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Our Surnames M
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McBRIDE.
Sons of (the servant of) St Bride, the virgin abbess of Kildare, d. 525. For
followers of saints, see also BEADLING, HILDRETH.
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McCRONE. Not son of the old woman, but son of CRÓN, an Old Irish personal name,
meaning “the swarthy one”. Frequently recorded in Dumfries from the 16th
C. onwards.
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McGINN. A name from Ireland, via Scotland. Probably the same as McGenn –
“son of fionn”, the fair one.
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McGINTY. An Irish name not uncommon in Glasgow. It means Son of Fhionnachtaigh,
“Fair Snow”.
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McGUIRE, McQUIRE. Son of the pale-complexioned one. The name is particularly
associated with Ayrshire.
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McINTYRE. Son of the carpenter or wright. “mac
an t-saoir”
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McKEAG. No data yet available.
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McKINNON. The name derives from Mac
Fhionnghain, son if the fair-born one, and is ancient indeed. Records exist
suggesting a connection with Iona.
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McLEAN. An ancient Scottish name. While romantic sources suggest Mac Leth-aoin, son of the twin (alluding to the legendary
double origin of the Clan), or Son of the Lion.. The website of the Clan McLEAN
(which ought to know!) asserts that GilLean of the Battleaxe (probably from Ghill’
Eoin, son of the servant of (Saint) John) was the founder of the original
clan, centred on the Isle of Mull, and also encompassing Tiree, Coll, Islay,
Morven and Lochaber. Gillean (or Gillian) had been granted land on the Isle of
Seal by John the Lame (an enemy of Robert
the Bruce). GilLean had three sons
who assisted Angus Og, the Lord of the Isles, to seize the Isle of Mull from
John of Lorne. Angus Og had supported Robert the Bruce in his claim for the
throne - and in this period in history the McLeans were on the winning side! In
gratitude the Lord of the Isles granted one of GilLean's sons, Hector, land on
the Lochbuie area of Mull which gave rise to the clan McLean of Lochbuie.
Another son, Lachlan, married a daughter of The Lord of the Isles, and was
granted Duart and Morven, and gave rise to the clan Mclean of Duart. All other
McLeans are descended from the third son.
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McMILLAN, McMILLINEN, McMILLION, MacMILLEON, MacMILLEONS, MacMILLION.
All these names are derived from Mac Mhaolain, “son
of the bald one”. Bald may also mean, “tonsured”; married priests were
common enough in Scotland in the early Middle Ages. The name has an early
history in Galloway – not too far from our area.
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McNEILLY. A Galloway surname, having probably come originally from Ulster as Mac
an Fileadh, the son of the poet.
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McROBINSON. Seems to be a son-too-far, as McROBIN and ROBINSON both mean son of
Robin. A bit like dual-language street names in Brussels that are
“Rue-Something-Strasse” !
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MADDISON. Probably “son of Matthew” but possibly “son of Maud”
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MADDISON is a well-known name in the Stanhope area as 'gentlemen'
farmers. In the 16thC a branch of the Weardale MADDISONs became wealthy
Merchants in Newcastle.
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Other related MADDISONs lived at Scotch Hall in Allendale and Hole House in
Derwentside. The prominent American MADDISONs descend from this branch of the
family. (see also MODDISON)
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MADDOX. There are lots of different ways to spell this name, which derives from
the Welsh MADOG, “goodly”.
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MADGEN, MADGEON, MADGIN. Probably a descendant of Margaret or Marjorie. Thomas
MADGEN [1756-1834] married Margaret
DIXON [1761-1836] in 1780 and there is still a descendant of the MADGENs living
in Nenthead. Like so many North
Pennine families, other MADGENs emigrated to Australia as well to the Americans
where their descendants now live.
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MAGUIRE, MACGUIRE The name seems to have come from Ireland via Scotland and
means, more or less, the son of the pale faced man. The standard works show no
ancient references.
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MAHARG. In the majority of instances, this is a variant of MacHARG or MacILHAGGA,
both of which names have a long history. However the name is also GRAHAM spelt
backwards and a legend exists that when many GRAHAMs were expelled to Ulster in
the early 17th C. (See Reivers) they made that change to disguise
their identity. http://members.rogers.com/clanmcilhagga
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MAKEPEACE. Just that; the peacemaker! As a surname, MAKEPEACE is rare in
Scotland, Ireland and Wales (before 1860) and has two main points of origin in
England. One spread from the WAR/NTH borders throughout Warwickshire, and across
BDF/BRK to London. The other seems to have originated in the farming district
around Hexham and Haltwhistle, spreading down the Tyne and into Durham mining
areas. A few families settled in
Cumberland, including Alston. Back in WAR, about 1560 Abel MAKEPEACE married
Mary Washington, sister of the president's ancestor. In the USA many claim
descent from Thomas, who with his family emigrated to New England in 1635. Two
English princesses, both called Joan, earned the nickname MAKEPEACE by being
married to Scottish Kings! The first Joan (1210-1238), the daughter of King John
married Alexander II in 1221 and the second was the sister of Edward III,
married to David II in 1328. The middle name of the Victorian writer, William
Makepeace Thackeray is said to derive from a 16th C. protestant
martyr. (ONS) makepeace@one-name.org
(Mr R Hancock)
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MALLOTT. The name may be the same as MALLET. Possibly from the Celtic saint who
gave his name to Saint Malo in Brittany, or a descendant of Mary (“Mall”)
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MANN, MANNING. “Man” has always had much the same meaning. It becomes a
surname in the sense of Lord So-and-so’s man.
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MARINA. Probable alternative to MARINER, a sailor.
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MARLEY. From a place-name. In
our context, probably the village in W Yorkshire.
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MARR.
From a place-name meaning marshy or boggy, or directly as a dweller on such
ground. The likely place-name is in Yorkshire, but there is also Mar in
Aberdeenshire to be considered.
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MARRWODD, MARWOOD. From the place-name. (said to be in Durham – not yet found)
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MARSHALL. From the Old French mareschal,
a farrier or a horse-doctor. Clearly a skill held in high esteem (more than just
a SMITH!), as it has become - as in
Earl Marshall – the title of a senior officer of state.
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MARSTON. From one of the many places of that
name, none of which is an obvious North Pennine candidate!
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MARTIN. A popular given name in the Middle Ages.
It derives from Mars, the Roman god of war. John MARTIN was our very own North
Pennine painter. Born in Haydon Bridge, his huge, apocryphal canvasses were
highly acclaimed and copied in the early 19th C.
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MARTINDALE. From the place-name in Westmorland.
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MARWICK. Looks like a place-name, but the only one I can find is at the NW
corner of Orkney Mainland! This is the derivation that Black gives to it.
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MASON. An occupational name of very ancient French origin.
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MATHER, A reaper, from Old English mæđer.
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MATTHEWS. An ancient name – biblical, of course, meaning “Gift of Yahweh /
Jehovah” which seems to have arrived in England with the Normans.
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MAUGHAN, MAUGHAM. This derives from an ancient Scottish parish, Machan, now
inexplicably called Dalserf, near Hamilton. (My map shows Machan close by!)
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MAXWELL. An unusual place-name derivation! Maxwell is an ancient salmon-pool
(which still exists) on the Tweed near Kelso Bridge. The pool, Old English wael,
was granted to Maccus, son of Udewyn in the early 12th C during the
reign of David I.
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Mc – All Mc names are treated alphabetically as Mac-
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MENSLEY. Probably from a vanished place-name, or one too small to
have been noticed by Ekwall. Menston, W Yorks., is Mensa’s tun, ( Grid
Ref:SE173437) so why not his leah? The family arrived in our area via
Cornwall-London-Leicestershire, descendants of the once world-famous pugilist
Tom Sayers.
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METCALF,
METCALFE. A Yorkshire name on whose origins the experts are divided. It probably
derives from fatted-calf and thus comes from one who earned his living from
rearing them from market. Famous METCALFEs include John, alias Blind Jack of
Knaresborough, born on 15th August, 1717. When he was six years old
he caught Smallpox which left him blind for life. His disability did not seem to
deter him from an active and adventurous life but it is as one of the great road
builders that he is best remembered. In a long career he built over 180 miles of
roads and bridges. He died at the age of 93 and is buried in Spofforth
Churchyard (Landranger Sheet , Grid Ref. SE363508) . For details of his life
visit: http://www.tameside.gov.uk/tmbc/histgp.htm
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(ONS). Metcalfe@one-name.org
(Mrs Diane Howarth). There is an
active Metcalfe Society with an extensive website www.metcalfe.org.uk
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MEWBURN. Sounds like a place-name, but has not yet been located.
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MEWIS,
MEWSE. From Meaux in E Yorkshire / Humberside. Grid Ref. TR0938. The place-name
has a Norse derivation which may parallel its namesake in France.
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MEYNELL. The name probably came over with the Normans. We have de Meinil in
Yorkshire in the 12th C. There are plenty of French place-names
called Mesnil or similar where it
simply means “abode”.
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MIDDLEMASS. A dweller in the Middle Mast Lands, near Kelso. While we do not have
any active MIDDLEMASS researchers, this name’s –mass element gave a vital
clue in unravelling WOODMASS (q.v.)
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MIDDLETON. Probably from multiple sources as there are many suitable place-names
to choose from, such as Middleton in Teesdale (Landranger Sheet 92, NY 950255).
However, the most distinguished MIDDLETONs are those of Belsay (Landranger Sheet
88, NZ 085786), who might have taken their name from a village just 6km to the
north (Landranger Sheet 81, NZ 060851).
Sir Richard de MIDDLETON was Lord Chancellor to Henry III in the late 13th
C., but in the unrest following Bannockburn, his nephew Gilbert and heir John
went a-reiving and kidnapped two passing cardinals. This lost them their heads
and the estate, which was not returned to the family until late in the 14th
C. They continued there in a distinguished but less spectacular manner until
1962. Belsay Hall and Castle are now jewels in English Heritage’s northern
crown.
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MIERS, MYER, MYERS. Variants on a name deriving either from the Old French mire,
physician, or Old Norse myrr, dweller
by the marsh.
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MILBURN. From the place-name, either in Northumberland (Location not identified)
or Westmorland (Grid Ref:NY655291).
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MILICHAP. Probably from Millichope in Shropshire.
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MILLEON, MILLEONS, MILLION. See McMILLAN.
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MILLER. Just what it sounds like. Oddly, however, the original form is
MILNER (Old English mylne). The variant MYLLER has also been recorded. (ONS).
miller@one-name.org
(Mrs M. Miller)
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MILLICAN, MILLIGAN, MILLIKEN, MILLIKIN. (ONS). The
bald or shaven one, cf McMILLAN
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MILNE. A dweller or worker at
the mill, see MILLER.
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MILLS.
The origin of this name is not obvious. MILL was a dweller near a mill, so MILLS
may be his son or servant, or may be someone from a group of mills. (Possible;
mills can cluster on a suitable hilltop or stretch of river). It might also be
from MILES, MILON or MILO, forms of a very old given name.
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MINNIKIN. No data yet available.
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MIRES.
See MIERS
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MISKIMINS. No data yet available.
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MITCHELL.
Derived from the personal name Michel, a rarer spelling of Michael. The personal
name itself may be derived from the Old English mycel, which also gives rise to MU(T)CH and MUCKLE.
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One much traveled miner was Benjamin MITCHELL, born in the 1850s in Consett,
DUR. His family were tin miners from Cornwall, to which they returned before
emigrating to the South African goldfields.
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MOAD. Possibly the same as MOAT, a dweller by the Castle (motte).
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MODDISON. Probably a variant of MADDISON (q.v.).MODDISON, MODISON and MODSON
appear in records in various parts of England, our particular reference is
probably from Garrigill, having emigrated to Canada in the 1820s.
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MODELAND.
John and Jane MODELAND emigrated to Canada from Northern England, probably
Garrigill, in the 1820s. The family believe that the name is derived from
MAUDLIN, which itself is from the Biblical MAGDALENE, a woman of Magdala.
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MOFFAT,
MOFFATT, MOFFET, MOFFIT, MOFFITT. From Moffat in Dumfries, Grid Ref:NT087055
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MOLE. The earliest references are LeMOL and the like, suggesting a nickname.
Oddly this is not linked to the animal but seems to be a synonym for
“small”.
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MOODY. From the Old English mōdig,
bold or impetuous.
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MOOR, MOORE. Either a dweller by the moor, or one of swarthy (Moorish)
complexion.
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MORDEY, MORDY. From the expletive, Mort
Dieu, “God’s Death”. The surname is first recorded in Norwich in the
16th C.
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MORDUE. Probably the same as MORDEY and closer to the original pronunciation.
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MORGAN. A very old Celtic name recorded back in the 4th C in Latin
and Greek texts. The Greek equivalent is PELAGIUS, the Pelagian Heresy being
named after a Romanised British monk named MORGAN (c. 360-420). He preached that
mankind was inherently good and possessed free will, which did not go down well
with SS Augustine and Jerome. (ONS).
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MORLAND, MORELAND. A dweller on the moorland. While that would not be any great
distinction in the North Pennines, the name is first recorded in Somerset and
Sussex in the 13th C.
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MORLEY.
From the place-name. We have two candidates: Near West Auckland in Co. Durham (Landranger
Sheet 92, NZ128276) and just outside Leeds W Yorkshire.
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MORPETH. From the County Town of Northumberland.
The name of the town is traditionally said to derive from “murder
path”. Quite likely given its location, although the legend does not does not
specify which particular rout it was, nor whether the English were massacring
the Scots or vice versa.
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MORT. The literal meaning is “death”. Perhaps it comes from a pageant
character, as in the miracle play, “Everyman”.
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MORTIMER. Presumably a Norman
name, for example Roger de Mortimer, Seigneur de Mortemer-sur-Eaulne (a 1054, d
before 1086). The MORTIMERs were
active in many mediaeval power struggles. Sir Edmund Mortimer was the
great-grandson of King Edward III. They were part of a fifteenth century
conspiracy involving Owen Glyndwr and Henry 'Hotspur' PERCY to overthrow King
Henry IV and split the Kingdom of England between them. It failed.
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MORTON. From the common place-name, which simply means the settlement by the
moor or fen. There are two in Cumbria to choose from, one on the SW outskirts of
Carlisle and the other about 6 miles NNW of Penrith, plus many more scattered
throughout the country.
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MOSES.
The name is clearly derived from the Patriarch and is fairly common throughout
western Europe in both Jewish and Christian communities since the earliest
records. MOISE, MOYSE or MOYSES were spellings in the Middle Ages thought to
distinguish Christian from Jew. How the name persisted from Biblical times to
the middle ages is not known. It could of course derive from playing the part in
a Mystery Play. The North Pennine MOSES families are recorded in lower Weardale
from the early 18thC onwards.
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MOTHERSELL. Probably the same as MOTHERSILL and MOTHERSOLE. The origins are
unclear for this name. There is a Staffordshire place-name, Moddershall, a
William DE MODRESHALLE being recorded there early in the 14th C. The
name could equally derive from the oath “By My Mother’s Soul!” (cf. MORDEY),
or from Old English mōdig sāwol,
a brave, proud soul.
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MOUNSEY. A Norman name, from one of two French sources. Either Monceaux in
Calvados or Monchaux in Seine-Inférieure.
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MOUNTAIN. A dweller by the mountain. In the Pennines, that’s not too specific!
However, it more probably came with the Normans as DE LA MONTAGNE with the same,
non-specific meaning.
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MOWBRAY. MOWBRAY is derived from
Montbray in Normandy. The village lies about 30 km NE of Avranches, on the road
to Caen. Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances, came to England with
William of Normandy in 1066 and was well rewarded with 280 English
manors. His nephew Robert de Montbray became Earl of Northumberland in 1080, but
he rebelled against William II and was imprisoned for thirty years. His divorced
wife, Matilda, married Nigel d'Aubigny, Robert’s nephew and heir, but the
marriage was annulled for co-sanguinity before any issue. By his second wife,
Nigel had a son, Roger, whose name was changed by royal command from d'Aubigny
to de Montbray, which eventually evolved to MOWBRAY. The baronial line died out
in England ca. 1475, although a Scottish branch (MOUBRAY) exists where issue has
survived. Members of the family spread predominantly in the counties of Durham,
Lincolnshire and Leicestershire in historic times. A variant spelling in
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire is MOWBERRY. In the 19th and 20th
centuries there has been the usual migration into other areas and overseas. (ONS). Mowbray@one-name.org
(Mr
David Mowbray)
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MULCASTER.
From Muncaster in Cumbria which was Mulcaster in the 12th C. The
“caster” is a Roman Fort which was either occupied by Mula during the Dark
Ages, or was situated on a crag (Old Norse muli). Muncaster Castle was
built by Salvin for the 4th Lord MUNCASTER incorporating parts of a
mediaeval building. (Grid Ref:SD105964)
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MURRAY, MURREY. Either from the Scottish province, or from Old and Middle
English myrige, murie, “merry”.
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MUSCHAMP. The De MUSCHAMPs were a powerful family in Teviotdale, Scotland, in
the Middle Ages, but the direct male line is believed to have died out. It may
also derive from the villages of North and South Muskham n Nottinghamshire.
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MUSE. An alternative spelling of MEWSE, perhaps. (q.v.) We have examples in
Alston, CUL during the 18th-19thC.
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MYER, MYERS. See MIERS
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