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Author Topic: Moortown? Where was/is it?  (Read 402 times)
PrueM
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Moortown? Where was/is it?
« on: Thursday 25 May 06 10:55 UTC (UK) »
Hello all,
Have just received a copy of a baptism registration dated 1710, from Inverness parish, for Andrew MACKAY, son of William MACKAY and Jannet FRASER. 

William is shown as a fisher (presumably "fisherman") from "Moortown".

I can't find Moortown on a modern map, but a search on oldmaps.co.uk shows an area in the south-west of Inverness town called "Muirtown".  The map is dated 1874.  Could "Muirtown" be "Moortown", or was there another area by that name?

Any help gratefully received  Smiley

Thank you
Prue
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I live in NSW, and am researching:
BALFOUR (Derry) – BIGG (Kent) – BONSALL (DBY, NTT, CHS) – BRISBANE (Fife) – DANKS (STS) – DOBSON (BRK) – FRANCIS (ESS) – GOODE (HAM) – HAYNES (Cork) – INGRAM (MDX, SOM) – LANGWORTHY (Jersey, DEV) – MCKAY (Fife, Aberdeen, Banff, Moray) – MORRISH (LND) – NANCARROW (CON) – OGILVIE (Moray, LND) – STRATHDEE (LND, Banff) - SWAN (Fife)
old rowley
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Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 25 May 06 11:19 UTC (UK) »
Hi Pru,

firstly you would be right in thinking that "fisher" stands for fisherman my copy of the Britannica World Language edition of the Oxford Dictionary (1962)  states it as,

Fisher= one who catches fish- a fisherman.

I have looked at a modern gazetteer for the uk and can only find the following;
4 Moortown's -all in England none in Scotland,
but
3 Muirtowns- all in Scotland,
one in Tayside, one is an area west of Forres in the Grampian region and the third is an area to the north west of Inverness at the entrance to the Caledonian Canal

It maybe that it was mistranscribed when recorded if the person who noted it in the first instance did not know the area.

oh and by the way I cannot make head nor tail of the wording on your other post in regards to the baptism record for Andrew Mackay...........have tried honest Grin

old rowley
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Law- Bethnal Green East London
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Tait- Argyll & Glasgow
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PrueM
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Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 25 May 06 11:26 UTC (UK) »
Quote from: old rowley on Thursday 25 May 06 11:19 UTC (UK)
oh and by the way I cannot make head nor tail of the wording on your other post in regards to the baptism record for Andrew Mackay...........have tried honest Grin

old rowley

you mean the handwriting, or my message???  Grin Grin Grin

Thanks for the help re. Moortown.  I hadn't seen the area you mentioned near the caledonian canal - that would make sense if he was a fisherman I suppose.  I'll check it out.

Thank you!  Smiley

Prue
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Paper and Photograph Conservator
I live in NSW, and am researching:
BALFOUR (Derry) – BIGG (Kent) – BONSALL (DBY, NTT, CHS) – BRISBANE (Fife) – DANKS (STS) – DOBSON (BRK) – FRANCIS (ESS) – GOODE (HAM) – HAYNES (Cork) – INGRAM (MDX, SOM) – LANGWORTHY (Jersey, DEV) – MCKAY (Fife, Aberdeen, Banff, Moray) – MORRISH (LND) – NANCARROW (CON) – OGILVIE (Moray, LND) – STRATHDEE (LND, Banff) - SWAN (Fife)
old rowley
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first steps
Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 25 May 06 11:36 UTC (UK) »
sorry Prue I should have said that I meant the handwritting on the entry.


old rowley
who has now got a three year old dancing around the room like your wee robot. Grin Grin Grin
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Claxton- East London & Essex
Cuthbert- Mile End East London
Edwards - East London & Essex
Goll- Norfolk
Harris-Mile End East London
Hurr - Suffolk
Law- Bethnal Green East London
Moll- East London
Robinson- Bethnal Green East London
Tait- Argyll & Glasgow
Thompson Shoreditch East london
Watson- Glasgow
Wood- Bethnal Green East London

Local history interest; Noak Hill & Harold Hill Essex

census information crown cop
PrueM
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Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 25 May 06 11:43 UTC (UK) »
Well as long as the three year old isn't talking like the robot, that's OK (Bender the robot has a "potty mouth"!)

Cheers
Prue
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Paper and Photograph Conservator
I live in NSW, and am researching:
BALFOUR (Derry) – BIGG (Kent) – BONSALL (DBY, NTT, CHS) – BRISBANE (Fife) – DANKS (STS) – DOBSON (BRK) – FRANCIS (ESS) – GOODE (HAM) – HAYNES (Cork) – INGRAM (MDX, SOM) – LANGWORTHY (Jersey, DEV) – MCKAY (Fife, Aberdeen, Banff, Moray) – MORRISH (LND) – NANCARROW (CON) – OGILVIE (Moray, LND) – STRATHDEE (LND, Banff) - SWAN (Fife)
JAP
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Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #5 on: Friday 26 May 06 14:34 UTC (UK) »
My understanding is that 'muir' is Scots for what in English is 'moor' and that the two are often interchanged.  I have a few instances of a particular farm near Dunfermline in Fife which is variously referred to in the records as either Muircockhall or Moorcockhall.

JAP
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Little Nell
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Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #6 on: Friday 26 May 06 21:04 UTC (UK) »
Prue,

I've done some delving into the various Scottish maps and even back in the 18th century, they record this area (near Clachnaharry village) as part of the Muirtown estate owned by H.R.Duff.  There was a large house there called Muirtown - it no longer seems to exist.  There are some wonderful maps to view at the National Library of Scotland site:

http://www.nls.uk/maps

The inset in the right hand corner of the map shown here:

http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/early/towns.cfm?id=359

includes Muirtown.  Muir is the Scots equivalent of moor.

Nell
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PrueM
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Re: Moortown? Where was/is it?
« Reply #7 on: Friday 26 May 06 22:12 UTC (UK) »
Thankyou, JAP and Nell!  Cheesy
I had a feeling that "Muir" and "Moor" were related somehow.  I will go and check out the maps you found for me, Nell. Much appreciated!
Smiley
Prue
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Paper and Photograph Conservator
I live in NSW, and am researching:
BALFOUR (Derry) – BIGG (Kent) – BONSALL (DBY, NTT, CHS) – BRISBANE (Fife) – DANKS (STS) – DOBSON (BRK) – FRANCIS (ESS) – GOODE (HAM) – HAYNES (Cork) – INGRAM (MDX, SOM) – LANGWORTHY (Jersey, DEV) – MCKAY (Fife, Aberdeen, Banff, Moray) – MORRISH (LND) – NANCARROW (CON) – OGILVIE (Moray, LND) – STRATHDEE (LND, Banff) - SWAN (Fife)
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