{{ad}} |
|
|
The ancient Dalriadan people were the ancestors of the first to use the name Matier. It was a name for a carpenter or wright. The Gaelic form Mac an t-saoir means son of the carpenter. Most historians agree that their earliest habitations were on MacDonald territories on Kintyre. Most legends about their beginnings point to an origin in the Hebrides. From this point on, opinions differ. One legend has the Clan-an-t-Saor (Children of the Carpenter) arriving in Lorne in a galley with a white cow, another says that the galley, set adrift, developed a leak below the water line and the MacDonald Chieftain placed his thumb in the hole to keep the boat afloat. Spotting help at a distance, he cut off his thumb so that he could wave. He was ironically named the Carpenter or MacIntyre. Some claim that the family derived its name from a member of the MacDonalds who was called Cean-tire because of his ownership of lands on the peninsula of Kintyre.
The surname Matier was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where according legend, Maurice or Murdock, The Wright, (c.1150) became the first MacIntyre chief as a reward for helping his uncle, Somerled, King of Argyll and the Western Isles.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Matier research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1597, 1890, 1955 and 1991 are included under the topic Early Matier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations are a very common occurrence in records of early Scottish names. They result from the repeated and inaccurate translations that many names went through in the course of various English occupations of Scotland. Matier has been spelled MacIntyre, MacIntire, MacIntre and many more.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Matier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.