House of Gordon Australia

Clansmen Badge:

Each Clan had a Clan Chief and would be made up of two groups, Family (uncles cousins etc) and other family that resided in the area known as "native men" and other families who for protection or other reasons were aligned with the clan known as "broken men" who took out a "bond of manrent". The Clan chief would provide the clan badge and it would be worn mostly on the bonnet as a sign of alliegence and loyalty. This is really the only emblem a clansmen is entitled to wear. Most clans have the circular belt with their emblem in the centre. The Clan chief wears the same but his has three feathers protruding from the top and his son has two. Ours has the stags head and Marquis's crown with the motto, Bydand on top of the belt.

Battlecry:

An Gordonach, An Gordonach - A Gordon, A Gordon. This was used in older days for regrouping the clan in battle or showing clan unity. Now days it might be yelled as encouragment to a competitor of your clan at the games.


Clan Plant - ROCK IVY

This is the right plant for the Gordons Symbolically it is a very strong and enduring plant with long tendril lines ( like the branches of the family) and refuses to let go ( Bydand). In a symbolic sense it represents the strength of the clan and its ability to stand together.
On a more humourous side it has been known to be the only thing holding up the outback dunny.

The meaning of Gordon:

It is strange but in Latin and Gaelic the words Gor and dun virtually have the same meaning. A 'Gor' is a Fort whilst a 'dun' is a hill.
Now this may sound straightforward but The Irish, Scots and Manx spoke 'Goidelic' whilst the Welsh and Gaulish people spoke 'Brythonic' and in Goidelic the name was Gordun but in in Brythonic it was Gurdon. Also in Gaelic a gor is a verb that can mean 'to close' or can be an adjective meaning 'strong'. so it could mean a strong enclosed place. In Brythonic Celtic language "Cumbric" from strathclyde scotland it meant spacious or large. It may have been shortened from 'Gort' which means ivy in gaelic and the 't' is silent similar to vertdun in french ( Vert is french for green but it too lost its t over time and is now verdun). A Gobhar is gaelic for goat and gour and gourd is french for large, Interestingly the Gurduns of England have a goat climbing the hill on their crest. It has also been translated to mean 'triangular hill' , 'fertilized meadow' and also 'Fierce'.

Clan Badge