Sir James Murray of Kilbaberton

Baberton

Baberton is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south-west of the Edinburgh City Bypass, and south of the Edinburgh to Bathgate railway line. The village of Juniper Green is situated to the south of Baberton...

, (d.1634), was a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 master wright

Wright

Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term Wright comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word "wryhta" or "wyrhta", meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker , and is used as a British family name...

 and architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

. He served as the King's Master of Works

Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland

The Master of Works to the Crown of Scotland was responsible for the construction, repair and maintenance of royal palaces, castles and other crown property in Scotland. The main buildings were; Holyroodhouse; Edinburgh Castle; Stirling Castle; Linlithgow Palace; and Falkland Palace. The position...

 under James VI

James I of England

James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...

, and Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

. He was one of the first men in Scotland to be called an architect.

His father James Murray (d.1615) was a master wright and was appointed Overseer of the King's Works in Scotland in 1601. The younger James was appointed Overseer in 1605, when his father resigned the post, and two years later was appointed principal Master of Works in Scotland, succeeding David Cunninghame of Robertland

David Cunninghame of Robertland

Sir David Cunninghame of Robertland, in Ayrshire, was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland from 1602 to 1607.Involved in the murder of the Earl of Eglinton in 1585, Cunninghame spent some time in exile at the royal court of Denmark, and the Danish government wrote to James VI of Scotland to...

.

Murray was granted land near Juniper Green

Juniper Green

Juniper Green is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 9 kilometres south west of the city centre. It bridges the city bypass, and extends along the foothills of the Pentlands. It is bordered by Colinton to the east and Currie to the south-west. Administratively, Juniper Green...

, outside Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, in 1612. Between 1622 and 1623 he designed and built Baberton House as his home here. The innovative symmetrical u-plan house still stands, although it was extended in the 18th century, and now serves as offices. Murrays initials, together with those of his wife, Katherine Weir, appear on the house.

Murray drew up plans for Parliament House

Parliament House, Edinburgh

Parliament House in Edinburgh, Scotland, was home to the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland, and now houses the Supreme Courts of Scotland. It is located in the Old Town, just off the Royal Mile, opposite St Giles Cathedral.-Parliament Hall:...

 in Edinburgh in 1633, and the building was constructed to his design over the following years. As Master of Works he was also in charge of works at Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the...

, the reconstruction of Holyrood Palace

Holyrood Palace

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...

 prior to the coronation of Charles I, and additions to the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...

.

On 28 September 1608, Murray chased Finlay Taylor, a baillie

Baillie

A baillie or bailie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where baillies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate...

 of the Canongate, with a drawn sword in the Abbey Close near Holyroodhouse. In 1633, at the coronation of Charles I, Murray was knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

ed. He died in December of the following year.