Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
For any questions about reproduction of designs or weaving of these tartans, please contact the registrant directly or via this website.
the Battle of Bannockburn
"Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led
Welcome to your gory bed.
Or to victory!"
~"Bannockburn", Robert Burns (1759-1796)
Against overwhelming odds, courage, preparation, and determination changed the course of Scottish history at the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314.
The battle was fought for control of Stirling Castle, which commanded the route north into the Highlands and was the last major English stronghold in Scotland. Robert the Bruce's brother, Edward Bruce, had surrounded the castle and cut off supplies. Sir Philip Mowbray, the castle's commander, agreed to surrender unless an English army arrived to relieve him by June 24.
King Edward II responded by assembling a massive force of some 2,000 heavily armoured knights and 16,000 infantry. Against this, Robert the Bruce could field only about 500 horsemen and 6,000 foot soldiers. Knowing he could not win by numbers alone, Bruce carefully prepared the ground and deployed his men in schiltron formations—dense ranks of spearmen designed to withstand cavalry attacks.
One of the battle's most famous moments came before the main fighting had even begun. Sir Henry de Bohun, nephew of the Earl of Hereford, recognized Bruce and charged him at full gallop with his lance. Mounted on a small grey horse, Bruce waited until the last moment, swerved aside, and struck de Bohun with such force that his axe split the knight's helmet before the shaft shattered. The feat became the stuff of legend.
Over the next two days, the Scots defeated what was widely regarded as the finest army in the medieval world, securing a victory that helped preserve Scotland's independence after nearly twenty years of war. Among the many English nobles captured were men valuable enough to be exchanged for Bruce's wife and daughter, who had been held prisoner in England since 1306.
The Battle of Bannockburn tartan was designed for the National Trust, and Its colours tell the story of the battle: red for sacrifice and the opposing armies, caramel for leather, wood, pikes and arrows, sage green for the Carse of Stirling, deep blue for the heart of the battlefield, and red and gold for the struggle over Scotland's royal standard. First woven on a 200-year-old loom at Weaver's Cottage, it serves as a fitting tribute to one of Scotland's most celebrated victories. ❤️ 🤎 💚 💙 💛 🏴 ⚔️ ⚔️ ⚔️
The Battle of Bannockburn (Blàr Allt nam Bànag) on 24 June 1314 was a significant Scottish victory in the First War of Scottish Independence and a landmark in Scottish history.
Stirling Castle, a Scots royal fortress, occupied by the English, was under siege by the Scottish army. The English king, Edward II, had assembled a formidable force to relieve it. This attempt failed, and his army was defeated in a pitched battle by a smaller army commanded by the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce.
The Battle of Bannockburn tartan has been designed on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland by Christine MacLeod, property manager of Weaver’s Cottage in Kilbarchan. Colours: red represents the sacrifice and the feeling between the opposing armies; caramel in fine crossed lines for the colour and texture of old leather, wood, pikes and arrows; sage green for the carse at Stirling where the battle took place; deep blue to represent the very centre of the battle; red and gold for the clash of the two armies for the prize of the red and gold of the royal standard of Scotland.
The first blow struck at the Battle of Bannockburn was against Sir Henry de Bohun (pronounced “Boon”) nephew of the Earl of Hereford. Bohun recognised King Robert the Bruce and galloped against him at full speed with his lance. Bruce, mounted on a small grey horse stepped aside and swung his axe so hard that it split de Bohun’s helmet and ‘clove skull and brain’ before the shaft broke.
This began the start of the two-day battle which secured Scotland’s independence after a war with England lasting nearly 20 years.
For more on this historic battle, click the painting of this exchange by the artist John Duncan (1914).