Alexander Murray, 7th Lord Elibank

Alexander Murray, 7th Lord Elibank (24 April 1747 – 24 September 1820) was a Scottish peer.

Background

Elibank was the son of Reverend Gideon Murray, younger son of Alexander Murray, 4th Lord Elibank. His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of General David Montolieu, Baron de St Hypolite, while Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank was his paternal uncle. His brother was David Murray (1748–1794).[1]

Political career

Elibank was returned to Parliament for Peeblesshire in 1783, a seat he held until 1784.[2] In 1785 he succeeded his uncle as seventh Lord Elibank. However, as this was a Scottish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire between 1794 and 1820.[3]

Family

Lord Elibank was twice married. He married firstly Mary Clara, daughter of Lewis Charles Montolieu, Baron de St Hypolite, in 1776. After her death in January 1802 he married Christian Catherine Steuart (d.1853),[4] daughter of James Steuart, in 1804. Lord Elibank died in September 1820, aged 73, and was succeeded in the lordship by his son from his first marriage, Alexander.[5]

The son of his second marriage, James Murray (1810–16 February, 1844),[6] who became James Erskine Murray on marriage, was an advocate at the Scottish Bar and author [7] before emigrating to Australia in 1841. From Port Phillip he aspired to become a White Rajah through an expedition to eastern Borneo[8] which ended disastrously, but provoked the Dutch to intervene[9] and oblige the Sultan to sign a treaty acknowledging their overall sovereignty over Kutei in 1845.[10] The expedition was reported in newspapers [11] and books,[12] as well as more recent studies.[13]

References

  1. ^ Lundy, Darryl. "p. 3038 § 30380". The Peerage.[unreliable source]
  2. ^ "leighrayment.com". Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  3. ^ leighrayment.com[usurped]
  4. ^ Grave of Lady Elibank, Dean Cemetery
  5. ^ Lundy, Darryl. "p. 3038 § 30380". The Peerage.[unreliable source]
  6. ^ "Obituary". The Gentleman's Magazine: 316–317. September 1844.
  7. ^ A Summer in the Pyreees. 1837.
  8. ^ Pearn, B. R. (April 1969). "Erskine Murray's Fatal Adventure in Borneo, 1843-44". Indonesia. 7 (7): 21–32. doi:10.2307/3350801. hdl:1813/53457. JSTOR 3350801.
  9. ^ Irwin,Graham (1955). Nineteenth-century Borneo. pp. 102–3, 153–5.
  10. ^ Black,Ian. The "Lastposten": Eastern Kalimantan and the Dutch in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries in Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol.16, pp.281-291.
  11. ^ Joseph Abrahams (24 September 1844). "Borneo in The South Australian".
  12. ^ Borneo and the Indian Archipelago, pp.44-45,229 (1848).
  13. ^ Saunders,Graham (1986). "James Erskine Murray's expeditions to Kutei, 1843-1844 in Brunei Museum Journal, Vol.6, pp.91-115".
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Peeblesshire
1783–1784 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by
-
 Lord Lieutenant of Peebleshire
1794–1820 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Lord Elibank
1785–1820 		Succeeded by
Alexander Murray