Winter Castle

My Summer Castle

My Tartan:

Long Reach Fullerton Tartan

My Motto:  I have not decided yet.  The following are contenders.  Which would you choose?

   1.  “Get out of the road!”

   2.   “Of all the didos!”

   3. “Is supper ready?”

Until Next Time....

Why Scotland and Why Now?

Why Scotland and Why Now?

     Tom’s father was born in Scotland making Tom a first generation Canadian.  He has talked of exploring his Scottish heritage for several years.  I gave him the Scotland GuideBook a couple of years ago for Christmas as a gentle nudge in the UK direction.  He did not really bite.  

Scotland

     However, when our daughter Julia announced she was doing a European tour and suggested we meet her in Scotland, Tom took the plunge and committed to the Scotland trip.  The time has come in our lives to stop talking about trips we would like to take, and Just Do It!

Indeed!

     Coincidentally, the motto for the clan Mathieson is Fac et Spera, which translates to "Do and Hope."  You might say that is Gaelic for Just Do It!!

Do and Hope

    Julia and Tom have done some Mathieson research and we will visit the Mathieson neighborhood in the vicinity of the Isle of Skye.  

Isle of Skye

     The Mathiesons tell me they had a castle.  “In 1539 Iain Dubh Matheson, chief of the Clan Matheson, died whilst defending the Castle on Eilean Donan island against the Clan MacDonald of Sleat on behalf of the Clan Macrae and Clan Mackenzie.” A visit to this site is on our itinerary.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluestardrop/3840896110/

Eilean Donan

   
     And the Mathiesons have tartans, of course.

Mathieson Dress Tartan

Mathieson Hunting Tartan

     I know, you all want to see Tom in a kilt.  Well, I wouldn't be one bit surprised.  I made this nice wool vest, had him model it, and sort of named it after him in hopes that he would buy it from me for $80.00, but he didn't.  But he'll probably buy a kilt.

The Pensive Scot

     The Fullertons also hail from Scotland so we will be visiting those roots in the Ayrshire area.   I've done a little research on the family name.  Couldn't find a motto, a castle, or a tartan.  I'm still
looking.

                                                                  Until Next Time....