Alexander Murray, 7th Lord Elibank (24 April 1747 – 24 September 1820) was a Scottish peer.

Background

Elibank was the son of Reverend Gideon Murray, younger son of Alexander Murray, 4th Lord Elibank. His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of General David Montolieu, Baron de St Hypolite, while

Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank (1703–1778) was a Scottish soldier, lawyer, author and economist. Life He was the son of Alexander Murray, 4th Lord Elibank (1677-1736), and his wife Elizabeth (née Stirling; died 1756), daughter of George St ...

was his paternal uncle. His brother was David Murray (1748–1794).

Political career

Elibank was returned to Parliament for

Peeblesshire Peeblesshire ( gd, Siorrachd nam Pùballan), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lan ...

in 1783, a seat he held until 1784. In 1785 he succeeded his uncle as seventh Lord Elibank. However, as this was a

Scottish peerage The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...

it did not entitle him to a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire between 1794 and 1820.

Family

Lord Elibank was twice married. He married firstly Mary Clara, daughter of Lewis Charles Montolieu, Baron de St Hypolite, in 1776. After her death in January 1802 he married Christian Catherine Steuart (d.1853), daughter of James Steuart, in 1804. Lord Elibank died in September 1820, aged 73, and was succeeded in the lordship by his son from his first marriage, Alexander. The son of his second marriage, James Murray (1810–16 February, 1844), who became James Erskine Murray on marriage, was an advocate at the Scottish Bar and author before emigrating to Australia in 1841. From

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

he aspired to become a

White Rajah The White Rajahs were a dynastic monarchy of the British Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo, from 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Briton James Brooke. As a reward f ...

through an expedition to eastern Borneo which ended disastrously, but provoked the Dutch to intervene and oblige the Sultan to sign a treaty acknowledging their overall sovereignty over Kutei in 1845. The expedition was reported in newspapers and books, as well as more recent studies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elibank, Alexander Murray, 7th Lord 1747 births 1820 deaths Lords of Parliament Lord-Lieutenants of Peeblesshire Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1780–1784 Westminster, Alexander Murray, 4th Earl of History of Borneo