Urchurdan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The current generations of the Urchurdan family have inherited a surname that was first used hundreds of years ago by descendants of the ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Urchurdan family lived in the old barony of Urquhart, which is located on Loch Ness in the county of Inverness.

Early Origins of the Urchurdan family

The surname Urchurdan was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, where Galleroch de Urchart "who lived temp. Alexander II" 1 was granted lands in Cromarty, and Inverness. He held a family seat at the Castle of Urquhart in 1214. "His descendants were "hereditary sheriffs of Cromarty." 1

Early History of the Urchurdan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Urchurdan research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1114, 1306, 1358, 1611, 1650, 1660 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Urchurdan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Urchurdan Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Urchurdan has been spelled Urquhart, Urquhard, Urchard, Orchard and many more.

Early Notables of the Urchurdan family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Thomas Urquhart (Urchard) of Cromarty (1611-c.1660), a Scottish writer and translator, most famous for his translation of Rabelais. Down in London, Thomas Urquhart (fl. 1650?), was a "noted violin-maker and was distinguished...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Urchurdan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Urchurdan family to Ireland

Some of the Urchurdan 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.

Migration of the Urchurdan family

The cruelties suffered under the new government forced many to leave their ancient homeland for the freedom of the North American colonies. Those who arrived safely found land, freedom, and opportunity for the taking. These hardy settlers gave their strength and perseverance to the young nations that would become the United States and Canada. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Urchurdan: Alexander Urquhart who settled in Antigua in 1679; James Urquart settled in Virginia in 1716; Thomas Urquhart settled in Granada in 1776; Donald Urquhart settled in Jamaica in 1745.