John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl

The Duke of Atholl
KT PC
Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
In office
1697–1724
Preceded by Arthur Ross, Archbishop of St Andrews
Succeeded by James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
Personal details
Born 24 February 1660
Knowsley, England
Died 14 November 1724 (64)
Huntingtower Castle
Spouse(s) Catherine Hamilton
Mary Ross

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.

Early life and family

Murray was born in 1660 at Knowsley Hall to John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl 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.[1] Lord Murray matriculated from St. Andrews University in 1676. He was married twice and was the father of nineteen children.

Later life and career

He was created 1st Earl of Tullibardine by William III of England 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 Catherine 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 of his children survived into adulthood.

Arms of the Dukes of Atholl

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. He eventually chose to accept compensation of £1000 in order to desist from pursuing 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, including his eldest living son who was subsequently attainted and removed from succession to the title, 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 second surviving son James, Marquess of Tullibardine.

Children

By his first wife Lady Catherine, daughter of William Douglas-Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Hamilton and Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, he had the following thirteen children:

Eldest son John Murray Marquis of Tullibardine died here: Battle of Malplaquet 1709
Lord George Murray 1694-1766 Died in exile in Holland.

By his second wife Lady Mary Ross, daughter of William Ross, 12th Lord Ross and Lady Agnes Wilkie. They had the following eight children:

See also

References

Parliament of Scotland
Preceded by
The Marquess of Tweeddale		 Lord High Commissioner
1696–1700 		Succeeded by
The Duke of Queensberry
Political offices
Preceded by
The Duke of Queensberry		 Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
1702–1705 		Succeeded by
The Duke of Queensberry
Academic offices
Preceded by
Arthur Ross
Archbishop of St Andrews		 Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
1697 – 1724 		Succeeded by
The Duke of Chandos
Peerage of Scotland
New creation Duke of Atholl
June 1703 – 1724 		Succeeded by
James Murray
Preceded by
John Murray		 Marquess of Atholl
May 1703 – 1724
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
The Earl of Crawford		 Scottish representative peer
1710 – 1715 		Succeeded by
The Earl of Bute
  1. ↑ per his academic biographer, Dr Cheryl Garrett, thesis completed 2013, University of Aberdeen Academic Historical Biography for the Doctor of Philosophy