Murgatroyd

Murgatroyd is an English surname. Its etymology, according to one source, is as follows: in 1371, a constable was appointed for the district of Warley in Yorkshire. He adopted the name of Johanus de Morgateroyde, or literally: Johanus of Moor Gate Royde or the district leading to the moor.^[1] Another source says the place name means Margaret's road.^[2] In Norse, the Royd meant "Clearing" (as in a forest) ^[3] Although Moorgate in London was a gate with the road to the moor passing through, in Yorkshire, Gate (again from Norse) means street, so Moor Gate Royd would be "A clearing in the forest on the road to the moor".

The name is also used in the favorite catchphrase of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss – "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", a line first spoken by Bert Lahr in the film Meet the People, whom Snagglepuss' voice is largely based on.

The name may refer to:

People:

• Cecil G. Murgatroyd (1958–2001), long-running satirical political candidate in Australia and New Zealand
• Gavin Murgatroyd (born 1969), Namibian cricketer (previously known as Bryan Murgatroyd)
• Henry Murgatroyd (1853–1905), English cricketer
• Peta Murgatroyd (born 1986), professional dancer
• Stephen Murgatroyd (born 1950), writer, broadcaster and consultant
• William A. Murgatroyd (born 1893), analytical chemist

Fictional characters:

• The Murgatroyd family, in the Gilbert and Sullivan 1887 opera Ruddigore
• Evelyn Murgatroyd, in The Voyage Out, a 1915 novel by Virginia Woolf
• General Murgatroyd, in Highland Fling, a 1931 novel by Nancy Mitford
• Murgatroyd and Winterbottom, a British comedy act consisting of Ronald Frankau and Tommy Handley
• Ambrose Murgatroyd, in the 1941 Preston Sturges movie The Lady Eve
• Miss Amy Murgatroyd, in A Murder Is Announced, a 1950 novel by Agatha Christie
• Murgatroyd, the first frog on the Moon, in First Boy on the Moon, a 1959 children's novel by Clifford B. Hicks
• Murgatroyd, pet rabbit of the eponymous main character in Celia, a 1988 film directed by Ann Turner

References