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The
Origins of the Name Gray
The name has been
written as 'Gray' and 'Grey' over the generations, the former being the modern spelling.
The name itself could have many origins; some suggest it is from the town of Gray in Haute Saone, a town in Burgundy, in France. Rollo, Chamberlain to
Robert, Duke of Normandy, received from him the castle and honour of Croy, in Picardy, where his family assumed
the name of De Croy, which then changed to De Gray.
Take into account
Scottish history, and in particular the history of Alloa, and the connections with Mary,
Queen of Scots and France, the Gray surname in Alloa, could have stemmed from France. The surname 'Rollo' is
easily found on local gravestones in the county. Mary Queen of Scots was a visitor
at Alloa Tower as she was a good friend of the Earl of Mar, so much so, that he
brought up her son who became James 6th. The bridge over the Black Devon at
Clackmannan is called Mary Bridge after Queen Mary. She would travel by boat
from Edinburgh Castle to Stirling Castle but would have been 'dropped off' at
Clackmannan Pow and coach from there to Alloa - Clackmannan being the County
Town at the time.
The earliest, and
confirmed, 'Gray' ancestor was a sailor in 1797. This is documented on his daughter’s
birth record from the Old Parish Registers. It does not specify whether he was naval man
or local fisher. However, Alloa was a very busy and wealthy port as was Clackmannan before
it.
Gray's held lands in Sutherland, Scotland and would have migrated
throughout the country. The name seems to be a bit like 'Smith', popping up all over the
country but wherever the name originates from, there were definitely Gray's in Alloa,
Clackmannanshire.
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