Bell of the Borders
MEANING OF THE BELL TARTAN COLORS
By Colonel William H. Bell
BLACK is FOR THE BORDER AND IN REMEMBRANCE OF OUR DEAD,
BLUE is FOR THE SKY ABOVE AND THE OCEANS O'ER WE FLED,
GREEN is FOR THE BORDER'S HUE AND THE PROMISE OF NATURE'S PLAN
RED is FOR THE BLOOD WE'VE SHED, OUR COURAGE AND ELAN
YELLOW is THE SUNBURST,
OUR HONOR SHINING BRIGHT FOR ALL TO TELL
THAT SOON, WITH JUSTICE PROPER
THE REESTABLISHMENT OF CLAN BELL 
THE BELL TARTAN THREAD COUNT 
R	LG	K	LB	K	LB	Y	LB	Y	
10	6	28	6	6	70	6	6	4	
As many Clans and Families, Clan Bell apparently did not have a distinctive tartan, to the best of our knowledge; therefore, tartan purveyors have always told Bells their tartan is MacMillan. This falsehood has caused great confusion over the years to the detriment of Clan Bell, as many have wrongly believed they were of the MacMillan-Bell Sept simply because of the tartan. 

Clan Bell, since only 1984, has had a tartan named "Bell of the Borders" and informally called the "Dress Blue" that is listed by the Scottish Tartans Society and in Tartan For Me! by Dr. Philip D. Smith. Another tartan has been designed for the Chief; however, it will not be woven for sale until our Chief is appointed by the Lyon Court. Both tartans will, at that time, be registered with the Lord Lyon's office. No other tartan, claimed to be of Bell or Blackethouse, is recognized by the Clan Bell Chief Apparent. Use of the name "Blackethouse" is specifically reserved for the Chief.
Bell South
Clan Bell has another tartan, thanks to the merger of Clan Bell Descendants into the Bell Family Association in mid-July. As part of the merger, all properties of Clan Bell Descendants have or are being transferred to the Bell Family Association for the mutual benefit of members of the two organizations. Among the properties transferred is the ownership rights of the Bell South tartan #WR 370 which was designed by James Scarlett specifically for Clan Bell Descendants. According to the records of the Scottish Tartans Society, "Bell South" is confirmed as belonging to Clan Bell Descendants.

Although the Bell Family Association claims ownership of the Bell South tartan in the name of Clan Bell, use and disposition of the tartan awaits the appointment of a Chief of the Bells. The Bell South tartan (#WR370) is shown above. The only tartan approved for Clan use at this time is #WR 1489, Bell of the Borders. It is now incorrectly listed as a "family tartan" instead of being correctly listed as a "Clan Tartan."

Please direct any inquiries about the new tartan to John L. Bruce Bell, 20 Packington Street, Islington, London N1 8QB, UK