Lady Evelyn Stewart Murray (17 March 1868 – 30 July 1940) was a Scottish

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

who collected Gaelic folk tales and songs. She was also a skilled needleworker and collector of embroidery and lace.

Life

Lady Evelyn Stewart Murray was born at

Blair Castle Blair Castle (in Scottish Gaelic: Caisteil Bhlàir) stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, ...

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

on 17 March 1868, the youngest daughter of

John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl John James Hugh Henry Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl, KT (6 August 1840 – 20 January 1917), styled Marquess of Tullibardine between 1846 and 1864, was a Scottish peer. Background and education Atholl was the only child of George Murr ...

, and his wife, Louisa Moncreiffe, daughter of

Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Baronet Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Baronet (9 January 1822 – 16 August 1879) was a Scottish first-class cricketer and British Army officer. The son of Sir David Moncreiffe and his wife, Helen Mackay, he was born at Moncreiffe House in Perthshir ...

. Murray received a typical Victorian aristocratic education being tutored by

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

es at home. At an early age she became interested in

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

and was encouraged by her father who was a fluent, enthusiast for the language. From 1887 to 1891, she collected more than 240 Gaelic folk tales and songs from

Gaels The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic langu ...

in and around the Atholl estate. Her serious and deep academic study of the language brought her into conflict with her parents who did not consider it an appropriate pursuit for a young woman of her class. When her parents attempted to limit her academic work she developed severe

psychosomatic illnesses Psychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships among social, psychological, behavioral factors on bodily processes and quality of life in humans and animals. The academic forebear of the modern field of ...

. In late 1891, in an attempt to restore her health, her parents sent to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

for what was intended to be a short visit. Murray refused to return from Switzerland to Scotland and remained estranged from her parents for the rest of her life. She however continued to correspond with and visit her siblings. In 1885, Murray settled in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

where she lived on a modest allowance from her parents. She became a keen collector and a skilled practitioner of

needlework Needlework is decorative sewing and textile arts handicrafts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework. Needlework may include related textile crafts such as crochet, worked with a hook, or tatting, worked with a ...

. Her

embroidered Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

depiction of the British Coat of Arms is considered to be an exceptional example of the art. In 1936, she sent her collection of

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

and embroidery home to be exhibited at Blair Castle, when it opened to the public for the first time. Prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Murray left Belgium for

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, settling in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She died on 30 July 1940 at her brother's house in Easter Moncrieffe in Perthshire. Her collection of Gaelic folklore and song are held at the School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh. Her methodical and scientific approach in recording the now extinct Perthshire Gaelic dialect have brought recognition for the importance of her work. The tales were published as a collection in Gaelic with English translations in 2009. Her collection of 502 texts were presented to

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...

in 1958 by

Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl George Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl, DL (19 June 1931 – 27 February 1996), known as ''Wee Iain'', was a Scottish peer and landowner. Background and education Murray was the only surviving child of Lieutenant-Colonel George Anthony Murray ...

. The collection consists of 19th century religious and literary works in Gaelic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Lady Evelyn Stewart 1868 births 1940 deaths Scottish folklorists Women folklorists 19th-century Scottish people Women of the Victorian era People from Perthshire Scottish folk-song collectors Daughters of British dukes Translators from Scottish Gaelic