Show ContentsCregie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Cregie family

The surname Cregie was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

Criagie is a village, in the parish of Dalmeny, county of Linlithgow. "It is in the eastern part of the parish, and in its vicinity is Craigie Hall, formerly the residence and estate of the Craigies, an ancient and considerable family. One of them was a witness to the original charter granted to the first laird of Dundas in the year 1120." 1

The Barony of Craigie is a Scottish feudal Crown barony near Dundee and there are two other locals named Craigie: a hamlet in the parish of Caputh; and a village, in the East parish of the city and county of Perth. The latter is home "of the old castle of Craigie" 1

Early History of the Cregie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cregie research. Another 228 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1317, 1367, 1387, 1400, 1427, 1429, 1430, 1640, 1688, 1742, 1747, 1754 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Cregie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cregie Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Cregie has been spelled Craigie, Craiggie, Craggy, Cragye, Criggie, Cragyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Cregie family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir William Craigie compiler of the Oxford Dictionary, a man of many words; and Robert Craigie (1688-1760), Scottish Member of Parliament for Tain Burghs (1742 to 1747), Lord President...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cregie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cregie family

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: James Craigie who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1729; Margaret Craigie settled in Savannah Georgia in 1774.



The Cregie 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: Honeste vivo
Motto Translation: I live honestly.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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