Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Macgregor Murray, 1st Baronet (10 April 1745 – 29 June 1822), born John Murray, was a Scottish army officer.

Clan Gregor

John Murray was born on 10 April 1745, the eldest son of the Major Evan Murray (1710–1778), an officer in the 88th Foot, by his wife Janet, daughter of John Macdonald of Balgony. Murray was part of

Clan Gregor Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan that claims an origin in the early 9th century. The clan's most famous member is Rob Roy MacGregor of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The clan ...

(or Macgregor), but had been forced to assume the surname Murray as a result of the persecution of the clan and the outlawing of the name, which began in the 17th century. Murray's father Evan and Evan's elder brothers Robert and Duncan fought against the government in the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

; their father John Og or Oig was regarded as the chief representative of the family. Being the eldest son, Robert succeeded him but died in 1758 (as did his only son), leaving Duncan as his heir. On Duncan's death in 1787, John Murray (being the eldest surviving son of the next brother) became the family's representative and chief of the clan. Murray was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 3 July 1795; in 1822, he adopted the surname Macgregor before that of Murray.Cokayne, p. 303.

Military service

Murray became a cadet in the East India Company's army in 1770 and in 1771 he was commissioned as an EnsignHodson, p. 141. in the 2nd Bengal European Regiment and appointed Deputy Judge Advocate to the 2nd Brigade. In 1774, he was appointed military secretary and aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief in India (Colonel Alexander Champion), served under Champion in the

First Rohilla War The First Rohilla War of 1773–1774 was a punitive campaign by Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh on the behalf of Mughal Emperor, against the Rohillas, Indian descendants of Afghan highlanders settled in Rohilkhand, northern India. The Nawab was s ...

and was present at St George's Battle (23 April 1774). "Calcutta Streets and Houses in 1789", ''Bengal: Past and Present'', vol. 49 (1935), p. 103.Norman, p. 66. In 1776, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was appointed military secretary to the Board of Ordnance in Calcutta, serving until 1780. The following year he was promoted to Captain; after a furlough between 1786 and 1788, he was Military Auditor General (with the rank of Colonel) between 1789 and 1796. In the meantime, he was promoted to Major in 1794. In 1796 he was appointed Major of the 3rd Bengal European Regiment in 1796 and then Lieutenant-Colonel of the 15th Native Infantry in 1798 (taking the rank Lieutenant-Colonel in the same year). He retired in 1799.

Family and later life

In 1774, Murray married Anne, daughter of Roderick Macleod, WS, of Edinburgh. Murray (by then Macgregor Murray) died on 29 June 1822, of "inflammation of the bowels" at Portobello.
Blackwood's Magazine
', vol. 12 (July–December 1822), p. 250. Blackwood's Magazine noted "how zealously his latter days have been devoted to promoting the best interests and maintaining the ancient character of his native country, for enthusiastic patriotism and unaffected loyalty". His only son Evan John (1785–1841) succeeded him in the baronetcy and also enjoyed a successful military career.

Likenesses

The

Scottish National Portrait Gallery National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Portrait holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Collec ...

possesse
a portrait
(mezzotint on paper) of Sir John (accession number SPL 203.1); the author and date are unknown.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Atholl, Duchess of, "General Sir Duncan MacGregor, K.C.B.", in

Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl Katharine Marjory Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, DBE (''née'' Ramsay; 6 November 1874 – 21 October 1960), known as the Marchioness of Tullibardine from 1899 to 1917, was a Scottish noblewoman and Scottish Unionist Party politician. S ...

(ed.), ''A Military History of Perthshire, 1660–1902'', vol. 1 (Perth: R. A. & J. Hay, 1908). * Cokayne, G. E., '' The Complete Baronetage'', vol. 6 (Exeter: W. Pollard & Co., 1900). * Hodson, V. C. P., ''List of the Officers of the Bengal Army: 1758–1834'' (London: Constable, 1946). * MacGregor, Amelia Georgiana Murray, '' History of Clan Gregor'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh: William Brown, 1901). * Norman, C. B.,
Battle Honours of the British Army: From Tangier, 1662, to the Commencement of the Reign of King Edward VII
' (London: John Murray, 1911), p. 66. {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, John, 1st Baronet 1745 births 1822 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Scottish clan chiefs British East India Company Army officers

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 * Second E ...