whether the family origin is anglo-saxon, norman, or strathclyde briton is unclear. the family name may be derived from several etymological possibilities. the name is presumed to have been derived from musgrave, mewsgrave, or musgreave: "the keeper of the king's hawks, or the king's equerry." another possibility is the anglo saxon "mus" for "mouse" and "grav" for "mossy plain". the historian william camden said that they gained their name from the village of great musgrave, where they settled, but arthur collins suggested that the name was a variation of the title margrave, meaning march-warden.