Clan Muir
Encyclopedia
Clan Muir is an Armigerous
Scottish clan
, meaning that the clan doesn't have a chief recognized by the Court of the Lord Lyon
. Historically, the surname
s Muir, Mure, and Moore can be considered septs
of Clann Campbell
and septs of Clan Gordon
in the highlands
. The spelling variation More/Moore is a sept of Clan Leslie
in Aberdeenshire
. Some members of Clan Muir who trace their ancestry to Ayrshire
are septs of Clan Boyd
. A single family, the Mores of Drumcork, are septs of Clan Grant
.
form of the Middle English
more, meaning "moor" or "fen
". Muirs are thought to have descended from the Pictish Celts, of both Ireland and Scotland.
seems to have been the most ancient property held in Scotland by the Mures. An Archibald Mure was slain at Berwick
in 1298 when Baliol's army was routed.
The Mures were prominent figures throughout the history of Scotland, from Sir Gilchrist Mure, who married the daughter and sole heir of Sir Walter Comyn with the blessing of King Alexander III, for his part in the battle of Largs. This secured the family seat at Rowallan Castle
. Another version states that Gilchrist Mure was dispossessed of the house and living at Rowallan by the strong hand of Sir Walter Cuming, and was compelled to keep close in his castle of Polkelly until the King Alexander III raised sufficient forces to subdue Cuming and his adherents. The family had held Rowallan, in this version, from unknown antiquity.
The conjoined arms of the first Muir of Rowallan were visible on the oldest part of the castle up until the 18th century. Elizabeth Mure, daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan and Jannet Mure, was mistress to Robert Stewart (who later became Robert II of Scotland
in 1371). Later on November 22, 1347 she married him by Papal dispensation
to legitimize their previously born children. After their legal marriage, Elizabeth Mure was styled Countess of Atholl, and her surname became Stewart. Elizabeth died sometime before 1355.
Sir Gilchrist Muir built two chapels, one at the Well named for Saint Laurence and the other at Banked named for Saint Michael. The vestiges of these were still visible in 1876. He also built the chapel of Kilmarnock
, commonly called Muir's Isle (sic).
One of the Sir Robert Mures was slain at the Battle of Sark
. His namesake was called the Rud of Rowallane, being large in stature, very strong and prone to pugilism; these characteristics neatly define the meaning of this archaic Scots word. He wasted his inheritance and during his lifetime a protracted feud took place with the house of Ardoch (Craufurdland) which resulted in much bloodshed. The 'Rud' resigned his lands in favour of his son John, who married a mistress of James IV
.
Sir William Mure was the sixteenth and last Mure of Rowallan. He served in Germany
under Gustavus Adolphus. One of his daughters married Sir James Campbell of Lawers, third son of the Earl of Loudoun
, who thus became Laird of Rowallan. His son, Major-General James Mure Campbell of Rowallan
(1726–86), became the fifth Earl of Loudoun in 1782. His only daughter's great-grandson, Charles Rawdon-Hastings, 11th Earl of Loudoun succeeded in 1874 and held the lands of Rowallan as Laird
.
, Glanderstoun, Treescraig, Auchendrane, Cloncaird, Craighead Park, Middleston, Spittleside and Brownhill.
, though common variations of the name Muir or Moore are associated with the clann.
, if a person has a particular sept name which can be attributed to a number of clans, either they should determine from which part of Scotland their family originally came from and owe allegiance to the clann of that area or, alternatively, if they do not know where they came from, they should owe allegiance to the clann to which their family had traditionally owed allegiance. Alternatively, they may offer allegiance to any of the particular named clans in the hope that the Chief will accept them as a member of his clan. Thus if a person offers his allegiance to a particular Chief by joining his clann society or by wearing his tartan, he can be deemed to have elected to join that particular clan and should be viewed as a member of that clan. Members of Clann Muir who do not give their allegiance to any of the clans that list their surname as a sept or who do not have a family history of belonging to any of the aforementioned clans wear the Muir tartan.
Armigerous clan
An armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court...
Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
, meaning that the clan doesn't have a chief recognized by the Court of the Lord Lyon
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
. Historically, the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s Muir, Mure, and Moore can be considered septs
Sept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of Clann Campbell
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
and septs of Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
in the highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. The spelling variation More/Moore is a sept of Clan Leslie
Clan Leslie
Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins:The family name comes from the Leslie lands of Aberdeenshire and was to become famous in Germany, Poland, France and Russia...
in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
. Some members of Clan Muir who trace their ancestry to Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
are septs of Clan Boyd
Clan Boyd
Clan Boyd is a Lowland Scottish clan from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.-Origins of the clan:The origin of the Boyd family name may be either from the Gaelic language or from the Normans, but in both cases translates as 'fair', 'blonde', 'yellow or fair,' etcetera...
. A single family, the Mores of Drumcork, are septs of Clan Grant
Clan Grant
-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of Siol Alpin, and descend from the 9th century Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scots; and also of Norse origin, from settlers who are the descents of Haakon inn Riki Sigurdarsson , Jarl of Hladr, Protector of Norway ,-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of...
.
Origins and history
The Scottish surname Muir originated as name denoting someone who lived beside a moor. The name is derived from the ScotsScots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
form of the Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
more, meaning "moor" or "fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
". Muirs are thought to have descended from the Pictish Celts, of both Ireland and Scotland.
Mures of Rowallan
The family is said to have come from Ireland. PolkellyPolkelly Castle
Polkelly Castle, also Pokelly was an ancient castle located near Fenwick, at NS 4568 4524, in the medieval free Barony of Polkelly, lying north of Kilmarnock, Parish of Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle is recorded as Powkelly , Pockelly , Pow-Kaillie, Ponekell, Polnekel, Pollockelly,...
seems to have been the most ancient property held in Scotland by the Mures. An Archibald Mure was slain at Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
in 1298 when Baliol's army was routed.
The Mures were prominent figures throughout the history of Scotland, from Sir Gilchrist Mure, who married the daughter and sole heir of Sir Walter Comyn with the blessing of King Alexander III, for his part in the battle of Largs. This secured the family seat at Rowallan Castle
Rowallan Castle
Rowallan Castle is an ancient castle located near Kilmaurs, at NS 4347 4242, about north of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle stands on the banks of the Carmel Water, which may at one time have run much closer to the low eminence upon which the original castle stood, justifying the...
. Another version states that Gilchrist Mure was dispossessed of the house and living at Rowallan by the strong hand of Sir Walter Cuming, and was compelled to keep close in his castle of Polkelly until the King Alexander III raised sufficient forces to subdue Cuming and his adherents. The family had held Rowallan, in this version, from unknown antiquity.
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
in 1371). Later on November 22, 1347 she married him by Papal dispensation
Papal dispensation
Papal dispensation is a reserved right of the Pope that allows for individuals to be exempted from a specific Canon Law. Dispensations are divided into two categories: general, and matrimonial. Matrimonial dispensations can be either to allow a marriage in the first place, or to dissolve one...
to legitimize their previously born children. After their legal marriage, Elizabeth Mure was styled Countess of Atholl, and her surname became Stewart. Elizabeth died sometime before 1355.
Sir Gilchrist Muir built two chapels, one at the Well named for Saint Laurence and the other at Banked named for Saint Michael. The vestiges of these were still visible in 1876. He also built the chapel of Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
, commonly called Muir's Isle (sic).
One of the Sir Robert Mures was slain at the Battle of Sark
Battle of Sark
The Battle of Sark was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448. A large battle, it was the first significant Scottish victory over the English in over half a century, following the Battle of Otterburn of 1388...
. His namesake was called the Rud of Rowallane, being large in stature, very strong and prone to pugilism; these characteristics neatly define the meaning of this archaic Scots word. He wasted his inheritance and during his lifetime a protracted feud took place with the house of Ardoch (Craufurdland) which resulted in much bloodshed. The 'Rud' resigned his lands in favour of his son John, who married a mistress of James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
.
Campbells, Lairds of Rowallan
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
under Gustavus Adolphus. One of his daughters married Sir James Campbell of Lawers, third son of the Earl of Loudoun
Earl of Loudoun
Earl of Loudoun , named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Campbell, 1st Earl of Loudoun, along with the subsidiary title Lord Tarrinzean and Mauchline....
, who thus became Laird of Rowallan. His son, Major-General James Mure Campbell of Rowallan
James Mure-Campbell, 5th Earl of Loudoun
James Mure-Campbell, 5th Earl of Loudoun was a Scottish aristocrat and soldier. He assumed the name of Mure on succeeding to the estate of his grandmother, the Countess of Glasgow, heiress of the family of Mure of Rowallan...
(1726–86), became the fifth Earl of Loudoun in 1782. His only daughter's great-grandson, Charles Rawdon-Hastings, 11th Earl of Loudoun succeeded in 1874 and held the lands of Rowallan as Laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
.
Cadet branches
Sir Adam Mure's three younger brothers gave rise to numerous branches of the Mure family who settled in Caldwell, Aucheneil, ThorntonThorntoun house and estate
Thorntoun School was opened by Barnardo's in September 1971 for children with emotional difficulties aged 11 to 16 years. The school closed in 1990 and Thorntoun is now a Nursing Home. The complex lies between the villages of Springside and Crosshouse, Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland...
, Glanderstoun, Treescraig, Auchendrane, Cloncaird, Craighead Park, Middleston, Spittleside and Brownhill.
Associated names
Clan Muir does not have any septsSept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
, though common variations of the name Muir or Moore are associated with the clann.
- Muir/More/Moore/Mure - most common in AyrshireAyrshireAyrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
and areas in the Southwest lowlandsScottish LowlandsThe Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands .... - Moar/Moare/Moer - most common in Orkney and Shetland
- Moir/Moire - most common in AberdeenshireAberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
and areas in the Southeast lowlandsScottish LowlandsThe Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands .... - Mohr/Mor - most common in the Central lowlandsScottish LowlandsThe Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
- Moor/Mur
- Mour/Moure
- Myre/Myres
- Langmoore/Longmuir
- O'More/O'Morhda/O'Moore - most common in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
- Moore/Morey - most common in Ireland
- de Mora - most common in Ireland
Clan affiliation by spelling variation
- Muir/Mure/Moore - most common in Clan CampbellClan CampbellClan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
- Moir/Moire - most common in Clan GordonClan GordonClan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
- Moore - most common in Clan LeslieClan LeslieClan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins:The family name comes from the Leslie lands of Aberdeenshire and was to become famous in Germany, Poland, France and Russia...
- More - most common in Clan GrantClan Grant-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of Siol Alpin, and descend from the 9th century Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scots; and also of Norse origin, from settlers who are the descents of Haakon inn Riki Sigurdarsson , Jarl of Hladr, Protector of Norway ,-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of...
- Langmoore/Longmuir - most common in Clan BoydClan BoydClan Boyd is a Lowland Scottish clan from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.-Origins of the clan:The origin of the Boyd family name may be either from the Gaelic language or from the Normans, but in both cases translates as 'fair', 'blonde', 'yellow or fair,' etcetera...
Clan membership
Clan membership is determined by surname. According to Sir Crispin Agnew of LochnawCrispin Agnew of Lochnaw
Major Sir Crispin Hamlyn Agnew of Lochnaw, 11th Baronet QC is an Advocate, officer of arms former explorer and Chief of the Name and Arms of Agnew....
, if a person has a particular sept name which can be attributed to a number of clans, either they should determine from which part of Scotland their family originally came from and owe allegiance to the clann of that area or, alternatively, if they do not know where they came from, they should owe allegiance to the clann to which their family had traditionally owed allegiance. Alternatively, they may offer allegiance to any of the particular named clans in the hope that the Chief will accept them as a member of his clan. Thus if a person offers his allegiance to a particular Chief by joining his clann society or by wearing his tartan, he can be deemed to have elected to join that particular clan and should be viewed as a member of that clan. Members of Clann Muir who do not give their allegiance to any of the clans that list their surname as a sept or who do not have a family history of belonging to any of the aforementioned clans wear the Muir tartan.
See also
- Armigerous clanArmigerous clanAn armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court...
- Clan BoydClan BoydClan Boyd is a Lowland Scottish clan from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.-Origins of the clan:The origin of the Boyd family name may be either from the Gaelic language or from the Normans, but in both cases translates as 'fair', 'blonde', 'yellow or fair,' etcetera...
- Clan CampbellClan CampbellClan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
- Clan GordonClan GordonClan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
- Clan GrantClan Grant-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of Siol Alpin, and descend from the 9th century Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scots; and also of Norse origin, from settlers who are the descents of Haakon inn Riki Sigurdarsson , Jarl of Hladr, Protector of Norway ,-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of...
- Clan LeslieClan LeslieClan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins:The family name comes from the Leslie lands of Aberdeenshire and was to become famous in Germany, Poland, France and Russia...