MacCrueer comes from the kingdom of Dalriada in ancient
Scotland. It was a name for a person who worked as a
brewster or
brewer. MacCrueer is an
occupational name, given to someone who held the
occupation of a brewer of ale. The inclusion of the feminine suffix
-ster, indicates that this was originally a woman's
occupation. Members of the MacCrueer family were originally found in
Lanarkshire, where the family can trace its origin to shortly after the
Norman Conquest, in 1066.
Early Origins of the MacCrueer family
The surname MacCrueer was first found in
Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of
Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North
Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. The Scord of Brouster is one of the earliest Neolithic farm sites in
Shetland,
Scotland dating back to 2220 BC. Some of the earliest records of the family include: Nicholaus, braciator regis (i.e. the king's brewer), was present at the perambulation of lands in 1219; Johannes the 'braciator' was one of the 'native men' of the Abbey of Dunfermline in the thirteenth century; and Thomas le Breuester of the forest of Passeley in the county of Lanark rendered homage in 1296.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Early History of the MacCrueer family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCrueer research.
Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1382, 1480, 1379, 1599, 1663, 1645, 1659, 1623, 1671, 1653, 1656, 1560, 1644, 1620, 1674, 1702, 1674 and 1698 are included under the topic Early MacCrueer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
MacCrueer Spelling Variations
The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of
spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years MacCrueer has appeared as Brewster, Broster, Brouster, Brewester, Brostar and many more.
Early Notables of the MacCrueer family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Brewster (1599-1663), an English politician and officer who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1659, he was a general in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War; Francis Brewster (1623- 1671), an English...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacCrueer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the MacCrueer family to Ireland
Some of the MacCrueer family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the MacCrueer family to the New World and Oceana
Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American
War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through
Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name MacCrueer or a variant listed above: William Brewster who arrived in the " Mayflower" and settled in Plymouth in 1620, where he was the religious leader of the Plymouth Colony. He was from the
Essex branch of the family, and one of his descendants was Henry Calvin Brewster of Rochester, New York..