Portrait of Lord John Murray (1711-1787) (by Allan Ramsay)

General Lord John Murray (14 April 1711 – 26 May 1787) was a British general and politician.

Life

He was born 14 April 1711, was eldest son by his second wife of

John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, KT, PC (24 February 166014 November 1724) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and soldier. He served in numerous positions during his life, and fought in the Glorious Revolution for William III and Mary II ...

, and was half-brother of the Jacobite leaders,

William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (14 April 1689 – 9 July 1746) was a Scottish nobleman and Jacobite who took part in the rebellions of 1715, 1719, and 1745. Attainted for his role in 1715, his younger brother James succeeded as ...

, and Lord George Murray (1705–1760). He was appointed ensign in a regiment of foot 7 Oct. 1727, on the recommendation of

General Wade Field Marshal George Wade (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a British Army officer who served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, Jacobite rising of 1715 and War of the Quadruple Alliance before leading the construction of barra ...

, and lieutenant and captain 3rd footguards (

Scots guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

) in 1733, in which regiment he became captain-lieutenant in 1737, and captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1738. On 25 April 1745, he was appointed to the colonelcy of the

42nd Regiment of Foot The 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment in the British Army also known as the Black Watch. Originally titled Crawford's Highlanders or the Highland Regiment and numbered 43rd in the line, in 1748, on the disban ...

or Black Watch, which he held for forty-two years. He served with his regiment in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in 1747, at the relief of

Hulst Hulst () is a municipality and city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders. History Hulst received city rights in the 12th century. Hulst was captured from the Spanish in 1591 by Maurice of Orange but was recaptured b ...

and the defence of Fort Sandberg, and commanded the troops in the retreat to Walsoorden. In 1747, he was a volunteer at the defence of

Bergen-op-Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soi ...

. He was in an especial manner the friend of every deserving officer and man in his regiment, and did more to foster the national character of the corps than any other officer. Papers of the day speak of him as marching down in full regimentals at the head of the many highlanders disabled at Ticonderoga in 1758, to plead their claims before the Chelsea board, with the result that every man received a pension. He offered every man who liked to accept it a cottage and garden on his estate rent free. Murray became a major-general in 1755, a lieutenant-general in 1758, and general in 1770. He was elected M.P. for Perth in 1741, 1747, and 1754. He sat 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 o ...

for Perthshire from 1734 to 1761. He died in Paris on 26 May 1787, in his seventy-seventh year, being then the oldest general in the army.

Family

He married, at Sheffield, on 13 September 1758, Miss Dalton of

Banner Cross Hall Banner Cross Hall is an English country house situated on Ecclesall Road South in the Banner Cross area of Sheffield, England. The hall is a Grade II listed building which is now the main headquarters of Henry Boot PLC, the Sheffield-based prop ...

, a Yorkshire lady of property. He left a daughter, Mary, who married Captain, afterwards Lieutenant-general, William Foxlowe, who took the name of Murray in 1782.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, John, Lord 1711 births 1787 deaths 42nd Regiment of Foot officers British Army generals British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761

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 * Secon ...

Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Younger sons of dukes