Mury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Mury is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Mury family lived in the county of Moray in the northeast of Scotland, but some historians describe the Clan's forbears as originally Flemish, some as Lowland Scots. More enlightened research places them as descendents of MacAngus de Moravia, who was descended from King Duncan of Scotland and who was the first Earl of Murray.

Early Origins of the Mury family

The surname Mury was first found in Moray, where the Clan founder, Freskin, received a grant of the lands of Strathbrock in 1100 AD. He was descended from the first Earl, and his grandson, William, married the heiress of the Bothwell Clan in Lanarkshire. His sons founded many other houses, including the Murrays of Tullibardine, who later became the Dukes of Atholl, and Chiefs of the Clan.

At the same time, an early branch in the north had given origin to the Earls of Sutherland. Andrew Moray (died 1297) also known as Andrew de Moray, Andrew of Moray, or Andrew Murray, was prominent in the Scottish Wars of Independence.

He led the rising in north Scotland in the summer of 1297 against the occupation by King Edward I of England. He was mortally wounded in the fighting at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

Early History of the Mury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mury research. Another 596 words (43 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1170, 1203, 1255, 1297, 1320, 1333, 1360, 1446, 1586, 1598, 1600, 1608, 1629, 1631, 1640, 1650, 1655, 1660, 1663, 1673, 1691, 1701, 1703, 1710, 1715, 1716, 1719, 1724, 1734, 1745, 1765 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Mury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mury Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Mury has been spelled Murray, Murrey, Moray, Morey, Morrey, Morry, Murry, MacMhuirich (Gaelic) and many more.

Early Notables of the Mury family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Robert Moray (Murrey, Murray) (1608-1673), a Scottish soldier, statesman, diplomat, judge, spy, freemason and natural philosopher; John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, KT, PC (1660-1724) was a Scottish nobleman, Knight of the Thistle, politician, and soldier; William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart (c. 1600-1655), the childhood whipping boy of Charles I of England and later an...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mury family to Ireland

Some of the Mury 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.

Mury migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Mury:

Mury Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Barb Mury, aged 19, who landed in America in 1853 1

The Mury 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: Tout Prêt
Motto Translation: Quite ready.

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)