William David Mungo James Murray, 8th Earl of Mansfield, 7th Earl of Mansfield, (7 July 1930 – 21 October 2015), styled Lord Scone until 1970, was a British nobleman and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician.

Biography

William Murray was born on 7 July 1930. He was the only son of

Mungo Murray, 7th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield Mungo David Malcolm Murray, 7th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield (9 August 1900 – 2 September 1971), styled Lord Scone from 1906 to 1935, was a Scottish Unionist Party politician. Mansfield was the son of Alan Murray, 6th Earl of Mansfield and ...

, and his wife Dorothea Helena, younger daughter of Sir Lancelot Carnegie. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. He served with the

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 Malaya from 1949 to 1950. He was called to the bar,

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

, in 1958. Murray was a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

from 1958 until 1971, when he succeeded his father as Earl of Mansfield. He was a member of the British Delegation to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

from 1973 to 1975 (prior to the direct election of

Members of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

), and was an opposition spokesman in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

from 1975 to 1979. He was a

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

in the

Scottish Office The Scottish Office was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Following the es ...

from 1979 to 1983 and in the

Northern Ireland Office The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; ga, Oifig Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for N ...

from 1983 to 1984. He was appointed an Honorary Sheriff of Perthshire in 1974, a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1975 and a Deputy Lieutenant for Perth and Kinross in 1980. Murray has also held a number of business and charitable appointments, such as serving as first president of the Federation of Hunting Associations of the European Communities (FACE) from 1977 to 1979. He was the first President of the Scottish Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders and from 1985 to 1996 served as First

Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priv ...

Commissioner. He succeeded as the 11th Lord Balvaird on 2 September 1971 and he succeeded as the 13th Lord Scone on 2 September 1971. He was also the feudal Baron of Balvaird.

Marriage and children

Murray married Pamela Joan Foster on 19 December 1955. They had three children: *

Alexander David Mungo Murray, 9th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(born 17 October 1956) * Lady Georgina Dorothea Mary Murray (born 10 March 1967) *

Hon Hon or HON may refer to: People * Han (surname) (Chinese: 韩/韓), also romanized Hon * Louis Hon (1924–2008), French footballer * Priscilla Hon (born 1998), Australian tennis player Other uses * Hon (Baltimore), a cultural stereotype of ...

James William Murray (born 7 June 1969) The Countess was a Patroness of the

Royal Caledonian Ball The Royal Caledonian Ball is a ball held annually in London for the benefit of Scottish charities. With few exceptions, the Royal Caledonian Ball has been held annually since 1849, and is the oldest charity ball in the world. History The ball ...

. She died on 2 October 2022, at the age of 87.

Death

Murray died on 21 October 2015 and his funeral and memorial service were held at St John's Kirk of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

on 30 October 2015, with a wake at

Scone Palace Scone Palace is a Category A-listed historic house near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scotland. Built in red sandstone with a castellated roof, it is an example of the Gothic Revival style in Scotland. Scone was originally the s ...

. He was succeeded by his son Alexander David Mungo Murray.

Ancestry

References

External links

* *
thepeerage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansfield and Mansfield, William Murray, 8th Earl Of 1930 births 2015 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 8 Members of the Inner Temple Diplomatic peers

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Scots Guards officers Conservative Party (UK) MEPs MEPs for the United Kingdom 1973–1979 Deputy Lieutenants in Scotland Dunbar, William Murray, 8th Earl of People associated with Perth and Kinross Northern Ireland Office junior ministers Scottish sheriffs Hereditary peers removed under the House of Lords Act 1999