''Moir'' ( OY-er is a surname of Scottish origin, and is part of the

Clan Gordon Clan Gordon is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire. The Chief of the ...

of the Scottish Lowlands. The name in its present form dates from the 14th century and means "brave, renowned, mighty" in Scots

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

. Four generations of Moirs were active members of the Burgesses & Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1751-1846. The earliest Moir of record was one Adam de la More. In 1213, King John of England sent Adam de la More to the King of Scotland with a gift of gyrfalcons. It looks as if he and perhaps others of his name settled in Scotland. In the County of Rubislaw, Gilchrist More was one of the Barons who swore fidelity to Edward I in 1296. Gilcrist More is said to have incurred the wrath of Sir Walter Cumyn but later married his daughter and secured the lands of Rowallan Castle near Kilmarnock in Ayershire. Gilcrist's granddaughter,

Elizabeth Mure Elizabeth Mure (est. born 2 March 1320 - died before May 1355), a member of Clan Muir, was the first wife of Robert, High Steward of Scotland, and Guardian of Scotland (1338–1341 and from October 1346), who later became King Robert II of Scotl ...

of Rowallan married the future King Robert II in 1346. The heiress of Polkellie, Janet More, in the time of David II married Sir Adam Muir of Rowalian. By the end of that century, when Edward I was dealing with the Scots about the succession of the Scottish Crown, there were a considerable number of De la Mores, including an Adam de la More in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. A century later, when the Laird of Rowallan gets a confirmation charter from King Robert the Third, he is designated Sir Adam More, Knight; but it is in the same year (1391) that the first transmutation of the name takes place into "Mure," in a charter of pension granted to the King's uncle Andrew Mure, he being a brother of Elizabeth More of Rowallan. After this date, the common spelling of the name is Muir or Mure. Reginald (or Ranald) de la More was a Knight for Robert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce). King Robert made de la More Chamberlain of Scotland in 1329. He held the office until his death in 1341. The Bruce gave his Chamberlain de la More considerable estates in various parts of Scotland, one being that of Abercorn in Linlithgow; another being the Thanage of Formartyn, which included a greater part of Aberdeenshire. One of the Chamberlain's sons was Sir William More of Abercorn, and another was Gilchrest More. Robert the Bruce and Reginald de la More were

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

when in 1307 King Phillippe le Bel of France arrested and executed many Knights in Paris. Two years later the Pope excommunicated Robert the Bruce reportedly for murdering John Comyn in a Scottish church. The Pope then went on to excommunicate all of the Bruce's noblemen. Finally, the entire realm of Scotland went under papal interdict. The pope's actions left the Catholic churches of Scotland free to support the Templars. As a result, a substantial number of Knights sought refuge in Scotland. When Robert the Bruce died in 1329, having never served God on a Crusade, he left commands that his heart be taken on a Crusade. Sir Kenneth de la More (

Kenneth Moir Sir Kenneth Moir was a champion knight and Knights Templar who, in 1330, rode with James Douglas, Lord of Douglas and the Crusaders to Spain with the heart of Robert the Bruce to defeat the Moors who had laid siege to the fortress at Battle o ...

) in the spring of 1330 rode out with Sir James Douglas carrying the Bruce's heart encased in a silver casket locket on a chain. With them went Sir Simon Locard of Lee (

Lockharts of Lee The Lockharts of Lee are a Lanarkshire family that trace their descent from Sir Simon Locard. The family estate is the barony of Lee, centred on Lee Castle near Lanark, originally built around 1272 but much expanded in the 19th century. Origin ...

), Sir William Borthwick, Sir William de Keith, Sir William de St. Clair and his younger brother John of Rosslyn (eldest brothers of

Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, Lord of Roslin () was a Scottish and a Norwegian nobleman. Sinclair held the title Earl of Orkney (which refers to Norðreyjar rather than just the islands of Orkney) and was Lord High Admiral of Scotland unde ...

), Sir Alan Cathcart (

Clan Cathcart Clan Cathcart is a Lowland Scottish clan. History Origins of the Clan The lands of Cathcart are named after the River Cart in Renfrewshire. ''Caeth-cart'' means the ''strait of Cart''. Rainaldus de Kethcart appears to have been the progenitor ...

) and the brothers Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig and Sir Walter Logan (

Clan Logan Clan Logan is a Scottish clan. Two distinct branches of Clan Logan exist: the Highland branch; and the Lowland branch (which descends from Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig who married Katherine Stewart, a daughter of the future Robert II () and, ...

). Sir Kenneth stopped in Sluys, Flanders where they were joined by more Knights Templars. Alfonso XI of Castile sought assistance against the Muslims (

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

) of the kingdom of Granada led by Muhammed IV, Sultan of Granada. The Knights travelled 2,000 kilometres to Seville and offered their support to Alfonso for his Crusade to rid the Iberian Peninsula of non-Christians. On 25 August 1330 southeast of Seville in a saddle high above the river the Knights came to Teba in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

. There, three thousand of Muhammed IV's cavalry made a feigned attack on the Christian. The great body of his army took a circuitous route to fall, unexpectedly, upon the rear of Alfonso's camp. With the Christian troops otherwise engaged, the Templar Knights face overwhelming odds. Templar Knights do not retreat and Sir James gave the order to charge. Sir James Douglass, Sir William St. Clair, Sir John de St. Clair, Sir Robert Logan and Sir Walter Logan died in battle. Sir Kenneth survived to oversee preparations for transport home of the fallen Templar Knights. This included the scrubbing clean of bones. He returned the Scottish Knights to their family homes. For his extraordinary bravery and for might when faced with overwhelming odds, Sir Kenneth was named Moir. Sir Simon Locard for returning the heart of the Bruce to Melrose Abbey was named Lockhart. Several Scottish- mainly Aberdeenshire-based- individuals of the name have been granted arms, common to all these being three detached Moors' heads dripping blood. This shared heraldic device indicates, notwithstanding a lack of established pedigree, recognition of the Moir family's crusading tradition. The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Bernard Burke, Harrison & Sons, 1884, p. 692 Alternate spellings of the name Moir include More, Moire and de la More. The names Moore, Moores and Mooers are related.

Notable people named Moir

Alan Moir Alan Moir (born 1947) is an Australian caricaturist and cartoonist who was born in New Zealand. He has been the Editorial Cartoonist for the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' since 1984, and previously ''The Bulletin (Australian periodical), The Bulletin' ...

(born 1945) New Zealand-born Australian caricaturist and cartoonist * Alexander Moir (settler) Scottish Australian settler *

Alex Moir Alexander McKenzie Moir (17 July 1919 – 17 June 2000) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played 17 Test matches for New Zealand in the 1950s as a leg-spinner and lower-order batsman. Early life Moir served in Europe with New Zealand forces in ...

(1919–2000) New Zealand cricketer * Alfred Moir (1924-2010), American art historian * Andrew Moir (disambiguation) *

Bob Moir Robert Munro Moir (1929December 18, 2016) was a Canadian television producer, sports commentator, and journalist. He covered the Canadian Football League for the ''Winnipeg Free Press'' from 1948 to 1958, then worked more than 40 years for the ...

(1929–2016) was a Canadian television producer, sports commentator, and journalist * Charles Moir (c. 1930–2019), American college basketball coach *

Dallas Moir Dallas Moir (born 13 April 1957) is a Maltese-born Scottish former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Scotland in 1980 and 1986 and for Derbyshire between 1981 and 1985. Moir played for Scotland B in 1978 and in 1980 played several ga ...

(born 1957) Maltese-born Scottish cricketer * Danny Moir, Canadian figure skater *

David Macbeth Moir David Macbeth Moir (5 January 17986 July 1851) was a Scottish physician and writer. Biography Moir was born at Musselburgh on 5 January 1798, the son of Elizabeth Macbeth (1767–1842) and Robert Moir (''d''. 1842). He was educated at Muss ...

(1798–1851), Scottish physician and writer *

Elizabeth Moir Elizabeth Moir Tenduf-La, MBE is a British educationist in Sri Lanka. She founded the Colombo International School, British School in Colombo and the Elizabeth Moir School. Education Elizabeth Moir read mathematics at Oxford, where she cap ...

, British educationalist *

Ellen Moir Ellen Moir is the founder and CEO of The New Teacher Center. Established in 1998, the Center is devoted to the development, induction, and mentoring of beginning teachers. Professional career Moir began her career as a bilingual teacher in S ...

, American educator * Ernest Moir, British civil engineer * Ian Moir, Australian rugby league player *

Ian Moir (footballer) Ian Moir (30 June 1943 – 26 March 2015) was a Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder. Moir played over 300 Football League games for five clubs, including top-flight sides Manchester United and Blackpool, before going on to play in ...

, Scottish footballer * James Moir, BBC executive *

Jan Moir Jan Moir (; born August 1958) is a British newspaper columnist. She works for the ''Daily Mail''. Several of her articles have provoked widespread criticism, such as one about Stephen Gately that disputed his official cause of death and linked hi ...

, columnist for a British newspaper * Jim Moir, real name of comedian

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...

* Jimmy Moir, Scottish footballer * John Moir (1915–1975), Scottish-born American professional basketball player *

John Moir (politician) John Moir (29 July 1856 19 July 1939) was prominent businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Born in Albany on 29 July 1856, he was the eldest son of Alexander Moir, who ...

(1856-1939), Australian businessman and politician * John Moir (settler) (1851-1939), Australian settler and pastoralist *

Joseph Moir Joseph James Moir (1809–1874) was a prominent builder, ironmonger, citizen and shot manufacturer in 19th century Tasmania. He is best known for building the Taroona Shot Tower, but also built St Mark's Anglican Church, Pontville, issued tokens ...

(c. 1809–1874), Tasmanian businessman and builder *

Margaret, Lady Moir Margaret, Lady Moir, OBE (née Margaret Bruce Pennycook) (10 January 18645 October 1942) was a Scottish lathe operator, engineer, a workers' relief organiser, an employment campaigner, and a founder member of the Women's Engineering Society (W ...

(Margaret Moir)(1864-1942) Nineteenth century Scottish engineer *

Margaret Moir Margaret Moir (born 9 September 1941) is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party. Previously, she was the elected chairman of the West Coast Regional Council. Biography Moir was born in Kimberley, South Africa, and was ...

, New Zealand politician *

Monte Moir Monte Moir (born September 10, 1958) is an American songwriter, producer and musician best known as the keyboardist of Morris Day's band The Time and songwriter of many notable American artists. Biography Monte Moir is the original and current ...

, musician *

Peter Moir Peter Moir (1882-1921) was an Australian rugby footballer of the early 1900s who was a key figure in the foundation of rugby league in Australia. He was one of Australia's first national representative players appearing in the inaugural profess ...

, Australian rugby footballer * Richard Moir (born 1950), Australian actor * Scott Moir, Canadian figure skater and Olympic gold medalist in Ice Dance *

Sheri Moir Sheri Moir ( ; born September 17, 1981) is a Canadian figure skater. She competed in ice dancing with her cousin Danny Moir. They are the 2001 Canadian national junior silver medalists and placed 11th at the 2001 World Junior Figure Skating Cha ...

, Canadian figure skater * Willie Moir, Scottish footballer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moir (Surname) Surnames

Notable people named Moir

See also

References