NAME AND TARTAN
There are several Kerr badges. The one most
commonly seen shows the crest of the Chief of the
Name Kerr (the Marquis of Lothian) inside a strap
engraved with the Chief's Motto "SERO SED SERIO"
which translates as 'Late but in Earnest' and
refers to the Scottish victory over the English
at the Battle of Ancrum Moor (1545) at which the
Kerrs played a decisive part.
Chief of Name
Clan is a Gaelic word meaning 'children' and has
been widely interpreted as 'family' referring to
the peculiar form of tribal community around a
Chief and his tacksmen in the Scottish Highlands.
A clan was bound together by a combination of
blood ties, feudal service commitments and
fighting unit cohesion. The clan system did not
exist outside the Highlands. In the Scottish
Borders, the equivalent to the clan was the
'Family' or 'Name'. Chiefs of Names are today
recognised as equivalent to Chiefs of Clans by
modern Scottish heraldry authorities, such as the
Lyon King at Arms.
Chief's Crest
The chief's crest - the sun in splendour - is
thought to refer to a possible Scandinavian
origin of the Kerrs since early Vikings were
sun-worshippers (?).
Plant Badge
Before formal badges, the clans and families wore
plant leaves or other natural materiel as a means
of recognition, fixed on staff, spear, bonnet,
shield or helmet. The Kerrs adopted sprigs of
moss myrtle as their plant badge, albeit a poor
means of identification. The plant may have been
chosen from the Norse word "kjarr" - brushwood or
as a natural badge for the 'moss-troopers' of the
Scottish Borders.
Tartan
The Kerr tartan, probably of relatively modern
origin since nearly all current tartans were
created or revived in Victorian times when Scots
ancestry became once more acceptable in British
society and Queen Victoria and her Consort Albert
were attracted to Scotland. The plaid consists of
blocks of red and green with three black lines
crossing the red squares. The Kerrs as borderers
and horsemen were unlikely to have worn the kilt,
but would certainly have carried the plaid
