John Murray (died 2 July 1753), of Philiphaugh, Selkirk, was a Scottish politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1725 to 1753.

Early life

Murray was the eldest son, of three sons and five daughters, born to the former Margaret Don and Sir James Murray, of

Philiphaugh Philiphaugh is a village by the Yarrow Water, on the outskirts of Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders. Places nearby include Bowhill, Broadmeadows, the Ettrick Water, Ettrickbridge, Lindean, Salenside, Yarrowford and the Yair Forest. Origina ...

, Selkirk. His sister, Ann Murray, married

John Pringle, Lord Haining John Pringle, Lord Haining ( – 19 August 1754) was a Scottish lawyer, politician, and judge. His ownership of a large estate near Selkirk secured him a seat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1702 until the Act of Union in 1707, and then in ...

. His maternal grandfather was Sir Alexander Don, 1st Baronet, of Newton, Berwick. His paternal grandparents were

Sir John Murray of Philiphaugh ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

, MP for

Selkirkshire Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk ( gd, Siorrachd Shalcraig) is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. ...

and the former Anne Douglas (daughter of

Archibald Douglas, 13th of Cavers Archibald Douglas, 13th of Cavers was a Scottish politician. In 1701, prior to the Union of Scotland and England, Douglas had been able to return himself as one of Roxburghshire's four Commissioners to the Scottish Parliament. In his electoral ca ...

Career

In 1708, he succeeded his father, becoming the hereditary Sheriff of Selkirk from 1708 until 1734. As head of a celebrated Border family, they owned great estates in Ettrick and

Yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal. The ...

and acquired their Philiphaugh estates in the fifteenth century. Murray was returned in a contest as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Linlithgow Burghs Lanark Burghs (also known as Linlithgow Burghs) was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster) from 1708 to 1832, representing a seat for one Member of Parliament (MP). Th ...

at a by-election on 6 April 1725. He was returned unopposed at the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

. At the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...

he was returned unopposed as MP for

. He was returned unopposed again in

1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. * February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a spe ...

. At the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Henr ...

he was opposed, but his opponent died before the poll whereupon an unknown candidate came forward who was defeated.

Personal life

On 31 December 1711, Murray married Eleanor Hamilton (–1783), eldest daughter of the former Mary Dunbar and

Lord Basil Hamilton Lord Basil Hamilton ( bp 16 December 1671 – 27 August 1701) was a Scottish aristocrat who drowned trying to save his servant. Early life Hamilton was baptized on 16 December 1671 at Hamilton. His was the sixth son of William Hamilton, Duke of Ham ...

(sixth son of

William Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC (24 December 1634 – 18 April 1694), also known as Lord William Douglas and the Earl of Selkirk, was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of The 1st Marquess of Douglas by ...

and Anne Hamilton, ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Duchess of Hamilton). Together, they were the parents of at least four sons and two daughters: * Basil Murray (d. 1747), a youth of great promise, who "died in the flower of his age." * John Murray of Philiphaugh (1726–1800), who married N.N. Thomson. * David Murray. * Charles Murray, who married Augusta Eliza Nixon, sister of Robert Scott of

Danesfield House Danesfield House in Medmenham, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills is a former country house now used as a hotel and spa. The house stands on a plateau which shelves steeply down to the River Thames to the south. History ...

. * Mary Murray, who married Sir Alexander Don, 4th Baronet, of Newton. * Margaret Murray. Murray died on 2 July 1753 and was succeeded by his second son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, as his eldest son had died in 1747. His widow died in December 1783.

Descendants

Though his son John, he was a grandfather of James Murray, of Philiphaugh and Eleanor Murray (wife of Sir James Naesmyth, 3rd Baronet of Posso). Though his son Charles, he was a grandfather of

Charles Scott-Murray Charles Robert Scott-Murray (28 December 1818 – 27 August 1882) was a British Conservative politician. Life He was the son of Charles Scott Murray of Danesfield House, and his wife Augusta Eliza Nixon, widow of John Buller M.P., and was edu ...

of Danesfield, MP for

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. Through his daughter Mary, he was a grandfather of Sir Alexander Don, 5th Baronet, of Newton.

References

Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 1753 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Scotland-GreatBritain-MP-stub