Baird Clan

• Gaelic Name: Mac a'bhaird
• Motto: Dominus Fecit (The Lord Made)
• Lands: Auchmedden
• Origin: Lanarkshire
• Crest: Eagles head erased proper
• Sept Name: Bard

The Baird Ancient Seals

Below are the three ancient lead seals as sketched by William Baird Esq, of Auchmedden in 1770. F.G Fraser, Esq of Findrack, in 1868, describes them as follows; "plate shows the shield, gules, a boar passant or, crest, a griffin,s head, with motto, "Dominus fecit." And the second Seal has the addition of supporters-two winged Griffins, which he was entitled to bear as head of the family. On the reverse side there is the head of Charles I." Seemingly the three seals below went missing in the mid 1800's, for further reading on this subject see William Baird of Auchmedden.

Seal of Andrew Baird

Of Lavoroklaw, afterwards of Auchmedden, where he died l0th Feb 1543. He was son of Baird of Posso, in the County of Peebles and carried a "Bear" passant.

Seal of George Byrd

Of Ordinhnivas, great-great-grandson to James Baird of Cambusnethan. He married Janet Fraser, daughter to the Laird of Philorth and died in 1557.

Seal of Walter Bard

Of Ordinhnivas. He married Catherine Grant daughter to the Laird of Ballindalloch, by whom he had an only daughter, Lilias married 16th Aug 1578, to Gilbert Baird, of Auchmedden.

What Are My Arms?

If you are Scots, or of Scots descent, then the answer is that unless you can prove that you are heir to a properly matriculated Scots coat of arms, you have no arms whatsoever until you matriculate a set at the Lyon Court in Edinburgh. If you use the arms of someone else then you are usurping arms, if you make up your own arms, then you are using bogus arms. In both cases you are committing an offence and may be charged and tried at Lyon Court, which is an active court of law. This makes Scottish heraldry one of the most tightly controlled in the world, as it is one of the few countries where heraldry is protected by law, and that law is still actively enforced.
Whereas in England, the right to a coat of arms passes to all male descendents of the grantee, in Scotland a coat of arms is considered to be heritable property and thus can only belong to one person at a time. This means that the younger sons of a grantee have no direct right to inherit the arms until elder branches of the family have died out. All younger sons must matriculate the arms with a difference in order to posses legal arms.

What can I wear?

There is a perfectly acceptable way for those of Scots descent who do not have their own coat of arms to have some heraldic display. This is in the wearing of the crest from the full coat of arms of your chief in the form of a badge surrounded by a belt and buckle containing the motto of the chief. This is akin to a military cap badge and like it, is not the personal posession of the wearer, but a badge which proclaims that person to be a member of a particular group. In highland dress, the belt and buckle badge is worn as a cap badge, and it can also be seen on kilt pins and as sporran ornamentation. All of these are acceptable forms of display - what is not acceptable is to pass the badge of your chief off as your own. For further information see the Lyon Court in Edinburgh.

The Baird Tartan

Originally, the scottish tartan was a distinction of rank or position. It was not identified by weave but the number of colours in the weave. If only one colour was used it depicted a servant, two colours a farmer, three an officer rank, five a chieftain, six for a poet and seven for a chief. Eventually, clans or families adopted their own tartan using a range of animal and earth colours which were frequently a secret, only known to the weavers of the islands. Over time different types of tartans emerged. The wearing of the highland dress was forbidden, in the Act of Proscription of 1747, for 35 years after the battle of Culloden. Parliament thought that this would contribute to the eradication of the clan system. For further history of tartan ie; difference between a hunting tartan and dress tartan? how and who can wear the tartan etc..? I have included a link, which will be able to answer some of these questions. Tartans of Scotland.

Hunting Tartan

This tartan was first recorded in Johnston's work of 1906, In this early reference the triple stripes are rendered in red, and is now woven in purple. Source of WR104: A.K Johnstone 1906.

Dress Tartan

STS notes 'Sample in trade specimens file.' Source of tartan WR233: A. Nisbett 1984. STS collection.

Ancient Tartan

Sample is from the Highland Society of London probably dates from 1906. The triple stripes are rendered in red. Today, it is woven in purple. Source WR273: Highland Society of London Date: c.1906.

Registered Baird Clan Groups.

The Clan Baird Society of Atlantic Canada
The Society was formed in 1983 to promote the Clan in Atlantic Canada and to encourage Bairds in the region to take pride in their heritage. Participation in Highland Games and other Scottish activities in the region is encouraged and the clan or family aspect of the activities is emphasized. The society is registered under the Societies Act of Nova Scotia.

The Clan Baird Society Worldwide
Commenced in 1972 as a Scottish Heritage Society open to those who bear the ancient and honoured name Baird, or any of its various spellings. Contact: Larry Burns (President) 1078 Meader Lane, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

Directories of other Clan Groups.

The Gathering of the Clans.
Electric Scotland Guide.
Clans of Scotland USA.
Scottish Clans.

Celtic Festivals and Highland Games.

Council of Scottish Clans Association

If you wish to purchase your own tartan and other Baird items, just type in baird in the search box. above, Our website receives a small commission from this company based in Scotland which helps to cover the cost of our site.