Margaret McMurray
Encyclopedia
Margaret McMurray appears to have been one of the last native speakers of a Lowland
dialect
of Scottish Gaelic in the Galloway variety
.
In The Scotsman
of 18 November 1951 appeared the following letter, which had originally been printed in the Daily Review in 1876:-
Cultezron (not to be confused with nearby Culzean) is a small farm on the outskirts of the town of Maybole
in South Ayrshire
. It appears that Margaret's family had been in possession of it for at least 150 years prior to this, as one 'John McMurray' is in legal records at that time. It is also notable that McMurray's descendants, dropped the 'Mc' from the name, suggesting anglicisation
. Despite their similar appearance, the names 'McMurray' and 'Murray' come from separate origins, the former being related to the Murphy
s in Ireland
and the Murchisons in the Scottish Highlands
, and the latter's origin being de Moray (of Moray
).
The scholar William Laughton Lorimer
discussed McMurray briefly in Scottish Gaelic studies.
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of Scottish Gaelic in the Galloway variety
Galwegian Gaelic
Galwegian Gaelic is an extinct dialect of Scottish Gaelic formerly spoken in southwest Scotland. It was spoken by the independent kings of Galloway in their time, and by the people of Galloway and Carrick until the early modern period. It was once spoken in Annandale and Strathnith...
.
In The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
of 18 November 1951 appeared the following letter, which had originally been printed in the Daily Review in 1876:-
-
- Sir-I send this in corroboration of the fact that Gaelic was to some extent spoken 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...
in the early part of last century. My grand-aunt, Jean McMurray, who died in 1836 at the age of 87, informed me that Margaret McMurray, the representative of the elder branch of the McMurrays of Cultezron, near MayboleMayboleMaybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,552. It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. ...
, and who died at a very advanced age about the year 1760, was long talked about as having been the last Gaelic-speaking native of CarrickCarrick, ScotlandCarrick is a former comital district of Scotland which today forms part of South Ayrshire.-History:The word Carrick comes from the Gaelic word Carraig, meaning rock or rocky place. Maybole was the historic capital of Carrick. The county was eventually combined into Ayrshire which was divided...
.
- Sir-I send this in corroboration of the fact that Gaelic was to some extent spoken in Ayrshire
-
- Cultezron is situated about 30 miles north of Glenapp, and seven or eight miles south of AyrAyrAyr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
. Cultezron was possessed by several generations of McMurrays, and its name is purely CelticCeltic languagesThe Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
Cul Tigh Eobhain, (sic) signifying the 'back of Ewan's house
- Cultezron is situated about 30 miles north of Glenapp, and seven or eight miles south of Ayr
-
- -I am etc. D. Murray-Lyon Ayr, October 31, 1876
Cultezron (not to be confused with nearby Culzean) is a small farm on the outskirts of the town of Maybole
Maybole
Maybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,552. It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. ...
in South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
. It appears that Margaret's family had been in possession of it for at least 150 years prior to this, as one 'John McMurray' is in legal records at that time. It is also notable that McMurray's descendants, dropped the 'Mc' from the name, suggesting anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
. Despite their similar appearance, the names 'McMurray' and 'Murray' come from separate origins, the former being related to the Murphy
Murphy
Murphy is an Anglicized version of two Irish surnames: Ó Murchadha/Ó Murchadh , and Mac Murchaidh/Mac Murchadh derived from the Irish personal name Murchadh, which meant "sea-warrior" or "sea-battler"...
s in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and the Murchisons in the Scottish 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...
, and the latter's origin being de Moray (of Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
).
The scholar William Laughton Lorimer
William Laughton Lorimer
William Laughton Lorimer was born at Strathmartine on the outskirts of Dundee, Scotland. He was educated at the High School of Dundee, Fettes College, and Trinity College, Oxford. He is best known for the translation of the New Testament into Lowland Scots...
discussed McMurray briefly in Scottish Gaelic studies.
See also
- Galwegian GaelicGalwegian GaelicGalwegian Gaelic is an extinct dialect of Scottish Gaelic formerly spoken in southwest Scotland. It was spoken by the independent kings of Galloway in their time, and by the people of Galloway and Carrick until the early modern period. It was once spoken in Annandale and Strathnith...