The Murdocks, or Murdochs--for the name was spelt in either way--were numerous in the neighbourhood, and they were nearly all related to each other.

They are supposed to have originally come into the district from Flanders, between which country and Scotland a considerable intercourse existed in the middle ages.

Some of the Murdocks took a leading part in the construction of the abbeys and cathedrals of the North;[2] others were known as mechanics; but the greater number were farmers.
One of the best known members of the family was John Murdock, the poet Burns' first teacher.

Burns went to his school at Alloway Mill, when he was six years old.

There he learnt to read and write.