Moffat Clan @ MacBraveHeart

MacBraveHeart homepage
16th November 2000

Moffat Clan

Ask or tell us about the Moffat Clan, and we'll add the information to this page.

The town of Moffat in Annandale in Dumfriesshire is the origin of this clan. The first recorded use of the name is a churchman called Nicholas de Mufet, who was a witness to a charter by the Bishop of Glasgow around 1230. He was himself elected Bishop of Glasgow in 1268, but died in 1270 before being consecrated.

A subsequent Bishop of Glasgow, Robert Wishart, was a supporter of William Wallace. Robert de Muffet and Thomas de Muffet, both from Dumfriesshire, gave homage to Edward I of England in 1296, presumably signing the 'Ragman Roll' (which Willam Wallace did not sign, and was thereby able to claim at his trial that he never owed alliegance to Edward I). Many of those who pledged alliegance to Edward I in 1296 were soon fighting against him in the Wars of Independence. As the character Craig says in Braveheart, 'a promise to a liar is no promise at all'.

In an Act of 1587 for the quieting and keeping in obedience of the disorderly subjects inhabiting the Borders, Highlands, and Islands, the Moffetis of the West Marche get special mention as being one of the more unruly clans.

The father-in-law of the famous explorer Dr David Livingstone was the Rev Robert Moffat of the London Missionary Society. Livingston used the mission station, founded by Moffat, at Kuruman in South Africa as a base for his first African travels in the 1840s. The present Chief  is Madam Jean Moffat of that Ilk, who succeeded her father on his death in 1992. 

Postings

Barrie Moffat of that Ilk ...
I've done a bit of research on the above as light relief from digging back through my own family tree. The chronological details are on my web site at http://www.moffat.uk.co
If any of it is worth adding to your annals please feel free - I am continuing with the research but only including on the web site items that are 'officially' documented in some way.
Regards,
Barrie Moffat

July, 2000

Jean Moffat of that Ilk ...
Having just read your page, please note that we only have one official tartan.

June, 1999

[We've removed the earlier reference to two tartans.]

Jan B. Moffett ...
It is mentioned in the movie that clans (or at least the nobles of these clans) in southern Scotland did not support the revolution. My ancestors were members of the Moffat Clan which was based in southern Scotland, is there any way that I could find out if any of my ancestors participated in Wallace's revolution? I tend to think that they did, since their descendants came to America and settled in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina (as did many, many other Scots) at their first opportunity. Is there any way of finding out if some of my ancestors went against the nobles and fought the Brits anyway? Thanks a bunch, I love your home page!

[Maybe your ancestors were the nobles! They probably fought against Edward I anyway. J&L]