About us
"Clan Societies have existed since the seventeenth century. They provide invaluable machinery for a clan-fund, repository for records and treasures, and virtually form the Civil Service of the clan" - Agnes Mure Mackenzie - 1949.
To each one of the founder members of the Society, we owe a great debt of gratitude. In 1992 (the 30th Anniversary of the Society), Mr. Albert Bruce Murray of Perth, one of the founder members of the Society, sent a copy of the original press review of the foundation of the Society, which took place in Edinburgh on the night of Wednesday 17th January 1962 at the Royal Overseas League, 100 Princes Street. This was the inaugural meeting of the Society:
"It was unanimously decided that a Clan Murray Society should be formed and the following office-bearers were elected: Hon. President, Colonel The Hon. the Viscount Elibank, GMC, DSO; President, Major Alastair Erskine-Murray, MA, FSA Scot.; Vice-President, Viscount Fincastle; Hon. Secretary, Miss Margaret Murray, Edinburgh. Committee: Miss M.I. Murray, Dr. Flora B. Murray, Mrs. Elizabeth Murray, and Mr. Albert Bruce Murray (Perth). Membership to date is over 50 members - with some members from as far afield as Australia. .. It was decided that the annual subscription should be 5 shillings. It was unanimously resolved that the Clan Murray Society should support the Council of Scottish Clan Societies.
"Members of the Clan Murray Society are anxious to play an active part in the big-scale Clan Garden Party scheduled to take place in the capital [Edinburgh] on Saturday 8th September of this year 1962, under the auspices of the Council of Scottish Clan Societies who are functioning in conjunction with the 6th International Congress of Genealogy and Heraldry, to which the Duke of Edinburgh has granted his Royal Patronage. Septs of the Clan Murray include Balneaves, Dinsmore, Dunbar, Dunsmore, Fleming, Moray, Murrie, Neaves, Piper, Pyper, Rattray, Smail, Smale, Small, Smeal, and Spalding. All Murrays and septs interested with a view to joining the Society should timeously get in touch with the Hon. Secretary".
Source: R. MacDonald Robertson's Clan Column.
The original name of the Society - "The Clan Murray Society" - was altered at the suggestion of the late Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, to "The Murray Clan Society". Mr. Albert Bruce Murray wrote: "From memory, I think the change of name had something to do with the fact that the Murray families were widely spread throughout Scotland - unlike some of the other clans which have always had certain territorial limits".
Constitution
THE MURRAY CLAN SOCIETY was constituted as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) on 4th June 2024, a registered charity number SC053408 regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
Mission Statement
The charity's purposes are:-
a) To promote social links among people bearing the surname Murray, or who are connected by marriage, ancestry, or descent with the Murray Clan, or who bear one of the surnames recognised as being associated with the Murray Clan (the septs) [Balneaves, Dinsmore, Dunsmore, Fleming, Moray, Murrie, Murry, Neaves, Piper, Pyper, Smail, Smale, Small, Smeal, Spalding, and variations of these surnames].
b) To stimulate interest in the history, culture, and traditions of the Clan and in the work of those who have borne the name Murray, whether in this country or overseas.
c) To organise and carry on such activities as the Board of Trustees shall from time to time consider to be of benefit to the members, subject to the reservation that such activities shall not run counter to the purposes of a) and b) above.
d) In order to promote the above purposes the Society may make grants or contributions to any other organisations whose objects are broadly in accord with its own, subject to the reservation that such organisations must not be engaged in any political activities.
e) The Society is non-political and non-sectarian.
The Society's motto is: FORWARD WITH FORTUNE which reflects our aspirations to carry the Society forward for the next generation of younger Murrays.
Patron
The Lord Elibank, Robert Francis Alan Erskine-Murray, is patron of the Murray Clan Society, thus continuing his family's long-established association with the Murray Clan Society and his ancestor, the 13th Lord Elibank, Alastair Erskine-Murray, who founded the Society at the inaugural meeting which took place on the night of Wednesday 17th January 1962 at the Royal Overseas League, 100 Princes Street in Edinburgh. Lord Elibank succeeded his father to the title 15th Lord Elibank of Ettrick Forest in the County of Selkirk [created 1643 in the Peerage of Scotland], and 15th Baronet Murray of Ettrick Forest in the County of Selkirk [created 1628], on 30th November 2017. The family of Murray, Lords Elibank, claim an ancient descent, independent of all other families of the name, carrying them back to one Erchebaud de Morreff (Morauia, Murref, Murreue) [del Counte de Pebbles] who lived in Perthshire in the thirteenth century.
Board of Trustees
The structure of the organisation consists of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES which holds regular meetings and controls the activities of the organisation. The people serving on the board are referred to as CHARITY TRUSTEES. The trustees bring a wide range of skills and experience and there is a good balance of ages. Their vision is to attract family groups - young and old - to join a modernised, dynamic society, and to provide a focal point for all members of the Clan from all walks of life - wherever they may be and whatever their background.
Head Trustee (Chairman)
The Head Trustee belongs to a family that has intermarried with the Murrays for many years and he is a Murray through his mother, who first sparked his deep interest in the Murray Clan and his long-standing connection with the Murray Clan Society. In October 1981, he became a life member of the Murray Clan Society during the International Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh at the young age of 17 years and served as Convenor between 1987-1990. He designed and matriculated the Society’s Coat of Arms with Lord Lyon King of Arms. In 2019, he set about repairing, bringing back to good health, and preserving for present and future generations the remains of an ancient Scottish castle - the marvellously-named Castle Cluggy near Crieff - once the home and ancestral seat of the Murray baronets of Ochtertyre. He retains the courtesy title of ‘Captain of Castle Cluggy on the Dry Isle’, traditionally an officer responsible for overseeing the castle and its defence, and keeping it in readiness, but now rather a sinecure without any military significance.
Supported by the Secretary of State for Scotland, The Rt. Hon. Ian Murray MP.
It means a lot to us to be sponsored by Tullibardine Distillery in the village of Blackford, Perthshire - the gateway to the Scottish Highlands - and we are especially pleased by the distillery's close connection with the Murray name, which derives from the 2nd Marquess of Tullibardine, Sir William Murray, who fought for the Jacobites at the Battle of Sheriffmuir on the Ochil hills above the Tullibardine distillery. Tullibardine’s history of brewing and distilling dates back to 1488, when King James IV of Scotland stopped by the site, a brewery at the time, to purchase beer. This was recorded as the first public purchase of beer in Scotland. In 1947, distillery specialist William Delme-Evans visited the same spot and found that the mineral rich character and purity of the water from nearby springs situated in Perthshire’s Ochil Hills was perfect for distillation. The Ochil Hills are well known for the gold that was once mined from them, giving ‘a drop of pure Highland gold’. Using the Danny Burn as the water source, Delme-Evans converted the brewery site into a whisky distillery and named it Tullibardine after the small medieval chapel situated nearby and translating as ‘lookout hill’ in Gaelic.
Official Piper
We are delighted that Ross McNaughton agreed to take on the role of official piper to the Murray Clan Society. The position involves playing at Society events and high-profile occasions, usually in the clan territory, such as an annual clan gathering; formal dinner and clan ceilidh; Annual General Meeting; Summer picnic; and fund-raising events periodically throughout the year. It is great to have his support. Ross commented: "It is a huge honour to represent your clan. As a piper in the Atholl Highlanders, I think that I bring an excellent link to the Murray Clan". Based in Highland Perthshire, Ross brings a wealth of experience and a passion for piping. As an Army Pipe Major qualified to level 8 (SCQF) and holding an HNC in Music from The National Piping Centre, Ross brings a wealth of experience and a passion for piping. All the chiefs of the Highland Clans employed pipers. They were considered a very important part of their establishments. A chief traditionally had three pipers, a chieftain two, and other lairds one.
Modernising the Murrays
On 16th May 2001, the Convenor of the Murray Clan Society wrote to a previous convenor who had served between 1987-1990 [pictured below], stating that the membership present at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) were asking him to consider returning to lead the Society, to help save it from extinction. Unfortunately, it was not possible for him to return to active membership at that time as he had family and career commitments, and was leading a busy civic life as the youngest council leader in the country.
It eventually fell to Anna Moray Parker, a member of the Drummond-Moray family of Abercairny, and her husband Daniel, to administer the Murray Clan Society in Scotland. In 2017, they announced that the long-dormant Murray Clan Society (UK) would be formally re-activated in the New Club on Princes Street prior to attendance at a special event at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on 4th August of that year, an evening especially dedicated to the Murray Clan as part of the Splash of Tartan celebrations. It is also worth mentioning the Murray Clan DNA Research Project which was launched on 6th October 2004, a huge undertaking which was managed in the USA by an Australian historian, Alexandrina Murray.
Thriving transatlantic clan societies have set a wonderful example to their overseas cousins and they are understandably disappointed that for some years they have had no counterpart or point of reference in their spiritual homeland. They see the Murray Clan Society in Scotland as the trunk of the tree from which the branches spring. Members in other parts of the world look to the "Home Society" as the centre of our worldwide clan. We also maintain a very cordial relationship with our sister society in New Zealand. The Murray Clan Society has now been revived as a charitable organisation after many years of inactivity, to carry forward to a new era the legacy of the most excellent clansmen and clanswomen who laid the foundation 62 years ago, thus fulfilling the official motto which adorns the Murray Clan Society’s coat of arms: FORWARD WITH FORTUNE.
Convenor of the Murray Clan Society 1987-1990
Letter asking the past convenor to lead the Society to save it from extinction
In June 1987, a traditional silver quaich, a powerful symbol of trust and friendship, was presented at the Murray Clan Society of New Zealand's 25th Anniversary Dinner in Dunedin, a gift from the Murray Clan Society (Edinburgh) to offer a welcoming drink at clan gatherings. The gavel and stand pictured above was subsequently presented to the Murray Clan Society at the 25th Anniversary Dinner in Edinburgh on Friday 30th October 1987. The gift from the Murray Clan Society in New Zealand was custom made and only one-of-a-kind, designed and crafted by Mr. Clive Grundy of Dunedin in New Zealand Black Pine, whose botanical name is Prumnopitys taxifolia [Maori: Matai]. The completed gavel and stand was finished with Scandanavian teak oil. It was hoped that this unique gift would grace the table at clan meetings for years to come as a memento from all clansmen and clanswomen in New Zealand.
The Library at Blair Castle in a boardroom setting