Muskilburgh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Muskilburgh is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Muskilburgh family lived in Mid Lothian, at Musselburgh, from whence their name is taken.

Early Origins of the Muskilburgh family

The surname Muskilburgh was first found in Mid Lothian where they held a family seat. Conjecturally they are descended from an unknown Norman noble who moved north to Scotland in the train of King David, Earl of Huntingdon, who invited many of his Norman friends north, and gave them lands in Scotland. They were granted lands in Musselburgh in the parish of Inveresk. John of Musselburgh was the first to settle there about 1160.

Early History of the Muskilburgh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Muskilburgh research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1190 and 1200 are included under the topic Early Muskilburgh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muskilburgh Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Musselburgh, Mussleburgh, Muskilburgh, Musselburg, Musselborough, Musselborrow, Musselborow and many more.

Early Notables of the Muskilburgh family

More information is included under the topic Early Muskilburgh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muskilburgh migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Muskilburgh name or one of its variants:

Muskilburgh Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathew Muskilburgh who landed in North America in 1766