Coat-of-Arms
The descendants of John Murray do not as yet have a coat-of-arms. There are
indeed certain Murrays in possession of "their own arms", but by far the
most coats-of-arms in South Africa have been falsified by unscrupulous
dealers and palmed off as "genuine" arms to unsuspecting family members.
Any individual is free to apply to have arms exclusively designed for him or
her, but should not approach the first best heraldic designer for a
coat-of-arms.
Dealers are of course just to eager to provide all and sundry with his or
her own, exclusive arms, then merely draws up his own design offering it as
the real thing.
Before a coat-of-arm is requested, those interested should first make
enquiries at the South African Bureau of Heraldry.
About 90% of South Africans will be surprised to hear that their families
have never possessed arms. And whosoever do have arms, 9 out of 10 will have
false arms. In 1989 there were allegedly more than 42 000 falsified
coats-of-arms in circulation, which were sold by dealers to uninformed
clients. Therefore be warned.
Morayshire
Here is the emblem (coat of arms) of the "Province of Moray". One might assume that this was the basis or standard upon which the Murrays based their coats of arms over the years. The Golden Crown, Blue Shield and Three White (Five Pointed) Stars are the main features of the Murray coat of arms, with variations to identify the various groups
Depiction from BARTHOLOMEW's Scotland of Old. Clan Names Map. The Lands, The Arms and the Crests.
Tartan
The John Murray Family of South Africa apparently has no exclusive tartan of
its own, but in Scotland, there are two tartans traditionally worn by the
Murrays of Atholl, and the Murrays of Tullibardine. The Atholl consists of a
green background with broad horizontal and vertical bands of purplish blue
running across the green background. A thin line of red also runs
horizontally and vertically across the design.
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