John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl
Encyclopedia
John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, KT
, PC (24 February 1660 – 14 November 1724) was a Scottish
nobleman, politician
, and soldier. He served in numerous positions during his life, and fought in the Glorious Revolution
for William III
and Mary II
.
and his wife, the former Lady Amelia Sophia Stanley. Murray's maternal grandparents were the 7th Earl of Derby
and the Countess of Derby
. He was the first of twelve children and, as opposed to continual speculation, he was not blind in any of his eyes at any time in his life . Lord Murray matriculated from St. Andrews University in 1676.
in 1696 and was created the 1st Duke of Atholl by Queen Anne in 1703.
Lord Murray was a supporter of King William III during the Glorious Revolution
, taking the oath of loyalty in September 1689, but was unable to prevent some of his clan from joining Lord Dundee
under the command of his father's baillie, Stewart of Ballechin. Lord Murray laid siege to his family's ancestral home, Blair Castle
, which Ballechin had fortified and held for King James VII/II but ended the siege just days prior to the Battle of Killiecrankie
.
In 1683 he married Katherine Hamilton, daughter of Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
and her husband William Douglas, the Duke of Hamilton
, with whom he had six daughters and seven sons; only six children survived into adulthood.
In 1693 he was appointed as one of the commissioners to the inquiry into the massacre of Glencoe
. In 1695, Lord Murray was made Sheriff of Perth. In 1696 the earldom of Tullibardine was created for him, from whence he was known as the Earl of Tullibardine. Also in 1696, he became Secretary of State
, and from 1696 to 1698 was Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland
. With the accession of Queen Anne
in 1702, he was made a Privy Counsellor
, and in 1703 became Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
. The same year he succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Atholl, and in June 1703 he was created Duke of Atholl, Marquess of Tullibardine, Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle, Viscount of Balquhidder, Glenalmond and Glenlyon, and Lord Murray, Balvenie and Gask.
In 1704 was made a Knight of the Thistle. In 1704 an unsuccessful attempt was made by Lord Lovat
, who used the Duke of Queensberry
as a tool to implicate him in a Jacobite plot against Queen Anne. The intrigue was disclosed by Robert Ferguson, and Atholl sent a memorial to the Queen on the subject, which resulted in Queensberry's downfall. But the affair had a damaging effect on Murray's career, and he was deprived of office in October 1704. He subsequently became a strong antagonist of the government, and of the Hanoverian
succession. He vehemently opposed Union during the years 1705-1707, and entered into a project which would have resisted the crown by force, holding Stirling Castle with the aid of the Cameronians
, however, he chose to accept compensation of £1000 in order to desist with these plans (although in Lord Polwarth
's memoirs the monies were not a 'bribe' as has been suggested by the Jacobite, Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, but remuneration owed him since 1698 for service to the crown).
With the downfall of the Whigs
and the advent of the Tories to power, Murray returned to favour and to office. He was chosen a representative peer
in the House of Lords
in 1710 and in 1712 was restored to his position as High Commissioner and Keeper of the Privy Seal.
With the accession of King George I
he was again dismissed from office. Three of his sons joined the Jacobites
in the rebellion of 1715, but Murray himself remained loyal to the Government. In June 1717 he apprehended Rob Roy MacGregor, who, however, succeeded in escaping.
Atholl died in 1724, and was succeeded by his son James, Marquess of Tullibardine
.
, they had the following thirteen children:
By his second wife Lady Mary Ross, daughter of William Ross, 12th Lord Ross
and Lady Agnes Wilkie. They had the following eight children:
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
, PC (24 February 1660 – 14 November 1724) 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...
nobleman, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and soldier. He served in numerous positions during his life, and fought in the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
for William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Mary II
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
.
Early life and family
Murray was born in 1660 at Knowsley Palace to John Murray, 1st Marquess of AthollJohn Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl
John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl, KT was a leading Scottish royalist and defender of the Stuarts during the English Civil War of the 1640s, until after the rise to power of William and Mary in 1689...
and his wife, the former Lady Amelia Sophia Stanley. Murray's maternal grandparents were the 7th Earl of Derby
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby KG was a supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.Born at Knowsley, he is sometimes styled the Great Earl of Derby, eldest son of William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby and Lady Elizabeth de Vere. During his father's life he was known as Lord Strange...
and the Countess of Derby
Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby
Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby , born Charlotte de La Trémoille, was the daughter of the French nobleman Claude de La Trémoille, Duke of Thouars, and his wife Charlotte Brabantina of Nassau...
. He was the first of twelve children and, as opposed to continual speculation, he was not blind in any of his eyes at any time in his life . Lord Murray matriculated from St. Andrews University in 1676.
Later life and career
He was created 1st Earl of Tullibardine by William III of EnglandWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
in 1696 and was created the 1st Duke of Atholl by Queen Anne in 1703.
Lord Murray was a supporter of King William III during the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
, taking the oath of loyalty in September 1689, but was unable to prevent some of his clan from joining Lord Dundee
John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee , known as the 7th Laird of Claverhouse until raised to the viscounty in 1688, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian...
under the command of his father's baillie, Stewart of Ballechin. Lord Murray laid siege to his family's ancestral home, Blair Castle
Blair Castle
Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the home of the Clan Murray family, who hold the title of Duke of Atholl, though the current Duke, John Murray, lives in South Africa....
, which Ballechin had fortified and held for King James VII/II but ended the siege just days prior to the Battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
.
In 1683 he married Katherine Hamilton, daughter of Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton was a Scottish peeress.The daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish General and premier peer of the realm, and Lady Mary Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh and Lady Susan Villiers, a...
and her husband William Douglas, the Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas, Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas-Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC , born Lord William Douglas, was the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and his second wife Lady Mary Gordon, a daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly...
, with whom he had six daughters and seven sons; only six children survived into adulthood.
In 1693 he was appointed as one of the commissioners to the inquiry into the massacre of Glencoe
Massacre of Glencoe
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in...
. In 1695, Lord Murray was made Sheriff of Perth. In 1696 the earldom of Tullibardine was created for him, from whence he was known as the Earl of Tullibardine. Also in 1696, he became Secretary of State
Secretary of State, Scotland
The Secretary of Scotland was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland.The office appeared in the 14th century when it was combined with that of Keeper of the Privy Seal. Called Clericus Regis , he was regarded as an Officer of State...
, and from 1696 to 1698 was Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland
Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland
The Lord High Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland, sometimes referred to as the fifth estate of the Estates of Scotland, were the Scottish Sovereign's personal representative to the Parliament of Scotland following James VI of Scotland's accession to the throne of England and his becoming,...
. With the accession of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
in 1702, he was made a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, and in 1703 became Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal...
. The same year he succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Atholl, and in June 1703 he was created Duke of Atholl, Marquess of Tullibardine, Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle, Viscount of Balquhidder, Glenalmond and Glenlyon, and Lord Murray, Balvenie and Gask.
In 1704 was made a Knight of the Thistle. In 1704 an unsuccessful attempt was made by Lord Lovat
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat , was a Scottish Jacobite and Chief of Clan Fraser, who was famous for his violent feuding and his changes of allegiance. In 1715, he had been a supporter of the House of Hanover, but in 1745 he changed sides and supported the Stuart claim on the crown of Scotland...
, who used the Duke of Queensberry
James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry and 1st Duke of Dover was a Scottish nobleman.He was the eldest son of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry and his wife Isabel Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas.Educated at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed a...
as a tool to implicate him in a Jacobite plot against Queen Anne. The intrigue was disclosed by Robert Ferguson, and Atholl sent a memorial to the Queen on the subject, which resulted in Queensberry's downfall. But the affair had a damaging effect on Murray's career, and he was deprived of office in October 1704. He subsequently became a strong antagonist of the government, and of the Hanoverian
Hanoverian
The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe:* British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901.* things relating to the Electorate of Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, or Province of Hanover...
succession. He vehemently opposed Union during the years 1705-1707, and entered into a project which would have resisted the crown by force, holding Stirling Castle with the aid of the Cameronians
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
, however, he chose to accept compensation of £1000 in order to desist with these plans (although in Lord Polwarth
Lord Polwarth
Lord Polwarth, of Polwarth in the County of Berwick, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1690 for Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth, 2nd Baronet, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1696 to 1702...
's memoirs the monies were not a 'bribe' as has been suggested by the Jacobite, Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, but remuneration owed him since 1698 for service to the crown).
With the downfall of the Whigs
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
and the advent of the Tories to power, Murray returned to favour and to office. He was chosen a representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in 1710 and in 1712 was restored to his position as High Commissioner and Keeper of the Privy Seal.
With the accession of King George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
he was again dismissed from office. Three of his sons joined the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
in the rebellion of 1715, but Murray himself remained loyal to the Government. In June 1717 he apprehended Rob Roy MacGregor, who, however, succeeded in escaping.
Atholl died in 1724, and was succeeded by his son James, Marquess of Tullibardine
James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl
James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl KT PC , styled Marquess of Tullibardine between 1715 and 1746, was a Scottish peer.-Background:...
.
Children
By his first wife Lady Katherine, daughter of William Douglas-Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Hamilton and Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of HamiltonAnne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton was a Scottish peeress.The daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish General and premier peer of the realm, and Lady Mary Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh and Lady Susan Villiers, a...
, they had the following thirteen children:
- John Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (6 May 1684 – 11 September 1709)
- Lady Anne Murray (21 May 1685 – 20 July 1686)
- Lady Mary Murray (28 September 1686 – 6 January 1689)
- William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (14 April 1689 – 9 July 1746) (attainted and removed from the succession)
- James Murray, 2nd Duke of AthollJames Murray, 2nd Duke of AthollJames Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl KT PC , styled Marquess of Tullibardine between 1715 and 1746, was a Scottish peer.-Background:...
(28 September 1690 – 8 January 1764) - Lord Charles Murray (24 September 1691 – 28 August 1720)
- Lady Katherine Murray (28 October 1692 – 5 November 1692)
- Lord George Murray (23 August 1693 – 25 August 1693)
- Lord George MurrayLord George Murray (general)Lord George Murray was a Scottish Jacobite general, most noted for his 1745 campaign under Bonnie Prince Charlie into England...
(4 October 1694 – 11 October 1760) - Lady Susan Murray (15 April 1699 – 22 June 1725) (married William Gordon, 2nd Earl of AberdeenWilliam Gordon, 2nd Earl of AberdeenWilliam Gordon, 2nd Earl of Aberdeen , known between c. 1691 and 1720 as Lord Haddo, was a Scottish peer, Tory politician and Jacobite....
) - Lady Katherine Murray (25 April 1702–1710)
- Lord Basil Murray (29 December 1704 – February 1712)
By his second wife Lady Mary Ross, daughter of William Ross, 12th Lord Ross
William Ross, 12th Lord Ross
William Ross, 12th Lord Ross , was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician.-Origins:Ross was born in about 1656. He was the son and heir of George Ross, 11th Lord Ross, who died in 1682, by Grizel, daughter of William Cochrane, 1st Earl of Dundonald...
and Lady Agnes Wilkie. They had the following eight children:
- Lord John MurrayJohn Murray (1711–1787)General Lord John Murray was a British general and politician. Murray was the eighth son of John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, by his second wife Mary, daughter of William Ross, 12th Lord Ross. He sat as Member of Parliament for Perthshire from 1734 to 1761.-References:...
(14 April 1711 – 26 May 1787) - Lord Mungo Murray (August 1712 – June 1714)
- Lord Edward Murray (9 June 1714 – 2 February 1737)
- Lord Frederick Murray (8 January 1716 – April 1743)
- Lady Wilhelmina Caroline Murray (28 May 1718 – May 1720)
- Lady Mary Murray (3 March 1720 – 29 December 1795)
- Lady Amelia Anne Murray (20 April 1721 – 26 April 1721)