On Being Called Edwards and Wearing Tartan

Heron recently made the following statement in his comment on one of his posts: " what clan tartan is it that is aligned with the surname of Edwards because I have always thought that name was Welsh".

As a youngster I always thought that too and aligned myself with all things Welsh from an early age.

We then had a discussion on his blog on the subject of the tartan which I wore for my kilt. 

This raised various matters which I though might be of interest to those who read my blog.

Firstly the name 'Edwards'. This surname, with variant forms Edwardes and Edwardson, is a patronymic form of the early medieval English male given name Edward, itself coming from the Olde English pre 7th Century "Eadward", composed of the elements "ead", prosperity or fortune, plus "w(e)ard", guard; hence, "prosperity guard".  However apparently it is supposed to have arisen separately in Wales.

  

Edwards is the 14th most common surname in Wales and 21st most common in England. 

Examples of Edwards Tartan

So why the tartan question? Well the Welsh as well as the Scots wear kilts and have tartans. The Edwards tartan is a dour and uninteresting cloth (in my opinion) and the idea of having a kilt in the Edwards tartan did not appeal to me at all. However for my son's wedding I could not go kiltless so had to take a decision.

Having lived the majority of my life in the Western Isles of Scotland the obvious choice was the Western Isles Modern tartan and that was what I wore. For the record my son wore the Macrae Dress tartan in the old Scottish tradition of marrying into the bride's family (Macrae).

A New Family

When Gareth and Carol married two families were joined.

It is only now that the festivities are over and I have returned from my all-to-brief sojourn in Glasgow that the reality of that joining has struck home.

When Gareth and Carol announced that they were marrying Carol’s family made it clear that if Gaz married Carol he married her family as well. I cannot think of a more loving and wonderful family with which to be associated as an in-law.

Gaz’s Mum and I have not lost a son nor just gained a daughter-in-law: we too have gained a family.

For me having lived on the Island for four decades it has the special significance of cementing my bond to the Island.

Competitive? Who says?

One of the things that Gaz organised for the day after the wedding was an archery contest.  Despite the fact that it was raining heavily and quite windy quite a few of us took part.  Some were more competitive than others.  Some were more expressive (and therefore more photogenic) than others!  The Best Man clearly thought that at this moment he had the upper hand on a rival: competitive

Oh How The Gods Did Smile

It rained the day before The Wedding.  The Scottish Highlands saw some of their worst floods the day after and yesterday.  The Day started a bit dubiously too but by the time of The Wedding the sun shone out of a clear blue sky and those men dressed in full Highland Dress and the Bride and Bridesmaids were definitely not cold! 

Frances, having just posted on a very pertinent subject, might have had quite a lot to say about what was by far the most photographed wedding that I have ever been to.  There was a photographer and a videographer and their two assistants and the day was photographed from beginning to end.  I, on the other hand, took a couple of photos at the start of the day (because, with a female stranger in the room that Gaz and I shared on the eve of his marriage photographing every move, I felt disinclined to get changed) and one much later on in the day.  I probably took fewer photos than I've taken on any day that I've actually used my camera in the last 10 years.  I should add that it was organised in such a way that none was just hanging around waiting as you can tell from the background of the last photo.

I'm now down staying with a friend near Glasgow.  There will doubtless be more posts but this is a start.

The Photographer starts her day

Abandoned by a Bridesmaid

The Father of The Groom having a relaxing moment during the formal photographs