Contents [hide]

Musgrove History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Musgrove History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

As a surname, Musgrove was derived from a place name in Cumberland. It comes from the Old English words "mus" meaning "mouse" and "graf" or "grove." 1

"This name, so largely represented in England, is repeated further on its modernized from of Musgrave; and the heralds, ignoring its origin, labour to affiliate it to the German Graf. They declare that, like Land-grave, Burg-grave, Mar-grave, &c., it is 'a name of office:' and as Mews in old days meant the cage of place where hawks were kept while mewing (moulting), and in after time came to signify either the keeper of the King's hawks of the King's equerry."

"In support of this etymological vagary, they tell us that once upon a time an Emperor of Germany or Archduke of Austria (we will accept either) had a beautiful daughter who was courted by two valiant nobles. Each of them hail done him such 'singular good service that he did not care to prefer one to the other.' At last it was agreed that they should ride at the ring for the princess; and whichever succeeded in carrying it off should marry her. Musgrave triumphantly drove his spear through the ring, became the Emperor's son-in-law, and in memory of his exploit, had the six golden annulets now borne by the Musgraves of Westmorland granted him for his coat of arms. " 2

Early Origins of the Musgrove family

The surname Musgrove was first found in Herefordshire where "Robert de Mucelgros is mentioned about 1080 and Roger de Mucelgros, in 1086, was a tenant-in-chief 3 where he has left his name to Lude Muchgros. His descendants spread far and wide. Charlton Musgrove in Somersetshire was, with other manors, held by Richard de Mucegros in the time of King John; and he was also farmer of the county of Gloucester." 2

"Robert de Mucegros married Helewise, one of the coheirs of the Barony of Malet and though Charlton passed away through an heiress in the beginning of Edward I.'s reign, the name, as Musgrave continued in the county. John Musgrave was Sheriff of Wiltshire, where he had 2 Ric. III. Another John had been during five years Sheriff of Devon under Henry III."2

Great Musgrave and Little Musgrave in Cumberland became home to a branch of the family. The family "originally seated at Musgrave in Westmerland, [Westmorland] and traced to the time of King John, about the year 1204. " 4

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Alan de Musegrave was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland in 1228, Thomas de Musgraue listed in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1362; and Robert Musgrave was found in Yorkshire in 1413. 5 Another early record was that of Roger de Mussegrave who was listed in the Writs of Parliament in 1277. 6

Charlton Musgrove is a village and civil parish in Somerset that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Cerletone; later in 1225, it was listed as Cherleton Mucegros 7 relating to the Mucegros family who had a manor there at that time.

Today there are numerous locations named Musgrave: Musgrave, Belfast; Musgrave Park, Brisbane Australia; and Mount Musgrave, Newfoundland and New Zealand.

Early History of the Musgrove family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Musgrove research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1313, 1316, 1346, 1350, 1553, 1607, 1631, 1640, 1643, 1655, 1664, 1678, 1684, 1688, 1704, 1718, 1721 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Musgrove History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Musgrove Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Musgrave, Musgrove and others.

Early Notables of the Musgrove family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Musgrave, who was a member of the British parliament for Westmorland in 1350; Christopher Musgrave (born c.1553), MP for Carlisle; Sir Christopher Musgrave, 4th Baronet (1631-1704), Tory politician and MP, teller of the Exchequer; Christopher Musgrave (1664-1718), British Ordnance officer and son of the 4th Baronet, MP...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Musgrove Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Musgrove Ranking

In the United States, the name Musgrove is the 3,990^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Musgrove family to Ireland

Some of the Musgrove family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Musgrove migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Musgrove Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Musgrove, who landed in Virginia in 1637 9
Grace Musgrove, who landed in Virginia in 1651 9
Thomas and Grace Musgrove, who arrived in Virginia in 1651
Jane Musgrove, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 9
Charles Musgrove, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Musgrove Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Musgrove, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 9

Musgrove Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

F Musgrove, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 9

Musgrove migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Musgrove Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

George Musgrove, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Sarah Musgrove, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Musgrove migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Musgrove Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Musgrove, (b. 1831), aged 21, Cornish housemaid departing from Plymouth on 28th June 1852 aboard the ship "Dominion" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 9th October 1852 10
Mr. James Musgrove, (b. 1815), aged 37, Cornish engineer departing from Plymouth on 18th September 1852 aboard the ship "Persian" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27th December 1852 11
Mrs. Eliza Musgrove, (b. 1818), aged 34, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 18th September 1852 aboard the ship "Persian" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27th December 1852 11
Mr. James Musgrove, (b. 1841), aged 11, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 18th September 1852 aboard the ship "Persian" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27th December 1852 11
Mr. Edwin Musgrove, (b. 1848), aged 4, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 18th September 1852 aboard the ship "Persian" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27th December 1852 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Musgrove (post 1700) +

John Musgrove, American politician, Democratic Party member of the Montana House of Representatives (2000-)
Spain Musgrove (b. 1945), American NFL football defensive tackle who played from 1967 to 1970
David Ronald "Ronnie" Musgrove (b. 1956), American politician, 61st Governor of Mississippi (2000-2004)
L. H. Musgrove (d. 1868), American West outlaw who was sprung from jail and then lynched by a vigilante mob
Ronnie Musgrove (b. 1956), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Mississippi State Senate, 1988-95; Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, 1996-99; Governor of Mississippi, 2000-04 12
Richard W. Musgrove, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 4th District, 1891-92 12
P. Graves Musgrove, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1972 12
P. Musgrove, American politician, Candidate for Representative from Alabama in the Confederate Congress 2nd District, 1861 12
L. B. Musgrove, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1884, 1888, 1892 12
Harry Musgrove, American politician, Mayor of Hannibal, Missouri, 1965-67 12
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Musgrove Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sans changer
Motto Translation: Without changing.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html