| ![Show Contents]() McCraith History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
Etymology of McCraithWhat does the name McCraith mean? When McCraith was first used as a surname among the ancient Scottish people, it was a name for a prosperous person. The Gaelic form of the surname McCraith is Mac Rath, which literally means son of grace or son of prosperity. McCraith Coat of Arms CreationNearly three centuries ago there was a great bagpipe competition held in Kintail, the home of the Macraes, and pipers from far and near came to compete. The supreme test was to play a particular tune all the way up to the top of a hill in the neighbourhood. Two of the competitors were nearing the top together, but one of them, a Macrae, was a step or two in front of his rival, who, in his chagrin, pulled out his dagger and pricked the other's bagpipe; but Macrae managed to get his foot on the topmost rock just as the wind failed, and exclaimed " Sguir-oran," which is now the name of this hill and the slogan of the Macraes. From this incident the Macraes then took for their crest a bared right arm with the hand holding a dagger, and the motto " Fortitudine " (with fortitude). Early Origins of the McCraith familyThe surname McCraith was first found in Inverness-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) divided between the present day Scottish Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles, and consisting of a large northern mainland area and various island areas off the west coast, the shire was anciently both a Pictish and Norwegian stronghold, but their ancient history is often clouded with conjecture. It appears certain that they lived before the 14th century at Clunes, to the west of Inverness in the territories of the Fraser Clan. Consequently the family has always been friendly towards that Clan. From about 1400, they moved to the location with which they are readily associated, Kintail. Early History of the McCraith familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCraith research. Another 548 words (39 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1425, 1477, 1505, 1539, 1688, 1715, 1745, 1764, 1778 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCraith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McCraith Spelling VariationsThe arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. McCraith has been spelled MacCrae, MacCraith, MacCrath, MacCraw, MacCray, MacCrea, MacCree, MacCreight, MacCrie, MacReagh, MacRae, MacRay, MacRie and many more. Early Notables of the McCraith familyFinghin MacCarthy Reagh (c.1425-1505), the 8th Prince of Carbery from 1477 to 1505, belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty; the Earl of Seaforth who forfeited his lands in 1715, but in 1764 was allowed to buy the lands back from the Government. In gratitude he offered to raise a regiment to be known as the Seaforth Highlanders (the 78th Regiment). Composed largely of MacKenzies and MacRaes (always loyal supporters of the MacKenzies whose Chief commanded the Regiment), it was embodied at Elgin in May 1778. In August, they marched to Leith for embarkation...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCraith Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the McCraith family to IrelandSome of the McCraith family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
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.
| McCraith migration to the United States | + |
This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name McCraith:
McCraith Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- J McCraith, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 1
| McCraith migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: McCraith Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- James McCraith, aged 35, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 2
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: Fortitudine
Motto Translation: With fortitude.
- 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)
- Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
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