Mure History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Family Crest Image (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Mure. The Mure family lived near a moor, or heath. 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.

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, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Mure family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mure research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1300, 1296, 1700, 1407, 1393, 1397, 1594, 1657, 1887 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 (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert More II (died 1407), of Pamber, Hampshire, English politician, appointed High Sheriff of Hampshire for 1393-94, elected a Member of Parliament for Hampshire in 1397; Sir William...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mure Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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 ^[1]
Christopher Mure, aged 39, who landed in Missouri in 1844 ^[1]
Robert Mure, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1845 ^[1]
George Mure, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 ^[1]
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 +

^ 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)