Moreland Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Surname Name Meaning, Origin, and Etymology
This is an English/Scottish habitational or locational last name given to a person who resides in one of several places so named in the Border regions between the two countries. According to George Fraser Black’s 1946 book titled “The Surnames of Scotland”, there are locales bearing this name in Scotland: Moreland, Kincorss, Moorland in Gretna, and Morland in Skelmorlie. As to the etymology, it derives from the Old English word mor (marsh/moo/fen) and land (land). The family was first documented in Westmoreland and Cumberland where they became ancient Lords of Moland or Morthland.

The book A Topographic Dictionary of England, by Lewis Samuel, published in 1848 states the following in regard to this last name: “This was an ancient demesne of the crown, and is styled in Domesday Book Ughetorp; the Mauley became lords here at an early period, and from them the manor and estate descended by marriage to the Bigods, and afterwars to the Ratcliffes, by whom the whole was sold parcels”.

Spelling Variations
Common spelling variants or names with similar etymologies include Morlin, Morling, Merlin, Marlet, Morlan,Mereland, Morland, Moorland,Moreleand, Morelland, Morelande, and Mooreland. The name is also contained within the surname Westmoreland(er) (a lastname borne by a famous United States General during the Vietnam War).

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
The last name ranks Moreland ranks 1,921^st in popularity in terms in the United Status as of the 2000 Census.  The name ranks particularly high in the following five states: West Virginia, Maryland, Missouri, Georgia, and Ohio. The surname is less common in England, where it ranks 5,880^th. It ranks highest in the following counties:  Lancashire, Durham, Cumberland, and Westmorland. The name is common throughout the English speaking world:  Scotland (2,440^th), Wales (4,105^th), Ireland (8,504^th), Canada (7,244^th), New Zealand (3,848^th), Australia (5,485^th), and South Africa (14,184^th).

Early Bearers of the Surname
The first known bearer of this last name was Henry atte Morlonde who was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 AD. A one William de Moreland was documented in the Tax Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327 AD. Edith de la Morland who was documented in the Studies of the Middle English Local Surnames as living in county Somerset in 1357 AD.

History, Genealogy, and Ancestry
The famous genealogist Bernard Burke’s book “The Landed Gentry” discusses one branchs of this family: Moreland of The Court Lodge. It begins with a mention of William Courtenary Morland, Esquire of the Court Lodge, Lamberhurst, Kent, who was Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant, as well as High Sheriff for Sussex in 1876. He was born in 1818 and in 1843 he married Margaretta Eliza, daughter of General (Unknown) William Cator, and had issue with her: Charles William (1849, 71^st Regiment, Justice of the Peace for Kent and Sussex), Henry Courtenay (born 1835, Lieutenant of 54^th Lancers), and Caroline Margaretta Penelope (born 1852). Burke traces the lineage back to Edward Morland, or Morland, Westmorland who had issue, including John Morland born in 1562. John’s eldest son was William Morland who was born in 1590. In 1620, William married Elizabreh Holme, and had children with her including a son named John. John was of Millflat-Morland, was a Captain in the army, and married Elizabeth Robinson. He had two sons with her: Thomas and Jacob (of Capplethwaite Hall, married Rebecca Chancellor). The elder son Thomas was born in 1649 and he had a son named William. This William Morland, Esquire of Morland and Court Lodge in Kent, married Ellen, daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Johnson of Liverpool. He had three daughters with her: Elizabeth (married Thomas Hutton), Mary (married Robert Bagshaw and later Richard Gildart) and Ellen (married Francis Dildart). His son and heir was Thomas. Thomas was born in 1734 and married Anne, daughter and co-heir of William Matson, Esquire of Titeup, in Furness, county Lancaster, and had issue with her: William Alexander (married Lydia Catherine Mattiott), Reverend Henry, Charles (Rector of Horsmonden), Anna Ellen (married John Smith, Baronet of Sydling), Margaret (married Thomas Austen of Kippington), and Eliza (married Sit Charles Francis Farnaby). He died in 1784 and was succeeded by his son Charles. Charles Morland was a Colonel in the Army, Aide-de-Camp to the King and was born in 1775. In 1812, he married Caroline Eustatia, daughter of William, 8^th Earl of Devon) and had a son with her named William (mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph). The Morland Coat of Arms or Morland Family Crest is blazoned in heraldry as follows: Azure, a griffin sergeant or, quartering Matson, Courtenay, and Rivers.

Thomas Moreland Sr. was born in England in 1602. He had two sons: Thomas Jr. and John. He came to the New World and died in Virginia in 1663. His son John was born in 1654 in York County, VA and he married Ann Bell, with whom he had numerous issue: Thomas, Francis, Francis Sr., Jane (Faircloth), Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Edward, Francis, Matthew, Edward, Jane, John Jr., John, Edward, Thomas, Jane, Matthew, Mary, and Mary.  Francis Moreland Sr. was born in 1680 in Dinwiddie, Virginia. He married Ann Hubbard and later a woman named Mary and had a son. His son, Francis Thomas Moreland, was born in 1735 in Guildford, North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Phoebe Tucker and had the following issue with her: Lucretia, Mary, Phebe, Joseph Thomas, John, Francis, Robert, and Wood. His son Joseph Thomas was born in 1754 and he married Martha Nancy Turner and had four children with her: Phoebe, Nancy, Isaac, and Turner. His son Isaac William was born in 1772 and he married Nancy Turner and later Lucy Hunt, having the following issue: Amelia Hollandberry, Martha, Mary Bosanquet, Sarah, Susan Turner, Nancy Steinbach, Joseph Tucker, Elizabeth Tucker (Hightower), Isaac Newton, Jane Briden, and William Fletcher. His son Joseph Tucker was born in 1798 in Georgia and he married Martha A. Tripp, with whom he had the following children: Sarah Jane, William, Thomas C., Isaac W., James Wesley Moreland, Turner Hunt, Martha Ann, Joseph Benson, and Nancy Standback. His son James Wesley Moreland was born in 1822 in Putnam, Georgia. He married Elizabeth Ann Witherspoon and had the following issue with her: C.F. Moreland, Charles Wesley Moreland, Martha Jane Mattie Moreland, Alfredonia Albama Moreland, and Ira Bella (Langston). He died in 1892 in Homer, Louisiana.

A one Reverend Thomas Morland was born before 1603 and he had a son named Samuel. Sir Samuel Moreland was born in 1625 in Sulmastead, Berkshire. He became the first Baronet Morland in 1660 and had a diverse career: he as a diplomat, spy, inventory, and mathematician.

Early American and New World Settlers
Thomas Moreland, age 19, came to Virginia as a servan (to John Hany)t aboard the Abigall in 1621 AD. Other early colonial Americans include Christopher (Maryland 1637), Dormett (Virginia 1652), Edward or Edwin (Virginia 1663), Bartlet (Virginia 1702), and others. One of the earliest settlers in Canada with this name was Benjamin Moreland, who aboard the Sarah (from Belfast Ireland) in 1833 and landed in Saint John, New Brunswick. In New Zealand, John and Margaret came to Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Santon in 1870. In Australia, a one Benjamin Moreland came to Adelaide aboard the Caspar in 1849.

Mottoes
The Moreland family motto is Bear and forebear. I have been unable to identify any other mottoes for this surname.

Grantees
We have 3 coats of arms for the Moreland surname depicted here. These 3 blazons are from Bernard Burke’s book The General Armory of England, Ireland, and Scotland, which was published in 1848. The bottom of this page contains the blazons, and in many instances contains some historical, geographical, and genealogical about where coat of arms was found and who bore it. People with this last name that bore a Moreland Coat of Arms or Moreland Family Crest include:
1) Morland after Bernard, Member of Parliament of Nether Winchendon, Bucks, [1811]
2) Morland, of Court Lodge, in Lamberhurst, co. Kent.
3) Morland, wife of Bernard. Match and quartering, Leving, [1788]

Notables
Famous people with this last name include: 1) Whitt Lloyd Moreland (1930-1051) who was an United States Marine and hero who sacrified his life for his fellow Marines by smothering a hand grenade with his body during the Korean War and received the Medal of Honor, 2) Mantan Moreland (1902-1973) who was an American actor and comedian from Louisiana, 3) James Porter Moreland (1948) who is an American theologian, philosopher, and Christian Apologist associated with the Talbot School at Biola University, 4) Peggy Moreland (also known as Peggy Morse or Bozeman) who is an American author of romance novels, 5) Sherman Moreland (1868-1951) who was an American lawyer/politician from New York and the Philippines, and 6) Prentice Moreland (1925-1988) who was an American R&B and doo wop singer of the 1950s and later.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) Az. a griffin segreant or.
2) Sa. a lion pass. guard. in chief or, in base a leopard’s face jessant-de-lis of the last. Crest—A ship in full sail ppr.
3) (co. Kent). Gu. on three bars nebulee ar. ten martlets sa. four, four, and two.