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General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
James Murray (20 January 1721 – 18 June 1794) was a
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
officer and colonial administrator who served as the
governor of Quebec The Governor of Quebec was a British Army officer nominally in charge of the garrison at Quebec City. Often the holder of the post was an absentee, and the office was abolished in 1833. Governors * 1760–1774: James Murray * 1774–1797: James J ...
from 1760 to 1768 and
governor of Minorca Below is a list of (known) governors of Menorca from the time of the British occupation in 1708 until the British relinquished control of the island for the last time in 1802. Background It was commonplace for governors to be absent from the isl ...
from 1778 to 1782. Born in
Ballencrieff, East Lothian Ballencrieff (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile na Craoibhe)'' is a rural community in East Lothian, Scotland. It is located between the towns of Aberlady, Drem, Haddington and Longniddry and is approximately 20 miles from Edinburgh. The name comes from ...
, Murray travelled to
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
and took part in the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
. After the conflict, his administration of the
Province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...
was noted for its successes, being marked by positive relationships with
French Canadians French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
, who were reassured of the traditional rights and customs. Murray died in
Battle, East Sussex Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south-east of London, east of Brighton and east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. ...
in 1794.


Early life

Born in Ballencrieff, East Lothian, Murray was a younger son of Lord Elibank Alexander Murray, 4th Lord Elibank, and his wife, Elizabeth Stirling. His cousin with two children was Alexander Murray (British Army officer, died 1762) Alexander Murray who served in Nova Scotia. Educated in Haddington, East Lothian Haddington, and Selkirk, Scottish Borders Selkirk, he began his military career in 1736 in the Scots Brigade of the Dutch state Army. In 1740 he served as a second lieutenant in Royal Marines Wynyard's Marines under his brother Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank, in the Battle of Cartagena de India's unsuccessful attack on Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena. He returned as a captain in 1742. He served as captain of the grenadier company of the 15th Regiment of Foot during the War of the Austrian Succession. He was severely wounded during the Siege of Ostend (1745) Siege of Ostend in 1745 and distinguished himself in the Raid on Lorient in 1746. In December 1748, he married Cordelia Collier, who was from Hastings.


Career in Canada

James Murray purchased a commission for major in the 15th Regiment of Foot in 1749, and the
lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
cy in 1751. He commanded his regiment in the
Raid on Rochefort The Raid on Rochefort (or Descent on Rochefort) was a British amphibious attempt to capture the French Atlantic port of Rochefort in September 1757 during the Seven Years' War. The raid pioneered a new tactic of "descents" on the French coast, ...
in 1757, defending Sir John Mordaunt in his subsequent
court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
. He commanded a battalion in the 1758 Siege of Louisbourg along with his brother Alexander. When Louisbourg was taken, Murray accompanied General Wolfe on a raiding expedition northwards in the Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758). While Wolfe destroyed French settlements along the Gaspe Peninsula, Murray harried the French fishing settlements along
Miramichi Bay Miramichi Bay is an estuary located on the west coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. Miramichi Bay is separated into the "inner bay" and the "outer bay", with the division being a line of uni ...
. Part of the destruction included the homes and church at St. Anne's, now called Burnt Church. Murray served under General
James Wolfe James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. ...
at the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...
in 1759. Murray believed Wolfe's plan to land the army at Anse au Foulon was foolish and absurd, and succeeded "only by Providence". He was the military commander of
Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
after it fell to the British. Lévis managed to defeat Murray and the British in the Battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760. As a result, the French managed to lay siege to Quebec but this had to abandoned due to a lack of supplies and the arrival of a British relief fleet. He encouraged his favourite nephew
Patrick Ferguson Patrick Ferguson (1744 – 7 October 1780) was a Scottish officer in the British Army, an early advocate of light infantry and the designer of the Ferguson rifle. He is best known for his service in the 1780 military campaign of Charles C ...
to follow him in a military career. Patrick was the son of Murray's sister Anne who was married to Lord Pitfour. He also assisted another nephew, Patrick Murray, illegitimate son of his brother, George. Murray's successful part in the British advance on Montreal in which he pacified many of the French Canadians, showed his true worth as a military commander and a negotiator. On 5 September 1760, Murray signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the
Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawato ...
Nation, then residing at Lorette, near Quebec City. In 1990, that treaty was found by the
Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
to still be valid and binding on the Crown.


Governor of Quebec

In October 1760, he became military governor of the district of Quebec and became the first civil governor of the
Province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...
on 4 October 1763. He was promoted Major-General on 26 March 1765. As governor he was sympathetic to the
French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...
s, favouring them over British merchants who came to settle in the wake of the conquest. He allowed the continuance of French civil law because at the time the French outnumbered the British 25:1 and he needed to be careful not to incite discontent or rebellion. The dissatisfaction of British settlers led to his recall in 1766 (although he remained governor in name until 1768), but his precedents were preserved in the Quebec Act of 1774. Murray successfully argued for the Quebec Act to continue slavery in Quebec as it had existed under the French; an advertisement appeared in the ''Quebec Gazette'' in 1769 for a "negro woman, aged 25 years, with a mulatto male child... formerly the property of General Murray". On his return to Great Britain he was appointed Colonel of the
13th Regiment of Foot In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave p ...
, a post he held from 1767 to 1789.


Minorca

Murray was
lieutenant-governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-co ...
from 1774 to 1778 and then
governor of Minorca Below is a list of (known) governors of Menorca from the time of the British occupation in 1708 until the British relinquished control of the island for the last time in 1802. Background It was commonplace for governors to be absent from the isl ...
from 1778 to 1782. In 1780, he married, as his second wife, Ann Witham, daughter of the Consul-General there. During the
American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, he defended Fort St. Philip, at
Port Mahon A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
, against a Franco-Spanish siege for seven months (1781–82), until forced to surrender. He was known as ‘Old Minorca’ Murray as a result. He then returned to his home,
Beauport Park Beauport Park is a house near Hastings, East Sussex, England. It is located at the western end of the ridge of hills sheltering Hastings from the north and east. Roman occupation In 1862, the Rector of Hollington Church found a huge slag hea ...
, in Hollington, Sussex, where he died. Further honours came to him in his last years: he was appointed General, and
Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull Below is a list of those who have held the office of Governor of Kingston upon Hull: Governors of Kingston upon Hull *1536: John Hallam *1546–1552: Sir Michael Stanhope (beheaded, 1552) *?-1639: Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet *1639–1641: Sir ...
in 1783, and Colonel of the 21st (Royal North British) Fusiliers in 1789. His body was laid to rest in the apse of the now ruined Old St Helen's Church, Hastings.


Family

His first marriage had been childless, but by his second, he had six children (two of whom died in infancy): * James Patrick Murray, later a major general, who married Elizabeth Rushworth * Cordelia Murray, who married Rev. Henry Hodges * Wilhelmina Murray, married
James Douglas, 4th Baron Douglas The title of Baron Douglas, of Douglas in the county of Lanark, has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation was on 8 July 1790 for Archibald James Edward Dougl ...
. * George Murray (died in infancy) * Elizabeth Mary Murray (died in infancy) * Anne Harriet Murray He and his wife also brought up his older brother Patrick, Lord Elibank's illegitimate daughter Maria Murray.


Popular culture

Murray appears in the 2004 film ''
Battle of the Brave ''Battle of the Brave'' (french: Nouvelle-France) is a 2004 historical romance directed by Jean Beaudin, written by Pierre Billon and starring Noémie Godin-Vigneau, David La Haye, Juliette Gosselin, Sébastien Huberdeau, Gérard Depardieu, Bi ...
(Nouvelle-France)'' in his role as Governor of the new-captured Quebec. He is portrayed by
Michael Maloney Michael Maloney (born 19 June 1957) is an English actor. Life and career Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series ''Telford's Change''. He made hi ...
. He also appears in the same capacity in three episodes of the mini-series Marguerite Volant, where he is portrayed by Graham Harley.'' Marguerite Volant on IMDb

/ref>


See also

*
Great Britain in the Seven Years War Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War, which in fact lasted nine years, between 1754 and 1763. British involvement in the conflict began in 1754 in what became known as the French and Indian War. However the w ...
* List of Governors General of Canada * List of Governors of Minorca


Notes


References

* * Browne, G. P. "MURRAY, JAMES," in ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography,'' vol. 4, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed 17 November 2015
online
* * * Murray, Colonel Hon. Arthur C., ''The Five Sons of "Bare Betty"'', London, 1936. * Scott, S. Morley. "Civil and Military Authority in Canada, 1764–17661." ''Canadian Historical Review'' 9#2 (1928): 117–136. * Wrong, George. '' Canada and the American Revolution: the Disruption of the First British Empire''. Toronto : MacMillan, 1935.


Primary sources

* James Murray
''Journal of the Siege of Quebec''
1760 * James Murray
''Report of the Government of Quebec in Canada''
5 June 1762 * William Draper
''The Sentence of the Court-martial... for the Trial of the Hon. Lieut. Gen. James Murray, Late Governor of Minorca, on the Twenty-nine Articles Exhibited Against Him by Sir William Draper''
London, 1783


External links


National Battlefields Commission. The Plains of Abraham, Quebec, Canada.

From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham. Virtual Exhibition.
* Archives of James Murra
(James Murray collection, R6393)
are held at
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, James 1721 births 1794 deaths British Army generals British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession People from East Lothian Fellows of the Royal Society Governors of the Province of Quebec (1763–1791) East Yorkshire Regiment officers King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Scottish slave owners Somerset Light Infantry officers Younger sons of barons Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)