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"The name Muschamp reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Muschamp family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Muschamp family lived in Nothumberland. The name, however, is a reference to Muscamp, Normandy, the family's place of recidence prior to the Norman Conquest of England 1066.
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were french and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Muscamp, Mushamp, Mushcamp, Musscamp, Musscampe, Musschampe and many more." (Source: [http://www.houseofnames.com/muschamp-family-crest])
"With the advent of the Normans and the vast land division, Barmoor [in Northumberland] was bestowed on the Muschampe family... The Muschampe family built a ‘holde’ or tower at Barmoor and a small town soon sprang up around the fortification.
The Muschampe family played host to King Edward in 1291 and Edward II in 1319. In 1417, Henry V and his Lord Wardens of the Marches assembled an army of 100,000 men at Barmoor to chastise the Scots for dispersing a body of English near Roxborough. The Scots who had just crossed the border, retired on hearing the approach of the formidable army.
The Borders were the setting for many skirmishes between Scots and English...The Border warfare began to take its toll and Barmoor suffered accordingly, until finally in 1541 the building was counted among the fortresses which were destroyed by the Scots, and in a report lodged in Newcastle was described as ‘ruinous and in extreme decay due to lack of repair’. By 1548 the estate could only parade 7 able men....Although the Union of Crowns took place in 1603, the border was still a hazardous place to live. The turbulent years had drastic results on the Muschampe fortunes and finally on 23rd February 1649, Lady Muschampe renounced administration in favour of her husband’s creditors." (Source: [http://www.barmoorcastle.co.uk/About-Northumberland-Caravan-Park/Hi...])
See also:
Barmoor Castle [http://www.northofthetyne.co.uk/BarmoorCastle.html#hist]