Catherine Murray was a Scottish aristocrat. She was a daughter of William Murray of

Tullibardine Tullibardine is a location in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, which gives its name to a village, a castle and a grant of nobility. The village of Tullibardine is a settlement of approximately forty dwellings about southwest of Perth. It lies in the ...

(died 1562) and Katherine Campbell. She married Robert Murray of

Abercairny Abercairny is an estate in the Scottish region of Perth and Kinross. It had the distinction of a short visit by Queen Victoria 12 September 1842, when she wished to see the mansion house, then under construction. The estate, owned by the Moray f ...

(died 1594) in 1560. His father, John Murray, had been killed at the

battle of Pinkie The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

, and his older brother William Murray, who had married Margaret Oliphant, died in 1558. In 1577 the Laird of Abercairny became involved in the trial of

Violet Mar Violet Mar (died 1577) was a Scottish woman accused of plotting the death of Regent Morton by witchcraft. History Violet lived at Kildeis or Keldeis in Muthill or Methven in Perthshire. She was accused of using "sorcery, witchcraft, incantatio ...

, who was accused of witchcraft and plotting the downfall of

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...

. They took advice from Lady Abercairny's sister

Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar (1536–1603), was a Scottish landowner, courtier and royal servant, the keeper of the infant James VI and his son Prince Henry at Stirling Castle Annabell Murray was a daughter of Sir William Murray of Tullibardi ...

. On 10 October 1577 a royal messenger, Robert Binning, was sent from Edinburgh to summon Margaret Murray, Lady Clackmannan (another sister of Catherine Murray, Lady Abercairney and the Countess of Mar), the Laird of Abercairny and his wife Catherine Murray, and others, to come before the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

on 18 October. Binning also brought the summons for the assize of Violet Mar for witchcraft, to be held on 24 October. James VI wrote to them for "venison, wild fowls, fed capons" to serve at the wedding of

Henrietta Stewart Henrietta Stewart (1573–1642) was a Scottish courtier. She was the influential favourite of the queen of Scotland, Anne of Denmark. Life Henrietta Stewart was the daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, favourite of James VI of Scotlan ...

and

George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns. Biography The son o ...

in July 1588. Lady Abercairny joined the household of

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

in 1594 as a "dame of honour". The other ladies were her sisters Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar and Margaret Murray, Lady Clackmannan, with Lady Morton, Lady Dudhope, Lady Cambuskenneth, and the late Justice Clerk's wife. In 1603 her sister, Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar, bequeathed to her a gown of chamlet of silk with broad velvet

passementerie Passementerie (, ) or passementarie is the art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings (in French, ) of applied braid, gold or silver cord, embroidery, colored silk, or beads for clothing or furnishings. Styles of passementerie include the tas ...

, breasts lined with plush, with a doublet and skirt of plain black velvet.

Family

Her children included: * William Murray of Abercairny (died 1640), who was educated with James VI at Stirling Castle. He became Master of Horse to

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

. He married Christian Mercer. In June 1603 he argued with

Thomas Somerset Thomas Somerset (born by 1529, died 6 April 1586) was an English Roman Catholic layman, kept imprisoned for long periods by Elizabeth I of England. Life He was the second son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester. He became a servant of Bish ...

about the role of Master of Horse at York as the queen was travelling to London, and Somerset was given the job. William Murray continued in the queen's service in connection with her stable and transport and in November 1603, while at

Wilton House Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution o ...

during a progress to the west of England on account of the plague, she asked him to have her litter (her coach) publicly burnt in the market place at

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

. * David Murray of Gorthy, administrator in the household of Prince Henry and poet who supervised the embroidery of Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown in 1613.Frederick Devon, ''Issues of Exchequer: Pell Records'' (London, 1836), pp. 151-2, 158, 160. * Mungo Murray of Craigie, father of

Robert Moray Sir Robert Moray (alternative spellings: Murrey, Murray) FRS (1608 or 1609 – 4 July 1673) was a Scottish soldier, statesman, diplomat, judge, spy, and natural philosopher. He was well known to Charles I and Charles II, and to the French c ...

* John Murray (died 1632), Minister of Dunfermline and Leith * Andrew Murray * Quintigern Murray * James Murray * Nicola(s) Murray, who married Robert Douglas of Spott, Viscount Belhaven, who was Prince Henry's stable master * Anne Murray, who married William Moncrieff of Moncrieff.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Catherine Court of James VI and I 16th-century Scottish women Scottish ladies-in-waiting Daughters of barons

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...