John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, KT, PC, FRS (30 June 1755 – 29 September 1830), styled Marquess of Tullibardine from 1764 to 1774, was a Scottish peer.

Life and career

The 4th Duke of Atholl and his game keeper John Crerar

Murray was the eldest son of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, and his wife, Charlotte, 8th Baroness Strange, daughter of James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl. Lord George Murray and

Lord Charles Murray-Aynsley Lord Charles Murray-Aynsley (21 October 1771 – 5 May 1808) was an English dean. Life Murray-Aynsley was the youngest of nine children of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, and Charlotte Murray, Duchess of Atholl, and baptized as Charles Murray. O ...

were his younger brothers. He became known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some con ...

Marquess of Tullibardine when his father succeeded to the dukedom in 1764.thepeerage.com Sir John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl
/ref> Murray succeeded his father as fourth Duke of Atholl in 1774 and was elected a Scottish Representative Peer. In 1786 he was created Baron Murray, of Stanley in the County of Gloucester, and Earl Strange in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself re ...

, which gave him an automatic seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. He later served as Lord-Lieutenant of Perthshire from 1794 to 1830 and was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

in 1797. In 1800 he was made a

Knight of the Thistle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

. In 1793 he was appointed Captain-General and Governor in Chief of the Isle of Man, his mother making over to him most of her rights in the Island. He succeeded his mother in the

barony of Strange Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...

in 1805. He was also Grand Master of the Antient Grand Lodge of England from 1775 until 1781 and again from 1791 until 1812. During his control of the Blair Estate he planted over 20 million trees over an area of 16,000 acres, using cannon filled with seed to spread seed over the high hills. He earned himself the nickname "The Planting Duke". He introduced Japanese Larch into Britain, planting the trees at Dunkeld, where they hybridized with the first European Larch in Britain, planted by his uncle, the second duke, and gave rise to the Dunkeld Larch. In 1796-97 he planted pine and larch around the Falls of Bruar as a tribute to the recently deceased

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

, responding to his poem ''The Humble Petition of Bruar Water to the Noble Duke of Atholl'' (1787). The Duke wrote "Observations on Larch" in 1807 encouraging further its cultivation, which he practiced on a large scale. Atholl died in September 1830, aged 75, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John. The Duchess of Atholl died in October 1842, aged 81. Athol, Nova Scotia is named after him.

Family

Atholl married the Honourable Jane Cathcart (24 May 1754 – 26 December 1790), daughter of Jane Cathcart and Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart, on 26 December 1774. They had eight children: * Lady Charlotte Murray (1775–1832) married 1st Sir John Menzies of Castle Menzies, 4th Baronet and 2nd Admiral Sir Adam Drummond KCH, 7th of Megginch (great-grandparents of

John Drummond, 15th Baron Strange John Drummond, 10th of Megginch, 15th Baron Strange (6 May 1900 – 13 April 1982), was Chief of the Baronial House and Branch of Drummond of Concraig and Lennoch within the clan Drummond and Baron of Megginch. Educated at Eton College, he beca ...

) * John Murray, 5th Duke of Atholl (26 June 1778 – 14 September 1846) *

James Murray, 1st Baron Glenlyon Lieutenant-General James Murray, 1st Baron Glenlyon (29 May 1782 – 12 October 1837), styled as Lord James Murray until 1821, was a British Army officer, Member of Parliament and peer. Life Murray was born in 1782 at Dunkeld, Perthshire, t ...

(29 May 1782 – 12 October 1837); married Emily Frances Percy and had four children, including the 6th Duke. * Lord Edward Murray (11 September 1783 – 19 March 1795). * Lord Robert Murray (13 March 1785 – 5 February 1793). * Lord Frederick Murray (13 October 1788 – 11 April 1789). * Lady Amelia Sophia Murray * Lady Elizabeth Murray After his first wife's death in 1790 he married Marjory, daughter of

James Forbes, 16th Lord Forbes James Forbes, 17th Lord Forbes (died 29 July 1804) was the son of James Forbes, 16th Lord Forbes. In 1760, he married Catherine Innes and they had six children: *Mary Elizabeth Forbes (d. 1803) * Marjory Forbes (1761–1842) * James Ochoncar ...

, and Catherine Innes and widow of John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod, on 11 March 1794. They had two children: * Lady Catherine Murray (died 1796) * Lord Charles Murray (1799 - August 1824); he died of disease at Gastouni, Peloponnese while contributing to the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atholl, John Murray, 4th Duke of 1755 births 1830 deaths 104 Knights of the Thistle Lord-Lieutenants of Perthshire Scottish representative peers Peers of Great Britain created by George III Grand Masters of the United Grand Lodge of England Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Fellows of the Royal Society

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 ...

Governors of the Isle of Man 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish people People of Byzantine descent Dukes of Rannoch Barons Strange