| Clan Name: | Clan Muir |
| Image Badge: | Clan member crest badge - Clan Muir.svg |
| Chiefs Crest: | A savage head couped Proper. |
| Chiefs Motto: | Latin: Durum patientia frango (I overcome difficulty by patience) |
| War Cry: | Conlan Abu [1] |
| Region: | Lowlands Dumfries and Galloway[2] Scottish Border[3] Isles of Orkney[4] Highlands[5] |
| District: | East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire[6] Aberdeenshire[7] Roxburghshire Wigtownshire Kirkcudbrightshire [8] Berwickshire [9] Lanarkshire |
| Gaelic Names: | Mhor,[10] Mór,[11] Mordha [12] |
| Image Arms: | Muir of Muir coat of arms.svg |
| Plant Badge: | Rowan tree[13] |
| Historic Seat: | Rowallan Castle |
| Septs: | Muir, Mure, More, Moar, Moare, Moer, Moir, Moire, Moor, Moore, Moure, Mur, Myre, Morey, Mordha, O' Mordha, O' Moore, O' More,[14] Caldwell,[15] Mor, Mohr, Myre, Myres, Morey, de Mora, Langmuir, Langmuir,[16] Delamore, de la More, Ó'Mothair, Moher,[17] Byre [18] |
| Branches: | Mure of Polkelly [19] Mure of Rowallan [20] Mure of Caldwell [21] Mure of Skaithmuir [22] Mure of Limflare Mure of Lowdown hill Mure of Abercorn Mure of Auchindraine Mure of Cowdams [23] Mure of Camseskane Mure of Skemore Mure of Kittiemore Mure of Gladerstone Mure of Cassencarie Moir of Leckie [24] Moir of Invernettie Moir of Stoneywood Mure of Aucheneil Mure of Thornton Mure of Treescraig Mure of Cloncaird Mure of Craighead Park Mure of Middleston Mure of Spittleside Mure of Brownhill [25] Muir of Sanday Muir of Clat Muir of Brugh Muir of Lemsgarth Muir of Brusgrath |
| Last Chiefs Name: | The Mure of Rowallan |
| Allied Clans: | Clan Kennedy of Bargany [26] Clan Boyd Clan Montgomery [27] Clan Douglas [28] Clan Gordon [29] Clan Leslie [30] Clan Campbell [31] |
| Rival Clans: | Clan Kennedy Clan Cunningham, Clan Boyd (16th century) Clan Crawford Clan Sempill Clan Maxwell of Pollock Clan Ralston Clan Houston Clan Cumming Clan Ryburn of that Ilk [32] Clan Reid of Kittochside [33] Clan McCulloch Clan MacLellan [34] |
Clan Muir is a Scottish clan that is armigerous. Per certain sources, holders of the surname Muir (also appearing as Mure and Moore), of Ayrshire, have been noted as a possible sept of Clan Boyd, though this is not clearly identified to a reliable resource.[35] A spelling variation More/Moore is a sept of Clan Leslie in Aberdeenshire, and, having genetic proof of Muirs in Aberdeenshire, may have roots in the Mure/Muir line of southwest Scotland.[36]
However, there are other instances in which links to the Mure/Muir line of southwest Scotland cannot be confirmed. The surname Moir, for example, is a sept of Clan Gordon in the highlands, but is not part of this same group of Mure/Muir/Moore.[37] A single family, the Mores/Moores of Drumcork, are septs of Clan Grant, but there is no evidence of a connection to the Mure/Muir line.[38] Some also project Muir may be a sept of Clan Campbell, though even Clan Campbell considers this unlikely.[39]
All said, however, a convincing argument has been made that there actually was no Clan Muir prior to the early 19th century; perhaps even the early 20th century. If it came about in the early 19th century, it may have done so solely as part of a revival of Scots nationalism in the wake of the visit to Scotland of King George IV, in 1822; was, in part, courtesy of that same sense of nationalism revived in the written works of Sir Walter Scott; and was developed around the history of the Mure/Muir lines of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. In fact, in the earliest history of the Mure/Muir line, in Historie and Descent of the House of Rowallane, Sir William Mure (1594-1657) makes no reference, whatsoever, to a clan system for the Mure/Muir family. While the book was not published until 1825, the written work itself was produced prior to Sir William Mure's death in 1657. There is no written history of the Muir line known to exist prior to the publication of this work. Further, in the second oldest work encompassing a significant amount of material regarding the Mure line from Caldwell, Selections from the Family Papers Preserved at Caldwell (1854), by George Jardine (1754-1827) and William Mure (1799-1860), there is also no reference to the Mure/Muir lines being part of the clan system.
The Scottish surname Muir supposedly originated as denoting someone who lived beside a moor. The name is derived from the Scots form of the Middle English more, meaning "moor" or "fen".
The first Mor/de Mor/de la Mor/Mure/Muir with solid documentation to Ayr, Scotland, is David de More. "The most ancient of the name on record are the Mores of Polkelly, near Kilmarnock; one of whom, David de More, appears as witness to a charter of Alexander II", between 1214 and 1249.[40] [41] [42]
After David, the next most distant person found is Sir Gilchrist Mure/Muir (ca. 1200 - ca. 1280), in association with his part in the Battle of Largs, on 2 October 1263. Given the naming tradition, and locality (Ayr), it appears at least three descendants of his (Adam, Gilchrist, and Reginald/Ronald, all listed as "counte de Are/Ayr") appear in the Ragman Rolls, thirty-three years later. There were also three others with the surname listed, namely, Reynaud More de Cragg, del counte de Lanark, Symon de la More, de Thaugarfton, del counte de Lanark, and Douenal le fiz Michel More de Leuenghes, del counte de Dunbreton.
In 1291, a Thomas de la More was listed as executor of the Will of Dervorguilla de Balliol, mother of John Balliol, King of Scots.[43]
Further, an Adam de la More, along with William de la More, were recorded as jurors on the lands of Lady Elena la Zuche, in Coyningham (Cunningham), in 1295. It seems likely that Adam was also one-in-the-same as holding lands in Ralston, Renfrewshire, in 1315 and 1321, and as the knight-possibly the same as the Adam who witnessed the charters of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, between 1328 and 1329.[44]
Polkelly seems to have been the "ancient" property held in Scotland by the Mures.
The Mures were prominent figures throughout the history of Scotland, from Sir Gilchrist Mure, who married the daughter and sole heir of Sir Walter Comyn with the blessing of King Alexander III, for his part in the Battle of Largs.[45] This secured the family seat at Rowallan Castle. Another version states that Gilchrist Mure was dispossessed of the house and living at Rowallan by the strong hand of Sir Walter Cuming, and was compelled to keep close in his castle of Polkelly until Alexander III raised sufficient forces to subdue Cuming and his adherents. The family had held Rowallan, in this version, from unknown antiquity. This version, however, is unlikely, since Sir Walter Comyn is believed to have died at least five years before the Battle of Largs.[46]
The conjoined arms of the first Mure of Rowallan were visible on the oldest part of the castle up until the 18th century.
Elizabeth Mure,[47] daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan and Janet Mure, married Robert Stewart, later King Robert II of Scotland, and bore him nine children before 22 November 1347, when their marriage was legitimized by papal dispensation.[48] Elizabeth died sometime before 1355.[49] The marriage of Robert and Elizabeth's daughter, Jean, to John Lyon, created the title Thane of Glamis. Descendants from that line are traceable to King Charles III.[50]
Sir Gilchrist Muir built two chapels, one at the Well named for Saint Laurence and the other at Banked named for Saint Michael. The vestiges of these were still visible in 1876. He also built the chapel of Kilmarnock, commonly called Mures Isle (or aisle).[51]
A number of Mure heirs participated in a range of battles for Scotland, including Sir Robert Mure, who may have been among the slain at the Battle of Sark, in October 1448. His namesake was called the Rud of Rowallane, being large in stature, very strong and prone to pugilism; these characteristics neatly define the meaning of this archaic Scots word. He wasted his inheritance and during his lifetime a protracted feud took place with the house of Ardoch (Craufurdland) which resulted in much bloodshed. The 'Rud' resigned his lands in favour of his grandson John, who married Margaret Boyd a mistress of James IV.[52]
Sir Mungo Mure, credited with significant improvements to Rowallan, was killed in the Battle of Pinkie, in September 1547.[53]
Sir William Mure, (1594-1657), was also Laird of Rowallan, and was known for his contributions as a writer, politician, and a military leader, being wounded at the battle of Marston Moor, in 1644. Among his descendants were Dr. John Moore, and his sons, including Lt. Gen. Sir John Moore, Admiral Sir Graham Moore, and Dr. James Carrick Moore.
Sir William Mure was the sixteenth and last Mure of Rowallan. He served in Germany under Gustavus Adolphus. One of his granddaughters married Sir James Campbell of Lawers, third son of the Earl of Loudoun, who thus became Laird of Rowallan. His son, Major-General James Mure Campbell of Rowallan (1726–86), became the fifth Earl of Loudoun in 1782. His only daughter's great-grandson, Charles Rawdon-Hastings, 11th Earl of Loudoun succeeded in 1874 and held the lands of Rowallan as Laird.
Sir Adam Mure's three younger brothers gave rise to numerous branches of the Mure family who settled in Caldwell, Aucheneil, Thornton, Glanderstoun, Treescraig, Auchendrane, Cloncaird, Craighead Park, Middleston, Spittleside and Brownhill.
"Durum Patientia Frango" (By patience I break what is hard).
Curiously, this is very close to the motto attributed to the Mure line of Caldwell, Renfrewshire, which is "Duris non frangor". Though the Mure line of Caldwell descends from the Mures of Rowallan, there is actually no motto listed for the Mures of Rowallan.[54] [55]
The Muir tartan is registered as the "Muir/Moore tartan" under the category Clan/Family, with no mention of it being associated with a "clan". It has the traditional blue - black - green base, but with an unusual motif of three narrow red stripes appearing twice on the green square. A similar device is seen in the Cochrane tartan. The threadcount of this illustration comes from a sample in the collection of John MacGregor Hastie, who collected tartans between 1930 and 1950, and whose work formed the basis of the archive at the Scottish Tartans Society. The tartan was documented in John Ross's, Land of the Scottish Gael (1930). Samples in Scottish Tartans Authority Dalgety Collection. Per the Scottish Register of Tartans (2009), the date of this tartan is 1 January 1880.[56]
Clan Muir does not have any septs, though common variations of the name Muir or Moore are associated with the clan. Muir/More/Moore/Mure are most prevalent in Ayrshire and areas in the Southwest lowlands, though branches had spread to Eastern Scotland as early as the 15th century.
Clan membership is determined by surname. According to Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, if a person has a particular sept name which can be attributed to a number of clans, either they should determine from which part of Scotland their family originally came from and owe allegiance to the clan of that area or, alternatively, if they do not know where they came from, they should owe allegiance to the clan to which their family had traditionally owed allegiance. Alternatively, they may offer allegiance to any of the particular named clans in the hope that the Chief will accept them as a member of his clan. Thus if a person offers his allegiance to a particular Chief by joining his clan society or by wearing his tartan, he can be deemed to have elected to join that particular clan and should be viewed as a member of that clan.[57] Members of Clan Muir who do not give their allegiance to any of the clans that list their surname as a sept or who do not have a family history of belonging to any of the aforementioned clans wear the Muir tartan.