Mure History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Mure. The Mure family lived near a moor, or heath. 1 In Gaelic, Mor means great or big; therefore, a scribe may have mistaken the adjective Mor as a surname More or Muir. This may explain the occurrence of the surname Muir, or a variant in Northern Scotland.
The name Muir would seem out of place in that region because it holds a meaning of "living by a moor or heath," not the typical landscape of the highlands. Judging by its meaning, Muir is a local name of the south that described the area, in which the original bearer lived or held land. 2
Early Origins of the Mure family
The surname Mure was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland. Thomas de la More was the executor of the will of Devorguilla de Balliol in 1291. While the first spelling of the name was More, it gradually evolved to Muir which became more popular, and by 1300 the name Muir had become the preferred spelling. Donald, Adam, Renaud, Gilchrist and Simon Muir, all rendered homage on behalf of their Clan to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296.
"Adam de la More and William de la More were jurors on the lands of Lady Elena la Zuche in Conyngham, 1296. Ade More who held lands of Reltone in Rerwickshire, in 1315-1321 may be Adam More or Moire, knight, who witnessed charters by Bruce in 1328-1329. Elizabeth Mere, daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, became queen of King Robert 11, 1347. Adam of Mwre was juror on inquest in Kirkwall, 1369. John Mvr of Enerothyll was witness, 1460, and John Mur or Muyr was vicar general of the Predicant Order in Scotland, 1469-1470 ." 2
Early History of the Mure family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mure research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1458, 1526, 1541, 1559, 1594, 1657, 1700, 1740, 1753, 1760, 1765, 1771, 1787, 1793, 1798, 1800, 1810, 1812, 1822, 1829, 1869, 1887, 1890 and 1959 are included under the topic Early Mure History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mure Spelling Variations
Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Mure has been spelled Muir, Mure, Moor, Moore, Mure, More, Moorman and many more.
Early Notables of the Mure family
Notable amongst the family at this time was
- Sir William Mure (1594-1657), Scottish writer and politician; John Muir, a Sanskrit scholar, and his brother Sir William Muir, who was an Arabic scholar and biographer of Mohammed; and Edwin Muir (188...
Mure Ranking
In France, the name Mure is the 4,599th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3
Migration of the Mure family to Ireland
Some of the Mure family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mure migration to the United States +
Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:
Mure Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Mure, who landed in New York in 1822 4
- Christopher Mure, aged 39, who landed in Missouri in 1844 4
- Robert Mure, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1845 4
- George Mure, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 4
- Gerhard Mure, aged 43, who settled in America, in 1895
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mure Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Elliot Francis Mure, aged 56, who immigrated to the United States from Kirkcudbright, Scotland, in 1920
Contemporary Notables of the name Mure (post 1700) +
- William Mure (1799-1860), Scottish scholar and politician
- Geoffrey Mure (1893-1979), English philosopher
- John Mure (1776-1823), Canadian businessman and political figure in Lower Canada
The Mure 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: Duris non frangor
Motto Translation: I am not disheartened by difficulties.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)