I can't beleive the summer is here already! It only seems like five minutes ago that
I was posting my "happy new year" message!
I hope that everybody is well. To all my existing members, thank you once again for
all your support and to any new members or anyone who is visiting us for the first time- Welcome!
There are lots of new things posted around the site as usual and if you have
anything that you would like me to post; photographs, news, stories or information, please do not hesitate to send them to
me, murraysonline@hotmail.com.
Vikki
6.6.06
Hello and Welcome. Thanks for visiting the Murray homepage. I have tried to create a site where members of our family
(However extended it may be!), can find out about their history and ancestory and contact other members of the family. I need
your help! I would be ever so grateful for any pictures, stories, information or really anything that could go on here to
provide people with more information about the family. So, if you have anything at all which would be of interest, please
contact me though one of the e-mail links. I hope you enjoy the site, and hopefully (Fingers crossed!) it should be jampacked
full of all kinds of interesting things. Thanks for your support. I hope you enjoy the site.
Dear All,
Firstly, I would like to
wish you all a very happy new year and very best wishes for 2006.
Thank you so much for all
your support with the website, the amount of interest I have had is unbelievable.
I would like to say an extra
special thank-you to all the people who have contacted me and provided information, photographs and stories about their family.
So, what does 2006 have in
store for Murraysonline? Well, my main aim is to get people more involved. I have had stacks of e-mails from people who have
visited the website but I want to find a way of involving people. I am formulating ideas at the moment but in the meantime,
please make use of the chatrooms and message boards that can be found on the site and if you have not already done so, register
as a member so that I can send you the newsletters.
I have put together a selection
of the information I have received below and hope that you find it as interesting as I do!
If you have any updates to
existing information or would like to send any information to me to be put onto the site, please do so. I am always happy
to receive information and photos from people and would love to get more.
If you would like to get
involved with the website please contact me, I am always in search of new ideas.
So for now, I will leave
you with some of the messages and information that have been sent to me.
Once again, thank you for
your continuing support and best wishes for 2006.
Vikki
January 2006
Here is just
a small selection of messages from the many I have received. Thank you to all those who have contacted me, either with information
or just messages of support and comments about the website.
If you would
like to contact me for any reason, please do not hesitate. My direct e-mail address is murraysonline@hotmail.com.
Again, thank
you to all of you who have already been in touch and I look forward to hearing from you again in the future.
Vikki
Dear Sir
My name is Sandra Filby born Murray. My dad is James
Mac Millian Murray (Big Jim )– my mum Isabella Keenan Murray ( Sweeney ). I have two brothers - James (Wee
Jim) he is an ex South African – light Heavy weight Boxing Champion – and Gary, is an ex WBU
world boxing champion with many records and firsts in South African sport which, I feel should be documented. His e-mail
address is garytheheatmurray@hotmail.com.
Gary now lives in England but my mother who still resides
in SA, has all of Gary’s newspaper cuttings as well as his World Championship belt – contact Gary and perhaps
amongst us, we can get you copies of newspaper clippings, photos and information that can be posted on the web site .
The whole family emigrated from Renfrew (Cradle
of the Royal Stewarts), Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa on 16th May 1982
I am very proud of my Scottish ancestry and proud to
be a Murray – I think that your web site is awesome – Scots Wha Hae
Kind Regards
Sandra Filby
My name is Lloyd Makus. I have been working on a Family Tree. I was doing some research
of General James Murray, the first Military Governor of Canada when I came across your web site. I have a book written by
Marland Murray (A Descendant of the United Empire Loyalists) of Martintown, Ontario (Just outside of Cornwall). The book,
“The Canadian Glen Falloch Murrays” is signed and dated Dec 10, 1987, the year of it’s printing. The connection
with the Murray’s comes from my wife’s mother who was a Carpenter. I have a website with my family tree on it
where you can look at the connection.
Found the following posting -- my tree connects to George and Margaret through another child. Any information
on Margaret's parents would be greatly appreciated.
Most of
us know about Anne H. Swan, the Giantess who was born in New Annan, Colchester County (Nova Scotia), and was once billed as
the world's tallest woman. Most of us probably don't know that Anne's grandmother was a Murray. Anne's mother was Ann Graham
who in turn was a daughter of George Graham and Margaret Murray. George Graham lived for a short time at Barney's River after
arriving from Scotland. While there he married Margaret Murray who was born in that area around 1795 of Sutherlandshire emigrants.
Hello
My Name is Deborah Murray. My father was Maurice Willard Murray Of Prince Edward Island Canada, Son Of samuel Murray
Son Of Robert Murray and Catherine Kemp All of Saint John New Brunswick Canada. Robert is the son of Thomas Murray and Bibbi
Of England. And that is where I have hit a brick wall. If you have any imformation that could help me please contact me at
Adams 377@ Hotmail.com
Hello
my name is Shannon. I am wondering if you could help me, my foster brother passed away some years ago and even though he wasn't
blood I considered him my real brother. His name was Murray (first name) I was wondering if you could give me some info
on this name (what it means) I am trying to create a tattoo in memory of my brother. All the information you could give
me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you Shannon
Hello Vikki
I have been searching back my MURRAY family from Australia to England. I hope you might be able
to inform me where my MURRAY family may have originated from.
Charles MURRAY born 18 June 1835 Stratford, Essex and married 2nd Feb 1863 Emmanuel Church, Forest
Gate, Essex to Grace BURDON born 4 Feb 1843 Sunderland, Durham. They came to Australia and contributed to a large number
of descendants throughout the country. My cousin and I have just had their story published.
Charles's parents were Mary MERRIE and William MURRAY born 1808 Plaistow/Stratford, Essex,
England
I think his father was William MURRAY but unsure. I am unsure about the MERRIE family as I cannot
find any record of her parents or siblings. There is an interesting Christian name Lindley passed down many generations to
Australia. William had a brother Frederick MURRAY
Was there a surname LINDLEY connected to MURRAY back many generations?
I hope you can assist me with finding further Murray families connected.
Would these English MURRAY families be descendants of Scotland?
My 3x Gt Grandmother was Susan Murray who was born in Ireland abt
1843, the daughter of Michael Murray, a shoemaker. She was in England by 1863, when she married Michael Morgan in Durham.
Two children: Annie 1864 and Mary 1869. The family moved to Liverpool between 71 and 81, where Susan lived until her death
in 1821.
Hi to all Murray's I come from the line of John Murray 1669 Hobkirk, Roxburghshire, Scotland,
all my Ancestors except one were John Murray, right down to my Grandfather who was born in Australia in 1880 in New South
Wales,one branch is the line of Sir James Murray of Dictionary fame, if anyone has any info on this family at all I would
be most appreciative Thank You in advance Denise Heath (Murray)
Write in on the e-mail address below and tell us all about yourself. we will compile a list of Murrays all around the
world so that people can search for people they are looking for or just see where there are other murrays.
Click on the link in the menu entitled Murrayographies! for more information.
Tout Pret is the traditional motto of the Murray clan. It means 'Quite ready'.
MurrayEnglish, Scottish Derived from the region in Scotland, called
Moray. Moray means "seaboard settlement". A notable bearer of this surname is General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the
first British Governor-General of Canada.
The name Murray is Scottish. The very first record of the family name Murray was found in
Moray, which is located in Scotland. The Murray family traces their ancestral roots back to Pictish origin before the year
1100. From here they branched and migrated, gaining prosperity as notable family of Scotland and later other countries.
The Murray clan were originally from Perthshire in Scotland and then spread
through Scotland and the British isles, and now, I have discovered since I started this webiste, throughout the world. I have
been amazed by the e-mails that I have recieved and how far the Murrays have srpead around the world. Looking back though
History, The Murray clan has always been very high in status and the Murrays have had links to many important events in our
countries' history. You can read though the reems and reems of informtion on this site to find out more. E-mail me on Murraysonline@hotmail.com with any questions or information.
CLAN HISTORY
The great family of Murray or Moray (occasionally in old deeds Murref) is supposed to have descended
from Freskine (or Friskin), a Fleming, who settled in Scotland in the reign of David I (1122-1153), and acquired from that
monarch the lands of Strathbroch in Linlithgowshire, and of Duffis in Moray.
Friskin's grandson, William de Moravia,
married the daughter and heiress of David de Olifard, and was the ancestor of the Morays of Bothwell and Abercairny, represented
by the latter till the death of the late Major William Moray Stirling in 1850, when the male line became extinct, and the
property passed to his sister, the late Mrs. Home Drummond of Blair Drummond.
His descendant, the 7th in possession,
Sir William Murray of Tullibardine, succeeded to the estates of his family in 1446. He was sheriff of Perthshire, and in 1458
one of the lords named for the administration of justice, who were of the king's daily council. He married Margaret, daughter
of Sir John Colquhoun of Luss, great chamberlain of Scotland, by whom he had numerous issue. According to tradition, they
had seventeen sons, from whom a great many families of the name of Murray are descended. In a curious document entitled "The
Declaration of George Halley, in Ochterarder, concerning the Laird of Tullibardine's seventeen sons - 1710", it is stated
that they "lived all to be men, and that they waited all one day upon their father at Stirling, to attend the king, with each
of them one servant, and their father two. This happening shortly after an Act was made by King James Fifth, discharging any
person to travel with great numbers of attendants besides their own family, and having challenged the laird of Tullibardine
for breaking the said Act, he answered he brought only his own sons, with their necessary attendants; with which the king
was so well pleased that he gave them small lands in heritage".
The eldest of Tullibardine's seventeen sons, Sir William
Murray of Tullibardine, had, with other issue, William, his successor, and Sir Andrew Murray, ancestor of the Viscounts Stormont.
His great-grandson, Sir William Murray of Tullibardine, was a zealous promoter of the Reformation in Scotland. George Halley,
in the curious document already quoted, says that "Sir William Murray of Tullibardine having broke Argyll's face with the
hilt of his sword, in King James the Sixth's presence, was obliged to leave the kingdom. Afterwards, the king's mails and
slaughter cows were not paid, neither could any subject to the realm be able to compel those who were bound to pay them; upon
which the king cried out - 'O, If I had Will Murray again, he would soon get my mails and slaughter cows'; to which one standing
by replied - 'That if his Majesty would not take Sir William Murray's life, he might return shortly'. The king answered, 'He
would be loath to take his life, for he had not another subject like him!'. Upon which promise Sir William Murray returned
and got a commission for the king to go to the north, and lift up the mails and the cows, which he speedily did, to the great
satisfaction of the king, so that immediately after he was made lord comptroller". This office be obtained in 1565.
His
eldest son, Sir John Murray, the twelfth feudal baron of Tullibardine, was brought up with King James, who in 1592 constituted
him his master of the household. On 10th July 1606 he was created Earl of Tullibardine. His lordship married Catherine, fourth
daughter of David, second Lord Drummond, and died in 1609.
His eldest son, William, second Earl of Tullibardine, married
Lady Borothea Stewart, eldest daughter and heir of line of the fifth Earl of Athole of the Stewart family, who died in 1595
without make issue. He eventually, in 1625, petitioned King Charles the First for the earldom of Athole. The king received
the petition graciously, and gave his royal word that it should be done. The earl accordingly surrendered the title of Earl
of Tullibardine into the king's hands, 1st April 1626, to be conferred on his brother Sir Patrick Murray as a separate dignity,
but before the patents could be issued, his lordship died the same year. His son John, however, obtained in February 1629
the title of Earl of Athole, and thus became the first earl of the Murray branch, and the earldom of Tullibardine was at the
same time granted to Sir Patrick. This Earl of Athole was a zealous royalist, and joined the association formed by the Earl
of Montrose for the king at Cumbernauld, in January 1641. He died in June 1642. His eldest son John, second Earl of Athole
of the Murray family, also faithfully adhered to Charles the First, and was excepted by Cromwell out of his act of grace and
indemnity, 12th April 1654, when he was only about nineteen years of age. At the Restoration, he was sworn a privy counciller,
obtained a charter of the hereditary office of sheriff of Fife, and in 1663 was appointed justice-general of Scotland. In
1670 he was constituted captain of the king's guards, in 1672 keeper of the privy seal, and 14th January 1673, an extraordinary
lord of session. In 1670 he succeeded to the earldom of Tullibardine on the death of James, fourth earl of the new creation,
and was created Marquis of Athole in 1676. He increased the power of his family by his marriage with Lady Amelia Sophia of
Derby, beheaded for his loyalty 15th October 1651. Through her mother, Charlotte de la Tremouille, daughter of Claude de la
Tremouille, Duke of Thouars and Prince of Palmont, she was related in blood to the Emperor of Germany, the kings of France
and Spain, and most of the principal families of Europe; and by her the family of Athole acquired the seignory of the Isle
of Man, and also large property in that island.
John, the second Marquis and first Duke of Athole, then designated
Lord Murray, was one of the commissioners for inquiring into the massacre of Glencoe in 1693. He was created a peer in his
father's lifetime, by the title of Earl of Tullibardine, Viscount of Glenalmond, and Lord Murray, for life, by patent dated
27th July 1696, and in April 1703 he was appointed lord privy seal. On the 30th July of that year, immediately after his father's
death, he was created Duke of Athole by Queen Anne, and invested with the order of the Thistle. His grace died 14th November
1724. He was twice married; first to Catherine, daughter of the Duke of Hamilton, by whom he had six sons and a daughter,
and secondly to Mary, daughter of William Lord Ross, by whom he had three sons and a daughter. His eldest son John, Marquis
of Tullibardine, was killed at the battle of Malplaquet in 1709. His second son William, who succeeded his brother, was the
Marquis of Tullibardine who acted the prominent part in both the Scottish rebellions of last century. In 1745 he accompanied
Prince Charles Edward to Scotland, and landed with him at Borodale 25th July. He was styled Duke of Athole by the Jacobites.
After the battle of Culloden he fled to the westward, intending to embark for the Isle of Mull, but being unable, from the
bad state of his health, to bear the fatigue of travelling under concealment, he surrendered, on the 27th April 1746, to Mr
Buchannan of Drummakill, a Stirlingshire gentleman. Being conveyed to London he was committed to the Tower, where he died
on the 9th July following.
James, the second Duke of Athole, was the third son of the first duke. He succeeded to the
dukedom on the death of his father in November 1724, in the lifetime of his elder brother William, attainted by parliament.
Being maternal great-grandson of James, seventh Earl of Derby, upon the death of the tenth earl of that line he claimed and
was allowed the English barony of Strange, which had been conferred on Lord Derby by writ of summons in 1628. His grace was
married, first to Jean, widow of James Lannoy of Hammersmith, and sister of Sir John Frederick, Bart, by whom he had a son
and two daughters; secondly to Jane, daughter of John Drummond of Megginch, who had no issue. The latter was the heroine of
Dr Austen's song of 'For lack of gold she's left me, O!@. She was betrothed to that gentleman, a physician in Edinburgh, when
the Duke of Athole saw her, and falling in love with her, made proposals of marriage, which were accepted; and, as Burns says,
she jilted the doctor. Having survived her first husband, she married a second time, Lord Adam Gordon.
The son and
the eldest daughter of the second Duke of Athole died young. Charlotte, his youngest daughter, succeeded on his death, which
took place in 1764, to the barony of Strange and the sovereignty of the Isle of Man. She married her cousin, John Murray,
Esq., eldest son of Lord George Murray, fifth son of the first duke, and the celebrated generalissimo of the forces of Prince
Charles Edward in 1745. Though Lord George was attained by parliament for his share in the rebellion, his son was allowed
to succeed his uncle and father-in-law as third duke, and in 1765 he and his duchess disposed of their sovereignty of the
Isle of Man to the British government for seventy thousand pounds, reserving, however, their landed interest in the island,
with the patronage of the bishopric and other ecclesiastical benefices, on payment of the annual sum of one hundred and one
pounds fifteen shillings and eleven pence, and rendering two falcons to the kings and queen of England upon the days of their
coronation. His grace, who had seven sons and four daughters, died 5th November 1774, and was succeeded by his eldest son
John, fourth duke, who in 1786 was created Earl Strange and Baron Murray of Stanley, in the peerage of the United Kingdom.
He died in 1830. The fourth duke was succeeded by his eldest son John, who was for many years a recluse, and died single 14th
September 1846. His next brother James, a major-general in the army, was created a peer of the United Kingdom, as baron Glenlyon
of Glenlyon, in the county of Perth, 9th July 1821. He married in May 1810, Emily, second daughter of the Duke of Northumberland,
and by her he had two sons and two daughters. He died in 1837. His eldest son, George Augustus Frederick John, Lord Glenlyon,
became on the death of his uncle in 1846, sixth Duke of Athole. He died in 1864, and was succeeded by his only son, John James
Hugh Henry, seventh Duke of Athole, who inherited the barony of Percy and several co-heirships on the death of his great uncle
Algeron, fourth Duke of Northumberland in 1865. The family residence of the Duke of Athole is Blair Castle, Perthshire.
The
firs baronet of the Ochtertyre family was created William Moray of Ochtertyre, who was created a baron of Nova Scotia, with,
remainder to his heirs male, 7th June 1673. He was descended from Patrick Moray, the first styled of Ochtertyre, who died
in 1476, a son of Sir David Murray of Tullibardine. The family continued to spell their name Moray till 1739, when the present
orthography, Murray, was adopted by Sir William, third baronet.
IT is highly interesting, at a period when this country has been brought into such close touch
with the Belgian people, as indomitable as they are industrious, to recall the fact that more than one of our most illustrious
Scottish families derive their descent from the notables of Flanders in earlier times. Among the Flemings who have left a
conspicuous mark in Scottish history one of the most distinguished was a certain Freskin. Sir Robert Douglas in his Scottish
Peerage calls him "a gentleman of Flemish origin" who came into Scotland during the reign of David I., and obtained from
that munificent sovereign the lands of Strathbrock in Linlithgowshire. Soon after the settlement of this individual the famous
insurrection of the Moraymen broke out. This was in the year 1130, and Freskin by his skill and bravery is said to have contributed
vitally to the reduction of the rebellion. In return, King David conferred upon him a large and fertile district in the lowlands
of Moray. Forthwith the new owner built a strong castle at Duffus, where his descendants flourished for many generations.
William, a chief of the family, who was Sheriff of Invernairn, and died about 1220, is believed to have been the first to
assume the surname "de Moravia" or Moray. From him descended the Morays, Lords of Bothwell, the Morays of Abercairney, and
Sir William de Moravia, ancestor of the Dukes of Atholl of the present day.
Of the younger branches the Lords of Bothwell made a great name during the Wars of
Succession and Independence. The sixth chief, Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, was the first to join the patriot Wallace when
he raised his standard. When the other barons deserted the national cause he alone remained steadfast. Along with Wallace
he acted as Governor of Scotland, and after the battle of Stirling Bridge, where he was grievously wounded, he signed along
with Wallace the famous letter, still extant, to the free city of Lubeck, which declared the ports of Scotland open to foreign
commerce. His son, another Sir Andrew, was not less distinguished for his support to the cause of King Robert the Bruce. He
married Christian, a sister of that King, and after the overthrow of the Regent Earl of Mar at Duplin, was appointed Regent
by the Scottish Parliament. He was a prisoner in England at the time of the battle of Halidon Hill, but obtained his freedom
in time to march to the relief of his wife, who was bravely defending Kildrummy Castle, one of the four strongholds which
alone in Scotland held out for David Bruce against Edward Baliol and Edward III. Curiously enough the besieger on that occasion
was David Hastings, Earl of Atholl, a title which, in later days, was to become a distinction of the Morays. In the upshot
Hastings was overthrown and slain at the battle of Kilblene on St. Andrews Day, 1335. It was in the same campaign that Sir
Andrew Moray, besieging Lochindorb, was almost surprised by the English, and reassured his men, first by insisting upon completion
of the service of Mass which he was hearing, and then by delaying to mend a strap of his armour which had been broken, then
led his force out of danger in good time through the wild passes of the Findhorn. On the death of Thomas Moray, of Bothwell,
the estates of this branch passed to his daughter Joanna and her husband, Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway and third Earl
of Douglas, the natural son of the Good Sir James of Douglas.
The Morays of Abercairney still own their ancestral estate in Strathearn. It was
saved for them on one occasion by the stratagem of a retainer. Moray of Abercairney was preparing to join the rebellion of
Prince Charles Edward, when, as he was drawing on his boots, his butler dashed a kettleful of boiling water about his legs,
with the exclamation, "Let them fecht wha will, bide ye at hame and be laird of Abercairney."
The main line of the Morays, however, was represented by Sir John de Moravia, Sheriff
of Perth in the time of William the Lion, 1165-1214. The son of this individual is named in a charter of 1284, " Dominus Malcomus
de Moravia, Miles, Vicecomes de Perth." The successor of the latter, Sir William de Moravia, married Ada, daughter of Malise,
Earl or Seneschal of Strathearn, and got with her the lands of Tullibardine in that district, from which his descendants took
their title. In the same way another daughter of the Seneschal of Strathearn married the chief of the Grahams, bringing him
the estate of Kincardine, adjoining that of Tullibardine in Strathearn and becoming the mother of the great Scottish hero,
Sir John the Graham, the friend of Sir William Wallace, and ancestor of the great house of Montrose.
The son of Sir William de Moravia and Ada of Strathearn was Andrew Murray of Tullibardine.
It was he who in 1332 helped Edward Baliol to win the battle of Duplin by fixing a stake to mark the ford in the Earn, through
which Baliols army passed to surprise and route the Scottish host under the Regent Mar. For this, when he was made prisoner
two months later, Murray was put to death. He left a son, however, and his descendant Sir John, the twelfth Murray of Tullibardine,
was Master of the Household and a member of the Privy Council of James VI. In 1604 he was made Lord Murray of Tullibardine,
and two years later Earl of Tullibardine. His son, William, the second Earl, had the good fortune, along with his cousin David,
Viscount Stormont, when a very young man, to help in the rescue of James VI. at Perth, when the Earl of Gowrie is said to
have attempted his life. For this he was made hereditary Sheriff of Perthshire. He married the Lady Dorothea Stewart, eldest
daughter of John, fifth Earl of Atholl. By this marriage the Murrays became inheritors of a title which had an interesting
story. On the overthrow of the Black Douglas in the middle of the fifteenth century, James II. had married Margaret, the Fair
Maid of Galloway, heiress of that great house, to his own half-brother, John Stewart, son of the Black Knight of Lorne and
Queen Joan, widow of James I. This pair the King made Lord and Lady Balvenie, and afterwards Earl and Countess of Atholl,
and their direct descendant was the fifth Earl of Atholl, whose eldest daughter carried the title and estates to the house
of Tullibardine.
Earl William arranged that the earldoms of Atholl and Tullibardine should go respectively
to his son and his brother Patrick, but on the death of Earl Patricks son the earldom of Tullibardine came back to the main
line.
The second Murray Earl of Atholl, to whom the Tullibardine title thus returned, was
a strong supporter of the cause of Charles I. during the civil wars. The Marquess of Montrose was received by him at Blair
Castle in 1644; and he raised no fewer than eighteen hundred men to fight for the King. It was this addition to his forces
which enabled Montrose to win his early victory at Tibbermuir. Atholls son also, in 1653, brought no fewer than two thousand
men to the royal standard when it was raised by the Earl of Glencairn. These were the Atholl men who swooped down upon the
Argyll country and struck an effective blow against the influence of the Covenanting Marquess of Argyll, then at the head
of the Scottish Government. By way of return one of Cromwells officers, Colonel Daniel, penetrated the Atholl fastnesses,
took Blair Castle by storm, and blew it up. it was for these services and sufferings that in 1676, after the Restoration,
the Earl was made a Knight of the Thistle and raised to the dignity of Marquess of Atholl. Sixteen years later, however, the
Revolution took place, and then, possibly owing to his wifes relationship with the House of Nassau, Atholl took the side of
William of Orange. An officer belonging to the Jacobite army of Viscount Dundee seized Blair Castle, and refused to deliver
it to the owners son, and it was to attempt the reduction of the stronghold that General MacKay set out on his march with
the Government forces through the Grampian passes. Dundee, who had come to the help of the garrison, was ready for him, and
as the Government troops emerged from the narrow gorge at Killiecrankie he swooped down upon them, cut them to pieces, and
himself fell in the moment of victory.
The first Marquess of Atholl married Lady Amelia Sophia Stanley, only daughter of
James, seventh Earl of Derby, by his wife, Charlotte de la Tremouille. This lady was the famous Countess of Derby who defended
Latham House against the army of the Parliament in 1644, and for her energetic protection of the Isle of Man in 1651figures
in Sir Walter Scotts Peveril of the Peak. Her mother was a daughter of the Prince of Orange, and she could trace descent
from the Greek emperors of Constantinople in the eleventh century. It was in commemoration of the marriage of the Marquess
of Atholl with the daughter of the House of Derby that the name of Stanley was given to the well-known village between Perth
and Dunkeld.
While the eldest son of this marriage succeeded to the Atholl titles, the second
son, Charles, was created Earl of Dunmore, and became ancestor of the distinguished family bearing that title. The fourth
son, William, having married Margaret, daughter of the first Lord Nairne, became the second lord of that name. He was out
in "the 15," and his son, the Honourable John Nairne, was out in "the 45 "; but the title was restored in 1824 to the latters
grandson, whose wife was the famous singer of the lost Jacobite cause, Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne.
The second Marquess was created Duke of Atholl in 1703. Partly no doubt because of
his mothers descent from the House of Nassau, he supported the cause of William of Orange; but he was a strong opponent of
the union between Scotland and England, and the Jacobite influence was strong in his family, so his sons played striking parts
in the story of the Jacobite rebellions of their time. His second son, William, who, on the death of an elder brother, became
Marquess of Tullibardine, was one of the first to join the Earl of Mar in 1715. For this he was attainted, but escaped abroad.
He returned to Scotland with the Spanish forces, took part in the battle of Glenshiel in 1719, and again escaped. Twenty-six
years later he came again to Scotland with Prince Charles Edward. After Culloden he made his way to the shores of Loch Lomond,
where, being taken prisoner by Buchanan, Laird of Drumakil, he hurled a curse upon the latters house which, according to local
tradition, took effect for three generations. Eventually he was carried to London, where he died in the Tower in 1746. Charles,
the Dukes fourth son, commanded a Jacobite regiment in 1715, was captured at Preston, and sentenced to be shot, but was afterwards
reprieved. Most distinguished of all was Lord George Murray, the Dukes fifth son. Wounded at the battle of Glenshiel in 1719,
he escaped abroad and served in the Sardinian army, but obtained a pardon and returned home. He joined Prince Charles in 1745,
and, as Lieutenant-General of the Jacobite army, was the real commander at the battles of Preston, Falkirk, and Culloden.
Notwithstanding various accusations which have been made against him, he was without doubt the ablest leader on the Princes
side, and, had his suggestions been followed, a different turn might have been given to the later history of the House of
Stewart. As it was, his eldest son succeeded as third Duke of Atholl.
Meanwhile James, third son of the first Duke, had succeeded to the titles, and on
the death of the tenth Earl of Derby without issue had inherited the Stanley barony of Strange as well as the Kingship of
the Isle of Man, which had been granted to Sir John de Stanley by King Henry IV. in 1406. The lordship of the Isle of Man
had formerly been an appanage of the Scottish crown, but was seized during the Wars of Succession by Edward I. of England.
There was an element of justice, therefore, in its return to the possession of a great Scottish house. The existence of an
independent kingship within the British Isles, however, became an anomaly, and in 1765 it was purchased from John, third Duke
of Atholl, by the British Government for £70,000. Further payments were subsequently made for the familys landed and other
interests in the island, and the entire sum ultimately amounted to nearly half a million sterling, which may be regarded as
the redemption money for the seizure made by Edward I. as Hammer of the Scots.
It was in the time of this second Duke that the larch was introduced to Scotland
and to the ducal estates from the Tyrol in 1738. Five larch plants were brought to Dunkeld, and a few others to Blair Atholl
and Monzie. The species had not previously been looked upon as a suitable forest tree for Scotland, as it was thought to be
far too tender for the climate. Of the five trees planted at Dunkeld, two are still to be seen near the eastern end of the
cathedral. In 1839 two of the others were felled. One, containing 168 cubic feet of wood, was sold where it lay to Leith shipbuilders
for £25 45.; the other, containing 147 cubic feet, was sent to Woolwich, and used as beams in the repair of the store-ship
Serapis. These marked the beginning of great tree-planting operations in the Atholl district, and before 1821 some
nine thousand acres had been placed under wood, converting a barren district into valuable forest land, and rendering much
of the previously waste country between the plantations available for natural pasture.
The son of the second Duke of Atholl died before his father, and John Murray, who
succeeded as third Duke, was the eldest son of Lord George Murray, Lieutenant-General of the Jacobite forces in " the 45."
He married the only surviving daughter of the second Duke, and with her inherited the barony of Strange and the sovereignty
of the Isle of Man, which latter he disposed of as already mentioned. It was his eldest son, the fourth Duke, who was the
famous improver of the Atholl estates, and to him is attributed the saying "aye be putting in a tree, it will be growing while
yere sleeping." It was he who finally disposed of the family property and privileges in the Isle of Man to the Crown for the
sum of £409,000. And he also began the building of the new palace at Dunkeld, which was designed to be one of the most magnificent
residences in Scotland, but was never completed. The park about it he converted into one of the finest landscape gardens,
planning it to include a famous home farm, American gardens, and carriage drives thirty miles in extent. It was he who received
the poet Robert Burns at Blair Castle, and of whose hospitality and pleasant family circle the poet has left so charming a
picture. His second son was created Lord Glenlyon in 1821. The second Lord Glenlyon succeeded as sixth Duke. His mother was
the second daughter of the second Duke of Northumberland, and his only son was the late holder of the dukedom, who succeeded
in 1864.
Needless to say, the House of Atholl and the great family of Moray or Murray have
always played a striking and strenuous part in the history of the country. Their feuds with their neighbours have not been
so numerous as those of many other clans, but one at least was long continued and included one of the most tragic episodes
in clan warfare. It was the feud between the Murrays of Auchtertyre and the Drummonds in Strathearn. A mutual jealousy existed
for centuries between the two families, and it came to a head in 1490, when Murray of Auchtertyre was induced to poind certain
cattle belonging to the Drummonds, for payment of a debt demanded by the Abbot of Inchaffray. In revenge, William, Master
of Drummond, son of the first Lord Drummond, led an attack against the Murrays. In the battle at Knockmary near Crieff the
Murrays were at first successful, but the Drummonds, being reinforced, finally drove them off the field. The fugitives took
refuge in the little kirk of Monzievaird, on the spot where the Mausoleum now stands in the park of Auchtertyre, and for a
time the pursuers could not find them. But a too zealous Murray clansman, seeing his chance, shot an arrow from the kirk and
killed a Drummond; whereupon the Drummonds heaped combustibles round the little fane, and burned it with all it contained
to ashes. Eight score Murrays were included in the holocaust, only one of those within the kirk escaping by the compassion
of a Drummond clansman outside, who was his relation, and who, for his kindness, had to flee from the wrath of his own clansmen
to Ireland for a time.
Blair Atholl itself, we have seen, had also its own tale of storm and battle. The
oldest part of Blair Castle is known as Comyns Tower, having been built, it is said, by John Comyn de Strathbogie, who enjoyed
the Atholl title in right of his wife. From its builders time downwards the stronghold stood many a siege. Its last experience
of this kind was in March, 1746, when Sir Andrew Agnew defended it against the Jacobites, then on their way north to their
last struggle at Culloden. Some curious details of the siege on this occasion are given in the Scots Magazine for 1808.
Many a famous visitor has been entertained within these walls, as well as at Dunkeld lower in the pass, where the Dukes of
Atholl also have a seat. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Dunkeld House in 1842, and in 1844 the Royal Family spent
some weeks at Blair Castle. On these occasions the illustrious visitors were received at the boundary of the property by a
guard of Atholl Highlanders several hundreds in number, and to the present hour this body remains in existence. It has been
called the only private army in the British Isles, and when it turns out on great occasions under the command of the Duke
of Atholl it forms indeed a notable sight to see.
The late seventh Duke was Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Perth from 1878. As a
young man he was a captain in the Scots Fusilier Guards, and was afterwards Colonel of the 3rd Battalion of the Black Watch.
During the South African War he raised 1,200 men for the Scottish Horse, and sent them out to the command of his son, the
Marquess of Tullibardine. From material in the family charter room he compiled for private circulation five volumes of Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine Families.
The present Duke is one of the most active men of affairs in the country. While still
Marquess of Tullibardine, he won distinction in many fields. Holding a commission in the Royal Horse Guards, he served with
the Egyptian Cavalry as Staff Officer to Colonel Broadwood during the Nile expedition of 1898, and took part in the battles
of the Atbara and Khartoum, when he was mentioned twice in despatches, and received the D.S.O. He also served in the South
African War, first with the Royal Dragoons and afterwards as Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the 1st and 2nd Scottish Horse,
which regiment he had himself raised. For his share in this campaign he was mentioned three times in despatches, received
the Queens and the Kings medal, and was made M.V.O. For service in the great war of 1914 he raised two additional regiments
of Scottish Horse for the formation of a Highland Mounted Brigade, and is Commandant of the Scottish Horse and a Brigadier-General.
He also had a distinguished career as Member of Parliament for Perthshire, and there is no more popular peer north of the
Border. Since the war he has raised £140,000 for a Scottish National War Memorial; he has acted as Lord High Commissioner
to the General Assembly, and has held the post of Lord Chamberlain in the Royal Household.
Septs of Clan Murray: MacMurray, Moray, Rattray, Small, Spalding.
Another account of the clan...
The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered
throughout Scotland. Famed for their patriotism from earliest times they boasted a royal origin. They are descended from the
Flemish nobleman Freskin de Moravia (also progenitor of Clan Sutherland). He and his son were granted extensive lands in Moray
and intermarried with the old line of Celtic Mormaers from Moray. The descendants of his grandson William de Moravias' decendents
became Lords of Bothwell but changed their name to Murray/Moray by the end of the 13th century. From him descend the principal
houses of Murray; Tullibardine, Atholl, Abercairney and Polmaise. Andrew Murray the great Scots patriot was fatally wounded
at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. His son also Sir Andrew married the King's sister and was Regent of Scotland after
the death of Robert the Bruce. The principal family to which the chiefship was unchallenged for most of the clan's history
was Murray of Tullibardine, ancestors of the Dukes of Atholl. The lands of Tullibardine were acquired by Sir William de Moravia
in 1282. Sir David Murray, 6th of Tullibardine had ten sons: William succeeded as 7th Laird; and Patrick was ancestor of the
Earls of Dysart, the Murray baronets of Ochtertyre and the Earls of Mansfield (whose family seat is Scone Pal ace). Sir John,
12th of Tullibardine was created Lord Murray in 1604 and Earl in 1606 and his grandson was created Earl of Atholl in 1629.
The Murrays fought for the Jacobite cause. Lord George Murray, Lieutenant-General of the Jacobite army besieged Blair Castle
while it was occupied by the Hanovarians in 1745. The Atholl Highlanders who fought at Culloden are the only unit of the Jacobite
army surviving today and are also the only legal private army in Scotland. In 1736 the 2nd Duke of Atholl inherited the sovereignty
of the Isle of Man through his grandmother but surrendered this to the government in 1765 for £70,000. Blair Castle at Blair
Atholl is still the family seat of the Dukes of Atholl where the Chief resides.
Map of Perthshire, where the Murray clan originated
What's on the site?
Well, at the moment, not a lot. I am hoping to build up an archive of family history, photographs, names, places, stories
and information. I need anything that anybody can send me, the more the better. I would be really gratefull. Also, I would
like to build up a database of e-mail addresses so that people can contact other family members. I have started to find information
about the Murrays, but I don't know if it has anything to do with our specific Murrays. If anybody knows where I could find
some information, I would really appreciate it. Bare with me, it will happen.
I would be really, really gratefull if everybody who visits the site, could just leave a little
message on the message board, so that I know whether the site is any good or how I could improve it. If you would like to
ask a more detailed or specific question or contact anothe member of the clan, there is a more personal message board and
chat room facility on the Family forum page. thank you.
Family pictures
Peter very kindly sent me a picture of himself and it would be absoltely fantastic if everybody could send one.
PICTURES
Here is another great picture I have been sent. The little girl on the right (In the pink t-shirt) is my
Cousin, Charlottle. send in your family pictures and add them to the collection.
Murraysonline@hotmail.com
Let me know who you are, who you would like to nominate and why.
Thank you to whoever sent this message in this week, about their son Taal, who they feel deserves
to be crowned Murray of the week. CONGRATULATIONS!!to you Taal, you are Murray of the week. Well done and keep up the good
work.
name = Taal Murray replyemail = Flounda@blueyonder.co.uk comments = My son Taal is ! yrs old and has gained the top level that he can achieve in verbal
reasoning - this level puts him in the top 5% in Britain. I feel that he is a credit to the Clan and that he deserves Murray
of the week ( watch for him in the future!!) I think that we as his parents deserve a special award for having to put
up with his verbal reasoning!
Could you be Murray of the week?
Do you have what it takes? Each week we will honour the most outstanding and special member of the Murray family with
this prestigious award. You can click on the link below to send in your nominations, get them in, tell me who you think most
deserves this award, watch this space!
Research facility
If there is a specific topic that you would like to know more about or a question that you would like answered, you can
use the mailer box below to send a message directly to the me and I will do everything I possibly can to help you. I may be
able to access resources on the internet or in Libraries or talk to other family members, I will do anything I can to help,
and it won't cost you a penny! So, if there is something you would like to know, just send a direct message through the box
below.
Alternatively, you can post a message on the various message borards around the site, talk
to other family members in the chat room (Found on the Faily forum page), browse through the information here on the site,
or look through the lists of links that are in various places around the site, there are lots of very useful websites. Also,
there are various search tools dotted about, look out for the red research signs, you can search through the entire internet
with a click of a button. Good luck. If you have any problems, please e-mail using the link below (Or any of the e-mail
links throughout the site).
A Scotsman is working at a sewerage. It's a warm day, so he
takes off his jacket and drapes it over a handrail - where it slips off into a vast tank of poo! He's just about to dive
in when his mate shouts "It's nae guid tae do that, the jacket's ruined" He replies "Aye, ah ken, but ma sandwiches are
in the pocket"
A Scots boy came home from school and told his mother he had
been given a part in the school play. "Wonderful," says the mother, "What part is it?" The boy says "I play the part of the
Scottish husband!" The mother scowls and says: "Go back and tell your teacher you want a speaking part."
Jock's wife Maggie went to the doctor complaining of pains in the stomach.
The doctor told her it was 'just wind'. "Just wind?" she screamed at him. "It was just wind that blew down the Tay Bridge!"
TherA young Scottish lad and lass were sitting on a low stone wall,holding
hands, gazing out over the loch. For several minutes they sat silently. Then finally the girl looked at the boy and said,
"A penny for your thoughts, Angus." "Well, uh, I was thinkin'...perhaps it's aboot time for a wee kiss." The girl blushed,
then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Then he blushed. The two turned once again to gaze out over the loch. Minutes
passed and the girl spoke again. "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus." "Well, uh, I was thinkin' perhaps it's noo time
aboot time for a wee cuddle." The girl blushed, then leaned over and cuddled him for a few seconds. Then he blushed.
Then the two turned once again to gaze out over the loch. After a while, she again said, "Another penny for your thoughts,
Angus." "Well, uh, I was thinkin' perhaps it's aboot time you let me put my hand on your leg." The girl blushed,
then took his hand and put it on her knee. Then he blushed. The the two turned once again to gaze out over the lock before
the girl spoke again. "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus." The young man glanced down with a furled brow. "Well,noo,"
he said, "my thoughts are a wee bit more serious this time." "Really?" said the lass in a whisper, filled with anticipation. "Aye,"
said the lad, nodding. The girl looked away in shyness, began to blush, and bit her lip in anticipation of the ultimate
request. Then he said, "Dae ye nae think it's aboot time ye paid me the first three pennies?"
Five Englishmen boarded a train just behind five Scots, who, as
a group had only purchased one ticket. Just before the conductor came through, all the Scots piled into the toilet stall at
the back of the car. As the conductor passed the stall, he knocked and called"Tickets, please!" and one of the Scots slid
a ticket under the door. It was punched, pushed back under the door, and when it was safe all the Scots came out and took
their seats. The Englishmen were tremendously impressed by the Scots' ingenuity. On the trip back, the five Englishmen decided
to try this themselves and purchased only one ticket. They noticed that, oddly, the Scots had not purchased any tickets this
time. Anyway, again, just before the conductor came through, the Scots piled into one of the toilet stalls, the Englishmen
into the other. Then one of the Scots leaned out, knocked on the Englishmen's stall and called "Ticket, Please!" When the
ticket slid out under the door, he picked it up and quickly closed the door
When Jock moved to London he constantly annoyed his English
acquaintances by boasting about how great Scotland was. Finally, in exasperation, one said, "Well, if Scotland's so marvelous,
how come you didn't stay there?" "Well," explained Jock "they're all so clever up there I had to come down here to
have any chance of making it at all
Jock and a Englishman were flying from Edinburgh when the stewardess approached.
"May I get you something?" she asked. "Aye, a whusky" Jock replied. She poured him a drink then asked the Englishman if
he'd like one. "Never!" he said sternly. "I'd rather be raped and ravished by whores all the way to America than drink whisky!" Jock
hurriedly passed the drink back, saying "Och, Ah didna ken there wuz a choice!"
Jock finds himself in dire trouble. His business has gone bust
and he's in serious financial problems. He's so desperate that he decides to ask God for help. "God, please help me. Ah've
lost ma wee store and if Ah dinna get some money, Ah'm going to lose my hoose too. Please let me win the lottery!" Lottery
night! Someone else wins... Jock prays again. "God, please let me win the lottery! Ah've lost my wee store, ma hoose
and Ah'm going to lose ma car as weel!" Lottery night again! Still no luck... Jock prays again. "Ah've lost ma business,
ma hoose and ma car. Ma bairns are starving. Ah dinna often ask Ye for help and Ah have always been a good servant to
Ye. PLEASE just let me win the lottery this one time so Ah can get back on ma feet!" Suddenly there is a blinding flash
as the heavens open and the voice of God Himself thunders: "Jock at least meet Me half way and buy a ticket!"
Jock was traveling by train seated next to a stern-faced clergyman.
As Jock pulled out a bottle of whisky from his pocket the clergyman glared and said reprovingly, "Look here, I am sixty-five
and I have never tasted whisky in my life!" "Dinna worry, Minister," smiled Jock, pouring himself a dram. "There's
no risk of you starting now!"
Jock once attended a Temperance lecture given by Scotland's top
medical man, a noted anti-drink campaigner. The speaker began by placing a live, wriggling worm in a glass of whisky. After
a moment or two it died and sank to the bottom. The speaker said quietly to the audience, "Now my friends, what does this
tell us?" Jock piped up, "If you drink whisky you'll not be bothered by worms!"
A very popular scotsman dies in glasgow and his old widow wishes to tell all
his friends at once so she goes to the newspaper and says "I'd like tae place an obituary fur ma late husband" The man
at the desk says "OK, how much money dae ye have?" The old woman replies "£5" to which the man says "You wont get many
words for that but write something and we'll see if it's ok" so the old woman writes something and hands it over the counter
and the man reads "Peter Reid, fae Parkheid, deid" He feels guilty at the abruptness of the statement and encourages the
old woman to write a few more things. The old woman ponders and then adds a few more words and hand the paper over the counter
again. The man then reads "Peter Reid, fae Parkheid deid. Ford Escort for sale"
Jock was returning home from the pub, smelling like a distillery. He
flopped on a bus seat next to a priest. His tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle
of whiskey was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. Then he asked the priest, "Father,
what causes arthritis?" "Well my son, it's the result of loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much whisky
and a contempt for your fellow man." "Well I'll be damned!" Jock muttered, returning to his paper. The priest, feeling
a little guilty, said, "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. How long have you had arthritis?" "I don't, Father.
But I was just reading here that the Pope does.
Sandy was drinking at a pub all night. When he got up to leave, he fell flat
on his face. He tried to stand again, but to no avail, falling flat on his face. He decided to crawl outside and get some
fresh air to see whether that would sober him up. Once outside, he stood up and, sure enough, fell flat on his face. So, being
a practical Scot, he crawled all the way home. When he got to the door, he stood up yet again, but fell flat on his face.
He crawled through the door into his bedroom. When he reached his bed, he tried once more to stand upright. This time he managed
to pull himself to his feet but fell into bed. He was sound asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He woke the next
morning to his wife shaking him and shouting, "So, ye've been oot drinkin' as usual!" "Why would ye say that?" he complained
innocently. "Because the pub called an' ye left yer wheelchair there again!"
A woman is looking to re-enter the work force, now that her kids
are all grown up. But before applying anywhere she goes tae the doctors' fae a wee physical before takin' oan a new joab.
When she returns her hubby notices she's just bustin' wi' pride and all chuffed.
So he says; "What's all this about?"
She says, "I've just been tae the doctors' and he said I've
got the body of a twenty year old, and the heart of a 16 year old".
To which her hubby fires back..."What about your 50 year old ass?"
"Your name never came up." She replies!
Irate golfer, on his way to a round of 150: "You must be the worst caddie in
the world!" Scottish caddie (dryly): "That would be too much of a coincidence, sir."
Jock was digging peat at his croft when a passing American tourist
asks,
"How much land do you have here?"
"About two acres" Jock replies.
"You know back home it takes me a day to drive around my ranch
!" the American boasts.
"Aye", says Jock " I once had a car like that."
A Scotsman & a Englishman are strolling along the beach when they find
a lamp. They clean it up and out pops a genie. "I'll give you each one wish for freeing me" says the genie. The Englishman
thinks then wishes. "I believe in an England for the English, I'm sick and tired of all these Jocks coming into MY country.
I wish for a huge wall around England - to keep the English in and the Scots out" POOF and it's done.
The Scotsman
thinks. "Genie?" he says "tell me about this wall". "Well" says the genie "it's 500 feet high, a third of a mile thick, nothing
can get in and nothing can get out". "OK" says the Scotsman "Fill it with water".
e-mail your jokes to
Murraysonline@hotmail.com
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