MUIRHEAD 'STARK'?, William of Dullatur ^{1 2}

   User ID: Z760.

  General Notes:

"There is also a claim, by the Stark family, that John and Margaret gave birth to a second son, William (born circa 1520). According to Stark family tradition, John Muirhead, Laird of Lauchope, saved King James III (?)from an attack by a bull; thereby receiving the honor of being granted the name 'Stark' by the king. Only his youngest son, William, used that name as a surname."

from Mother Bedford website



"Report 3: William Stark of Dullutur Genealogical Research
Introduction

The Genetic Genealogy Report presented the lineage from William Stark of Dullutur to Archibald Stark of New Hampshire as reported in the publication; "The Family of General John Stark of New Hampshire, by Jane Elizabeth Stark Maney.[1] Because members of Group 2 have been proven to be genetically related this publication provides the basis for the argument that all of the members of Group 2 are descendants of William of Dullutur. This discussion will provide source data and analysis provided by the Maney publication and that of Harris and Jorgensen [2] as probable proof of the lineage from William to Archibald.

William Stark of Dullutur

The Maney publication reports:

'William3 Stark (John2, John1 Muirhead/Stark) was born abt. 1520, and died abt. 1571. He married A. Fleming 1539. The wife of William Stark of Dullutur, so called, was of the peerage. The Fleming family lived near Kilsyth. They had four children. The Stark Family was closely associated with the Fleming family as well as other influential families of that area of Scotland. The Starks never married into Royalty, as indicated by their coat-of-arms. They probably were however, members of the Landed Gentry. Dullutur is located near the village of Cumbernauld, also close to the forest of Muirhead, (1 to 1 1/2 miles). William Stark of Dullutur was probably the son of the eldest son of John Muirhead/Stark, the man who saved the life of King James IV (?). The name of this eldest son has not been found in the records. John Muirhead/Stark, our direct ancestor, probably continued to live in the area of the Cumbernauld Forest. Gazeteers state that Auchenstarry was a village located near Cumbernauld on the Forth and Clyde Canal, both hamlets very close to Dullutur. William Stark of Dullutur married a daughter of the prominent Fleming and was probably given a life estate during her lifetime. This estate would have been returned to her estate upon his death. In 1598 there is recorded a letter of reversion to the Fleming family, given by John Stark, heir of William of Dullutur.' "

Note: If William was the son of John Muirhead and Margaret Borthwick as is stated above, then the birth year of 1520 is doubtful, unless the couple married later than 1486, and/or Margaret was an extremely young bride. ^{1 2}

  Research Notes:

CAUTION

A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain by John Burke states that James Muirhead of Lachope was the "only son" of John Muirhead and Margaret Borthwick.

However, there may be some correct information contained generally in the account of the lineage of the Stark family in the sources mentioned here. The disadvantage is that much of it appears to be based on a great deal of 'tradition', which becomes inaccuracy very easily and very quickly, so, for want of more reliable primary sources, the average family historian should treat many details of the outline of the Muirhead family, as presented, with a good degree of caution.

There are errors which are easily avoidable. As a matter of fact, King James III of Scots (mentioned in the Mother Bedford notes) was alive from about 1451-2 until 1488. His successor James IV (mentioned in the Stark Y-DNA project) lived from 1473-1513. Yet both suggest 1520 was the birth year of the man who 'saved' the king's life!
If there was a William, son of John Muirhead, who became known as William Stark, his case is damaged by fundamental mistakes.