The 10th Duke of Atholl
GEORGE IAIN MURRAY, His Grace the tenth Duke of Atholl, Chief of the Name and Arms of Murray, Am Moireach Mor [The Great Murray], died on 27th February 1996 at the age of 64.
It was my good fortune to become acquainted with Iain, as I shall remember him, a man at the opposite end of the social spectrum, who became a friend on first-name terms. He was modest and self-deprecating. The 6 foot 4 inch duke, known affectionately as 'Wee' Iain, seemed to regard his towering stature and his instantly recognisable Murray features as an encumbrance. He was the very picture of an archetypal country nobleman, complete with tweed jacket and Labrador at his heels.
In 1966, he revived the Atholl Highlanders, the only remaining private army in Europe, substantially raising visitor attendances. "When I kick the bucket, I suppose the only thing that people will remember is my private army! Well, too bad, but it does make me a bit sad".
Iain Murray deserves recognition for having been a duke who had a very firm sense of duty, a thoroughly decent man, who really cared about protecting the future of the estate that he had come to love. Under his stewardship, Blair Castle became the most visited castle in Scotland, and he was an acknowledged expert on forestry. While His Grace may have looked, with his distinctly languid manner, an aristocratic soft touch, he was nothing of the sort, and he had an astute instinct. He placed Blair Castle and much of the surrounding estate's many acres into a charitable trust “to preserve it for the people”.
In the 1980s, the 10th Duke decided to restore the Hercules Garden, but sadly did not live to see its completion. His tall, elegant memorial headstone in Westmorland slate by Richard Kindersley stands on the east peninsula, a gift from his friends. With loving thanks for his life.
BLAIR CASTLE is an unmissable landmark on the main route to the Highlands. A vision of brilliant white against the greens and russets of its parkland, it stands on the north side of the River Garry encircled by wooded hills, beyond which stretch the vast and treeless wilds of the ancient deer forest of Atholl. By the 1930s, the estate was bankrupt and the future looked bleak. A reprieve came through the fortune of the Pearson family, when Annie, Viscountess Cowdray, whose granddaughter Angela was engaged to the Duke’s distant cousin and heir, bought the estate in 1932 and set it up as a company. In 1936, Blair became the first Scottish house to open full time to the public. Angela, whose husband died before he could inherit, moved into the castle in 1945 and, with her son Iain, the future 10th Duke, developed Blair as a visitor attraction and carried out wide-ranging works to reverse wartime decline. After 1933, there was little activity and it seemed the Atholl Highlanders, the unique private army that had been created when Queen Victoria granted her Athollmen bodyguards the right to bear arms, went into abeyance. In 1966, the tenth Duke revived the regiment. He invited eight men who worked on the estate to march and seven of them accepted. They paraded on 8th April at Blair Castle for the first time in 33 years.
George Iain Murray, His Grace the tenth Duke of Atholl wearing the eagle-wing plaid 
The Atholl Highlanders marching past the 10th Duke of Atholl at Blair Castle in April 1966 [left] and the Highlanders being inspected by the Duke in May 1968 [right]
A Duke Who's Heir To Europe's Last Private Army
by Alison Muscatine - The New York Times - 30th May 1979
BLAIR ATHOLL, SCOTLAND. His castle, its white stucco turrets rising above the green forests in Perthshire. resembles a gingerbread fortress in the middle of Disneyland. The last time he fired cannons outside the castle's main entrance, the blast did nothing more than shatter 12 panes of glass. Furthermore, he describes himself as a pacifist, and there are rumors that he has never learned to salute properly. All of this should reassure anyone who takes his potential for combat too seriously. On the other hand, in the British Isles, where carrying a weapon is as much a moral infraction as a legal one, and where Scottish home rule is a lively political issue, one must not ignore him either. Unlike Britain's other dukes, earls, barons, and princes, George Iain Murray inherited more than land, title, riches or fame. His Grace, a towering 47‐year‐old bachelor who became Scotland's 10th Duke of Atholl in 1957, also inherited his own private army, the Atholl Highlanders, whose dwindling forces he resurrected in 1966.
The Duke now claims the distinction of being the only man in Western Europe who legally commands his own regiment, made up of 60 kilted, gun‐toting ex‐military men, 12 pipers and 8 drummers. Its regimental colors were presented by Queen Victoria when she and Prince Albert visited Blair Castle in 1896, and the presentation was a gesture of her appreciation for the Athollmen's historic “devoted loyalty.” The colors, which bear the motto “Furth, Fortune, and Fill the Fetters,” hang in the castle's elegant ballroom. A second set, presented 40 years later, hangs upstairs in a spacious hall. But the Duke has had trouble finding someone to present a new, third set of colors, now tucked away under some linen in the castle's attic. At the moment his only option is to present the colors himself.
The Duke plays down the military aspects of owning a regiment, saying, “I'm quite well suited to have a private army because I'm completely nonmilitary.” He insists that his troops are purely ceremonial and that the regiment exists only because it is “historically interesting and good publicity for Blair Castle.” But last year, when the House of Lords debated the Scottish devolution bill, there were whispers about the possibility of a Scottish military uprising if the Duke's army ever decided to mobilize for political purposes. “I certainly could mobilize the army, but it couldn't do much after that,” the Duke says with characteristic good humor, adding that gunpowder for the cannons, which he receives from the British Army, is in short supply because of recent bombings in Ireland.
In addition to those who are wary about the possibility of well‐armed Scotsmen advancing toward the English border, there may be some others who were suspicious when the Highlanders carried fixed bayonets through the streets of Edinburgh in 1968 — a special right granted during the city's Sir Walter Scott Centenary. “I think it would be a courtesy to inform the Lord Provost before we did such a thing again,” the Duke said, smiling, “although in theory we can march in any time we please.”
For all their military potential, the Highlanders haven't fired a shot since 1808, nor have they been offered for combat since 1854, when the 6th Duke of Atholl pledged their services to Palmerston at the outbreak of the Crimean War. They march once a year on the 135,000‐acre grounds of Blair Castle, and once or twice at celebrations elsewhere in the British Isles. They also serve as honor guards for distinguished visitors, such as Crown Prince Akihito of Japan, who has come to Blair Atholl twice in recent years, and at Highlander weddings and funerals. This year they will lead a centenary parade on the Isle of Man, which was once part of the Atholl domain.
Only local landowners can become officers in the Atholl Highlanders, and membership in the rank‐and‐file is generally restricted to workers on the castle estate, who must be invited to join by the duke. Those who are slack about practice sessions or performances are asked to withdraw from the ranks. The army receives no pay, only uniforms, weapons, and a banquet in the castle after each parade. “It's an honor to be asked to join the Highlanders,” said Sgt. Maj. James Stewart, who is also the head tour guide at Blair Castle. “There is great family tradition in this army,” he added, pointing to original parade rolls bearing such names as MacDonald, Grant, MacCaskill, Clyne, Kippen, and Moncreiffe — names that are still reflected in the regiment's rolls ranks today. Family continuity is important to Scots.
The duke, Commander in Chief and Colonel of the Highlanders, spends most of his time in London, where he is chairman of the board of Westminster Press and a Member of the House of Lords. His politics are more English than Scottish Nationalist, and he seldom spends time in Scotland, journeying north only once or twice a month. He leaves administration of his “army” to Army officers who, he says, deserve all credit for keeping the regiment alive. “The army will be self‐perpetuating because its members are interested in it,” he says, speaking of the regiment. “But death duties will clobber the estate, which could present problems for my heirs.” Unless the Duke marries, heirs could be a problem too. Both of his brothers are dead, and so the most likely candidate for succession now is Bruce Murray, a distant 18‐year‐old relative living in South Africa. The Duke has never met him.
The 11th Earl of Dunmore
KENNETH RANDOLPH MURRAY, the eleventh Earl of Dunmore, Viscount Fincastle, Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin, and Tullimet, died on 28th September 1995 at the age of 82. Ken Murray was a village postmaster at Gravelly Beach, Tasmania, Australia. As a 73-year-old widower, he was enjoying retirement when, by an accident of death, he became the Earl of Dunmore, a senior member of the British aristocracy. In the BBC television programme The Visit: Living Like a Lord, he was seen going to London to take his seat in the House of Lords. Ken, a grandfather, whose life until then had revolved around his framily and fishing, became heir to one of Scotland's oldest titles, and assumed the responsibilities of a clan chieftain. It happened because, in 1980, the ninth Earl of Dunmore died, aged 41, without leaving an heir. A search revealed that Ken's family was descended from the second son of the first Earl, so the title went to Ken's brother, who held it for only eight months before he died. Although the inheritance carried no money and no land - only many distinguished relatives - Ken became determined to fulfil an ambition. He wanted to travel to London, take his seat in the House of Lords, meet The Queen, and pass on to his children a noble inheritance.
Kenneth Randolph Murray, the eleventh Earl of Dunmore © Photograph by Lord Lichfield 
The 8th Earl of Mansfield
WILLIAM DAVID MUNGO JAMES MURRAY, the 8th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield, died on 21st October 2015, aged 85 after a long illness. He also held the titles of 13th Viscount Stormont and Lord Scone, 11th Lord Balvaird and Hereditary Keeper of Bruce’s Castle of Lochmaben. Some of his ancestors had suffered imprisonment for their support of the Jacobite cause, and he also held the titles of Earl of Dunbar, Viscount of Drumcairn and Lord Halldykes in the Jacobite peerage. The double Mansfield title (he was sometimes styled the 8th and 7th Earl of Mansfield), derived from the uniting of two earldoms (Earl of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, and Earl of Mansfield, of Caen Wood in the County of Middlesex) under a single holder in 1843. The two titles had been created, in 1776 and 1792 respectively, for William Murray, 1st Baron Mansfield, who had served as Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench from 1756 to 1788. The Murrays had been Lords of Scone since they were granted the estate by James VI of Scotland (James I of England) in 1604 (he also created them Viscounts Stormont), although the history of the family seat goes back to the medieval period, when it was the site of an Augustinian abbey and the place where the Kings of Scotland came to be crowned. The 8th Earl was one of Scotland’s best-known aristocrats; for many years a practitioner at the English Bar, he served under Margaret Thatcher as a minister of state in the Scottish and Northern Ireland offices. In 1955, he married Pamela Foster, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. In later life, living at the family seat of Scone Palace, Perthshire, he ran its 27,000-acre estate and devoted his energies to helping his wife Pamela develop Scone as a leading tourist attraction. In September 1983, he wrote to a fellow clansman: "I am so pleased that you enjoyed your visit to Scone and found time to look at some of the features of the Estate. It is particularly pleasing that a Murray is so appreciative - we are a small clan compared with some but we more than make up for our lack of numbers by our enthusiasm!"
William David Mungo James Murray, eighth Earl of Mansfield, and his wife Pamela /taniacrossingham/images/image-u7485.jpeg)
The Scottish feudal Barony of Balvaird was originally granted by a Crown Charter of Confirmation in favour of Lord Andrew Murray "of the lands and Barony of Balvaird" dated 16th March 1624. The Barony is described in Latin in the crown grant as "terrarum et baronie de Balvaird". In 1673, a Crown Charter of Erection of the Lordship of Balvaird was granted in favour of David Murray, 5th Viscount of Stormont. The subjects of the charter are narrated in English as "all and whole various lands incorporated into the Lordship and Barony of Balvaird, together with the tower, fortalice and manor place of Balvaird”. The previous Lord of Balvaird was Alexander Murray, 9th Earl of Mansfield, who had inherited the title from his father William Murray, 8th Earl of Mansfield. The title passed by deed of assignation to the present Lord of Balvaird, American Brady Brim-DeForest, in 2017. Brim-DeForest owns both the castle of Balvaird and separately the titular feudal barony of Balvaird. Image: Deed of Assignation created for Mr Brady Brim De-Forest by Tania Crossingham, medieval illuminator, heraldic & visionary artist.
The 14th Lord Elibank
ALAN D'ARDIS ERSKINE-MURRAY was born on 31st December 1923, eldest son of Major Robert Alan Erskine-Murray OBE by his wife the former Eileen Mary MacManus. On 1st September 1962, he married Valerie Sylvia Dennis [died 13th January 1997], by whom he had two sons, Robert and Timothy. He was educated at Bedford School and at Peterhouse, Cambridge - Bachelor of Arts (1949) and Master of Arts (1953). He served with the Royal Engineers during the Second World War (1942-1947) and was admitted by the Middle Temple as a barrister in 1949. He succeeded to the title of 14th Baronet Murray of Ettrick Forest and 14th Lord Elibank of Ettrick Forest on the death of his cousin (James Alastair Frederick Campbell Erskine-Murray
, 13th Lord Elibank) on 2nd June 1973. He was also the 11th titular Earl of Westminster in the Jacobite Peerage, under the terms of the Letters Patent of 12th August 1759, issued by "King James VIII and III", known as the Old Pretender, to the Honourable Alexander Murray of Elibank, fourth son of the fourth Lord Elibank, who played a significant role in an abortive Jacobite conspiracy, in 1752, thereafter known as the Elibank Plot. He was with Shell International Petroleum (1955 - 1980); and a personnel consultant with Deminex UK Oil and Gas (1981 - 1986). Alan died on 30th November 2017, aged 93. His elder son, the Hon. Robert Francis Alan Erskine-Murray, Master of Elibank, born 10th October 1964, succeeded as 15th Lord Elibank in the peerage of Scotland (created 1643), and 14th Baronet Murray of Ettrick Forest (created 1628). Image: Lady Elibank's Memorial at Elibank Castle.
Archibald Russell Murray, FSA Scot.
WE WERE SORRY to learn of the death, aged 93, of Archie Russell Murray, one of the Murray Clan Society's greatest supporters over a period of many years. Archie was born in Australia on 16th June 1929. He had an older brother, John Murray, a past convenor of the Murray Clan Society, who was also a good friend to me, and both of them returned to the UK with their parents. John and Archie settled in Edinburgh in a large house in Lauder Road. John was married and divorced and was interested in property; Archie went to Durham University and trained in English law. He also joined his brother dealing in property in Edinburgh. I knew Archie since October 1981 when I first joined the Murray Clan Society as a life member during the International Gathering of the Clans, and his wife Kitty since their marriage in June 1986 when they settled in Peebles. The long-serving Overseas Secretary of the Murray Clan Society (Edinburgh), Archie became a close personal friend and he was best man at my wedding at Blackbarony Castle in 1993. Sadly, Kitty died in 2015 and Archie had a heart attack and passed away on 3rd November 2022. He was a charming man and a loyal and familiar figure at all the Murray Clan Society's events at which he enjoyed singing "The Rowan Tree", a Scottish song whose lyrics hearken back to the Jacobite period.
Archie and Kitty pictured chatting to Mrs. Jean Murray - Alan D'Ardis Erskine-Murray, 14th Lord Elibank (Patron), in background - at the Society's 25th Anniversary Dinner on Friday 30th October 1987
Bill Clement MBE
BILL CLEMENT was a virtuoso of piping and Scottish country dancing. The 10th Duke of Atholl accorded the former convenor of the Murray Clan Society (1987-1990) the signal privilege of giving permission for an Atholl Highlander, Pipe Sergeant Bill Clement MBE, to play at his wedding at Blackbarony Castle in 1993 attired in full regimental dress uniform. He was an inspirational figure who spent his adult life educating young people in the finer points of these pursuits. “Clem”, as he was affectionately known, was invited to join the Atholl Highlanders in October 1947 under Pipe Major Peter Wilkie and continued to serve for another 52 years, latterly as Pipe Sergeant. In 1948, Bill became piper to the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, serving as society chairman from 1996 to 1998. Aside from a hectic life filled by his interests and hobbies, Bill found love through Scottish country dancing, marrying Atsuko Mikami in 1986. In July 2008, Bill was made an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to piping and Scottish country dancing. Bill faced his greatest challenge when he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Rather than giving in to this devastating diagnosis, Bill responded in his own inimitable style. During the very full months that followed, he completed his tune book - A Collection of Bagpipe Tunes - worked on his memoirs, attended a lunch in Edinburgh with the Japanese consul general, visited Japan, and attended the Atholl Highlanders' Jubilee Parade at Blair Castle, staying on to attend the ball. He died on 17th June 2021, aged 89.
Atholl Highlander Bill Clement MBE Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick
WILLIAM EDWARD PETER LOUIS DRUMMOND-MURRAY of Mastrick was the elder son of Edward Drummond-Murray of Mastrick and his wife Eulalia née Heaven (so named because she was the god-daughter of The Infanta Dona Eulalia of Spain). Peter Drummond-Murray was a distinguished Edinburgh businessman whose encyclopaedic knowledge of heraldry and genealogy proved him a worthy successor in these subjects to Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk. His own colourful family tree brought in descents from the Counts of Vistaflorida in Peru, kings of Navarre, dukes of St Albans and the 20th and last Earl of Oxford, and kinship from Spanish grandees to the Drummond Earls of Perth. He self-deprecatingly dismissed the Drummonds with the remark: “Once you have one Perthshire ancestor, you have them all.” 
An ardent though realistic Jacobite, he gave measured rein to his views when president of the Murray Clan Society.
A superbly grand gentleman and a familiar figure at the Murray Clan Society's events, Peter’s stern visage could disguise someone whose love for life yielded to no one. His thirst for research never left him, and in his final years he had been in correspondence with the Marquis de la Floresta, the Spanish king of arms (equivalent of Scotland’s Lord Lyon) about an 18th-century ancestress. He took as much delight in his ancestors as he did in his immediate and close family, and he was survived by his wife Barbara (Hon. Barbara Hope, daughter of the 2nd Lord Rankeillour), four sons and a daughter and grandchildren. Peter died on 13th April 2014, in Edinburgh, aged 84.