Person:William Halliday (18)

Taken from Burkes Commoners [all of VERY questionable quality . . .]:

    This family, which is of remote antiquity, bears one of the earliest British surnames upon record; familiar now for more than six hundred years on either side of the tweed, but originally adapted, according to tradition, as well as authentically written evidence, on the Scottish border. The people, whom it came to designate, are represented by the same testimony, as a portion of the Ulster CRUITHENE, which about the beginning of the ninth century, crossed the Irish Channel, and reconquered from the Saxons, the greater part of their original possessions in the south of Scotland.

    These lands known in our time as the district of Galloway, Dumfriesshire, and part of Peebles, formed in conjunction with Lanark and Renfrew, the Celtic kingdom of STRATH CLUYD, where in some of the most remote districts, until very recently, the G'lic (Gaelic) or Irish language was constantly spoken.

    The Cruithene, so called from the Celtic word, "Cruiteneach," to paint, had been driven into Ireland by the Roman Conquerors (about AD70) and had taken possession of the province of Ulster: but becoming in process of time too numerous for their new settlement, adventured to regain from the Saxons, a portion of that territory from which the Romans had expelled their forefathers. Victorious, - the conquered country, was divided amongst their leaders: and the Vale or Dale of the river Annan, the portion of one of these chieftains, was taken possession of by his followers. This Vale was then thickly wooded, and the deer and the wild boar could be chased from "the Devil's Punch Bowl to Annan Water Foot," without once emerging from the forest.

    With the settlement of this people on the borders of the two kingdoms, began the harassing and petty warfare which may be said to have continued until long after the Union; and tradition affirms, that "a holyday" became the warcry or slogan of the chief and people of Annandale, whenever they made a "raide" or foray upon the Saxon border - for they accounted every day HOLY, that was spent in ravaging the enemy's country.

    The wars that in the aftertimes raged between two neighbouring and rival nations, thus arose from the hatred that existed and long continued to exist between two distinct people, the Saxon and the Gaul, the oppressor and the oppressed. The Clan, when provisions became scarce were summoned to make a holyday, and in proof of the probability of this origin of the name, the eminence where the "Annandale Moss Troopers," were accustomed to assemble when a foray into England was ordered, still retains the designation of the Halliday Hill. (OS Landranger Series sheet 85 NY091741) Whether the derivation be correct or not, there are now no means of ascertaining - but the evidence is complete, that the chieftain, who first assumed the surname had his castle or strong tower, near the source of the River Annan, and about two or three miles above the present flourishing village of Moffat, so celebreated for its mineral waters; at the Corehead the ruins of this caslte may still be traced, and there we may suppose that generation after generation had lived in Celtic greatness as chiefs, and had hunted the wolf and wild boar in the woody vale, when more profitable pursuit of Saxon beeves was not necessary or advisable.

    One the accession of DAVID (AD 1149) the first of his name to the throne of Scotland, a new era may be said to have arisen; not only new laws but a new race of oeople were introduced into the country. DAVID had resided, during the greater part of his brother's reign, at the court of the Norman conquerors of England, and had married the heiress of Waltheof, Earl of Huntingdon and Northumberland, to which titles he was in consequence advanced by his royal brother-in-law in 1130. Hence, in habits and feelings he became a Norman himself, and finding his Scottish crown surrounded with many thorns, and the Celtic tribes more ready to fight for independence, than to submit to control, he prevailed upon as many as he could of the younger sons of Norman barons to accompany him into Scotland.

    In this DAVID was actuated by more than one motive, for while they could not fail to enliven his court, and by their better breeding and greater polish tend to soften and civilize the manners of the Scotch, they would, at the same time, form a very efficient body guard and enable him to raise and discipline an army with more advantage than could be done by the natives. Amongst the many young men of noble birth but scant fortune, that accompanied King DAVID, was Robert De Bruis, a son of the Baron of Cleveland, who as a reward for thus exiling himself from "merry England," received a grant of the Valla de Annan, to be hold of the Kings of Scotland "per jus Gladii" - and he erected a fortified castle.

    The Border Celts were a warlike, though at all times an undisciplined people, and subdued and heart-broken in their own territory, it may naturally be supposed they sought for adventure on some other shore. The Norman yoke must have been felt most acutely - and certain it is, that almost every man able to bear arms within the Stewartry (as it was now called) of Annandale, joined the standard of the Earl of Huntingdon, and accompanied the lion-hearted RICHARD to the Holy Land. (AD 1190-94)* But even previous to this levy "en masse", many of the Halliday clan had returned to Ireland, or fled into the wilds of Galloway, where their valour long kept the Norman at bay. It is not required to follow the history of the legions which King RICHARD led to Palestine - while the ill fated monarch was in captivity, the Earl of Huntingdon returned to England with all that remained of the British force - and such was the jealousy of the two factions, or rather the faction of Prince JOHN, which then disturbed the peace of the kingdom, that this little band of worn out, but distinguished warriors, was discharged and disbanded over the kingdom. Among these veterans, there must have been seen many of the name of Halliday, for we very soon afterwards find the surname common in several counties in England, holding freehold lands of the sovereign, as also vassals of superior lords.

From Liz Holliday (3/99)

In December of 2006, cousin Julie went on assignment to Moate, Ireland: "Not only found Moate, but found the remains of the Quaker presence there. It was our good fortune that we asked the right shop keeper about the (Monthly) Meeting House & Cemetery. He was part of the Historical Society & sold us the guide book. He showed us the cryptic map you will find on page 39. He told us that he had never seen it himself and that it was unclear where the path to it was. We found the (Moate) castle (but even when boosted up, could see nothing over the wall, save raspberry bushes.) Trying another tact, we found a narrow earthen walkway behind the shops on the main street, following it's twists and turns until we reached the other side of the stone wall surrounding the cemetery. It was a mere 8 foot drop into the burying field, we managed to climb in. We found the few standing headstones- mostly the Clibborns, Wakefields and Fairbrothers. You will find in the guidebook that no headstones were allowed, so no trace of the Hallidays or Woodwards could be found. However -- John Clibborn, who began the Quaker meetings in his castle in Moate, also erected the Meeting House in 1694. So my guess is that William (b: 1680) and Deborah Woodward (b: 1677) were married in this meeting house in 1698. I stood on the foundation rubble. I sit here beside a stone I lifted from the site- it still smells of the place. Okay, I am now smitten with the genealogy bug!"

1. ↑ Liz Holliday. Burkes Commoners Halliday Lineage.