Urqurhart History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsIn Scottish history, few names go farther back than Urqurhart, whose ancestors lived among the clans of the Pictish tribe. The ancestors of the Urqurhart family lived in the old barony of Urquhart, which is located on Loch Ness in the county of Inverness. Early Origins of the Urqurhart familyThe surname Urqurhart 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 Urqurhart familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Urqurhart 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 Urqurhart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Urqurhart Spelling VariationsAlthough Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Urqurhart has been written Urquhart, Urquhard, Urchard, Orchard and many more. Early Notables of the Urqurhart familyNotable 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... Migration of the Urqurhart family to IrelandSome of the Urqurhart 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 Urqurhart familyThousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Urqurhart: 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.
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