Contents [hide]

Morshead History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Morshead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Morshead was first used as a surname in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Briton. The first Morshead family lived in Lanark, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. The name denotes "one who came from Muirhead (end of the moor)the name of several places in Scotland; dweller at the end of the marsh." 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Morshead family

The surname Morshead 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. Today, Muirhead is a small suburb of Glasgow, about 7 miles North-East of the city center.

The name originates "from one or other of the many localities of the name in the southern counties, perhaps from Muirhead in the barony of Rothwell. The lands and town of Mureheid in the diocese of Ross are mentioned in 1576, but the surname is not likely to have originated there. The first of the name in record is said to have been Sir William Muirhead of Lachope, end of fourteenth century. Probably the same person as William de Murehede who witnessed a charter of lands of Cranshaws in 1401." 4

Early History of the Morshead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morshead research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1401, 1432, 1471, 1484, 1491, 1493, 1498, 1503, 1504, 1507, 1513, 1522, 1527, 1577, 1620, 1624, 1637, 1668, 1670, 1691, 1692, 1742, 1805, 1807, 1808, 1825, 1828, 1831, 1854, 1857, 1862, 1863, 1882, 1889 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Morshead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morshead 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. Morshead has been spelled Muirhead, Morehead, Moorhead, Moorehead, Murehead and others.

Early Notables of the Morshead family

Notable amongst the family at this time was James Muirhead (1742-1808), Scottish song-writer, son of Muirhead of Logan (representing an ancient family), was born in 1742 in the parish of Buittle, Kirkcudbrightshire. James Muirhead (1831-1889), jurist, son of Claud Muirhead of Gogan Park, Midlothian, proprietor of the 'Edinburgh Advertiser,' born in 1831, was admitted on 31 Oct. 1854 a member of the Inner Temple, where he was called to the bar on 6 June 1857, being admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates the same year. In 1862 he was elected to the chair of civil law in the university...
Another 172 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morshead Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Morshead family to Ireland

Some of the Morshead family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morshead 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:

Morshead Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Morshead, (b. 1830), aged 21, Cornish settler departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Mountaineer" arriving in the United States on 30 April 1851 5

Morshead migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Morshead Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Morshead, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"
Philip Morshead, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"

Morshead 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:

Morshead Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain Edward Morshead, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 6
Mrs. Mary Morshead, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 6
Miss Olympia Morshead, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 6
Miss. Isabella Morshead, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 6
Mr. Edward Morshead, Jr., British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Morshead (post 1700) +

Major Sir Owen Frederick Morshead GCVO KCB DSO MC (1893-1977), British Army officer and Royal Librarian between 1926 and 1958
Sir Warwick Charles Morshead (1824-1905), 3rd Baronet of Trenant Park, Cornwall, English peer
Sir Frederick Treise Morshead (1783-1828), 2nd Baronet of Trenant Park, Cornwall, English peer
Sir John Morshead (1747-1813), 1st Baronet of Trenant Park, Cornwall, English politician, Member of Parliament for Callington and Bodmin and Lord Warden of the Stannaries
Catherine Morshead, English BAFTA Award nominated director and producer, known for Me & Mrs Jones (2002), A Christmas Carol (2000) and Viva Blackpool (2006)
Alana Morshead (b. 1983), English actress, known for her work on Joe Killionaire (2004), Peach Plum Pear (2011) and The Story of Elle (2008)
Henry Treise Morshead DSO, RE, FRGS (1882-1931), English surveyor, explorer and mountaineer, member of the 1921 and 1922 British Mount Everest expeditions; he was murdered in Burma under mysterious circumstances
Edmund Doidge Anderson Morshead (1849-1912), English classicist and teacher
Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie James Morshead (1889-1959), Australian Officer Commanding I Australian Corps, Borneo from 1944 to 1945 7

The Morshead 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: Auxilio Dei
Motto Translation: By the help of God.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. 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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, August 30) Leslie Morshead. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Morshead/Sir_Leslie_James/Australia.html