Clan Cathcart (Cathcart Tartan)

1. About Clan Cathcart (Cathcart Tartan)

2. Clan Cathcart History (Cathcart Tartan)

Renfrewshire and the South Side of Glasgow are traversed by the River Cart. This is where the name Cathcart comes from.

When Rainaldus de Kethcart saw a charter from Walter Fitzalan to the Church of Kethcart for the monastery of Paisley in 1178, the clan's history first came into existence.

A second charter was seen by his son William de Kethcart somewhere around 1200, and in 1234, Alan de Cathcart sealed a charter of surrender to the Abbot of Paisley of estates at Culbeth.

Cathcart Castle, the clan's previous home, is still standing. Built in the 1400s and abandoned in the 18th century, the castle. In 1980, the ruins were demolished, leaving only the foundations standing today.

William de Cathcart, who is recorded on the Ragman Roll, was replaced by Sir Alan de Cathcart, a Robert the Bruce supporter.

During one of the many guerrilla-style assaults carried out during the wars of independence, he fought alongside the King's brother, Edward, and achieved considerable success in a surprise attack on the English in Galloway.

When Sir Alan wed Eleanor Bruce, Countess of Carrick's sister, who had previously been married to Sir Duncan Wallace of Sundrum, his close ties to the family were maintained.

His descendant, Sir Alan de Cathcart, acquired Carrick holdings. Later, in 1447, he received the title "Lord Cathcart." Up until 1718, the main family seat was the estate of Auchencruive in Ayrshire.

The battle of Flodden in 1513 resulted in the death of the second Lord Cathcart, while the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 resulted in the death of the third Lord. The fourth Lord, Alan, was a staunch protestant who battled Mary, Queen of Scots at Langside in 1568.

Eighth Lord Charles Cathcart joined the Scots Grays and rose to the rank of major. colonel of the unit in 1709 and afterwards. During the Sheriffmuir insurrection in 1715, he fought against the Jacobites.

After some time, Charles Cathcart attained the position of Major General. The ninth Lord fought at Culloden, served as the Duke of Cumberland's aide-de-camp, and opposed the Jacobites.

He earned the moniker "Patch Cathcart" because he covered a scar from a battle with a patch that he wore on his cheek. Additionally pursuing a military career, his son achieved the rank of lieutenant general.

Together with Admiral Gambier, he engaged Napoleon and defeated his forces in Denmark by capturing sixty Danish ships in Copenhagen. He received the titles "Viscount Cathcart of Cathcart," "Baron Greenock," and later, "Earl Cathcart" in recognition of this.

The second Earl, who participated in the Peninsular War and the Battle of Waterloo, carried on the military legacy. He advanced to become the ruler of Edinburgh Castle and the army in Scotland. Major general was the title held by the present chief's father.

3. Clan Cathcart Tartans

Although there is no officially recognized Cathcart tartan, individuals connected to the name may don the Paisley District tartan, which honors the region where the name was formerly established.

Paisley District

4. Clan Cathcart Crest & Coats of Arms

4.1 Clan Cathcart Crest

Worn by all of the name and ancestry

4.2 Clan Cathcart Coat of Arms

Note on Coats of Arms: A coat of arms is given to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist.

With the exclusions listed above, the weapons depicted below are personal weapons. The only person authorized to use these weapons is the grantee.

CATHCART, Earl of Cathcart

Argent, three crescents and three crosses fitchee-worked in Azure

Cathcart Coat of Arms,

Mount Florida, Glasgow

Cathcart Coat of Arms

5. Clan Cathcart Places & People

5.1 Clan Cathcart Places

On estates that had belonged to the Cathcart family since the 12th century, Cathcart Castle was constructed sometime in the 1400s.

The mid-15th century Lordship of the head of the Cathcart clan is believed to have marked the beginning of fortification construction.

After the Semples acquired Cathcart Castle in 1546 and built Cathcart House, which has since been demolished, they left the castle to rot in 1740.

The castle's remnants were bought in 1814 by William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart (and son of the 8th Lord Cathcart), who chose to sell the stones rather than reconstruct the medieval fortress.

The castle's surrounding land was bought by Glasgow City Council in 1927, and it is now a part of Linn Park. The castle's remains were destroyed by the council in 1980 because they were deemed to be hazardous, leaving only the castle's foundations standing today.

5.2 Clan Cathcart People

General Charles Schaw Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart (1721–1776)

fathered by Marion Shaw and the 8th Lord Cathcart, Charles Cathcart. He joined the Duke of Cumberland's staff as an aide-de-camp and was shot in the face at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 because he opposed the restoration of the Stuart dynasty.

The black silk patch that Joshua Reynolds covered his cheek scar with is visible in his portrait from 1753–1755. As a result, he reportedly gained the nickname "Patch Cathcart."

Cathcart was wounded in combat once more the following year at the Battle of Culloden while serving once more as Cumberland's ADC.

The family estate of Sundrum was last passed down to Charles, Lord Cathcart. He sold Sundrum to James Murray of Broughton in 1758 after inheriting his mother's Greenock holdings.

He was made a Knight of the Order of the Thistle in 1763. He was welcomed by Catherine the Great upon his appointment as ambassador to St. Petersburg in February 1768. Up until 1772, he was a court official in Russia.

He was chosen as the Rector of Glasgow University in 1773 upon his return to Britain.

On August 14, 1776, he perished.

6. Associated Names

The place's name, "of Cathcart," would have been the source of the name. Over the centuries, names' spellings could have changed.