John Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine

John Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine (d. 1613) was a Scottish courtier and leader of the Clan Murray.

He was born c. 1550, the son of Sir William Murray of Tullibardine and Agnes Graham, a daughter of William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose and Janet Keith. His paternal aunt was the influential Annabell Murray, Countess of Mar.

In 1580 his father resigned the office of Comptroller of Scotland and James VI gave it to him.[1]

Murray was a guest of Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy at Balloch

Murray was Master of the Household to James VI of Scotland.[2] He fought at the Battle of Glenlivet against George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, and Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll.

His brother, Captain George Murray, accompanied James VI in Denmark in 1590.[3]

In September 1590 Tullibardine and his brother-in-law Robert Murray of Abercairnie were guests of the Laird of Glenorchy at Balloch, now Taymouth Castle.[4]

James VI often visited him at Tullibardine or Gask. He and Anne of Denmark attended the wedding of Lilias Murray and John Grant of Freuchie on 21 June 1591.[5] James VI performed in a masque with his valet, probably John Wemyss of Logie.[6] They wore Venetian carnival masks and helmets with red and pink taffeta costumes.[7] James VI was at Tullibardine for New Year in 1592.[8]

On 20 July 1593 he hit William Edmondstone of Duntreath in the face with the hilt of his sword during a session of the Parliament in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, in the king's presence.[9]

The king invited the Earl of Mar to join them "making merry" at Gask in July 1595. This was probably the "in-fare" feast for the wedding of Anne Murray.[10] James VI stayed at Tullibardine for the first week in January 1598.[11] In April 1598 the Duke of Holstein, brother of Anne of Denmark visited Tullibardine on a progress with the Duke of Lennox.[12]

Alexander Menzies of Weem complained in January 1599 that Murray had welcomed Donald Menzies and John Dow MacWilliam alias MacGregor, two thieves, as his household men and servants. MacWilliam had broken into the Place of Weem, now called Castle Menzies, and rescued Donald Menzies from a cell.[13]

He consolidated his position as head of the family with two bands of association in 1586 and 1599 in which he was recognized as chief by numerous Murray lairds including the Morays of Abercairny in Perthshire.[14]

In 1604 he was made Lord Murray of Tullibardine, in 1606 he became Earl of Tullibardine.

Family

Murray married Catherine Drummond, daughter of David, 2nd Lord Drummond (a great grandson of Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll) and Lilias Ruthven. Their children included;

References
  1. Keith Brown, Noble Power in Scotland (Edinburgh, 2011), p. 182.
  2. Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1581-1583, vol. 6 (Edinburgh, 1910), p. 560: Amy Juhala, 'For the King Favours Them Very Strangely', in Miles Kerr-Peterson and Steven J. Reid, James VI and Noble Power (Routledge: Abingdon, 2017), p. 173.
  3. David Stevenson, Scotland's Last Royal Wedding (Edinburgh, 1997), p. 121.
  4. HMC 4th Report: Marquis of Breadalbane (London, 1874), p. 512: Cosmo Innes, Black Book of Taymouth (Edinburgh, 1855), p. 303.
  5. W. Boyd & H. Meikle, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 533–5.
  6. Jemma Field, Anna of Denmark: The Material and Visual Culture of the Stuart Courts (Manchester, 2020), p. 135.
  7. Michael Pearce, 'Anna of Denmark: Fashioning a Danish Court in Scotland', The Court Historian, 24:2 (2019) p. 149.
  8. HMC 6th Report: Menzies (London, 1877), p. 693.
  9. Annie I. Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 129.
  10. Annie I. Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 659-660, 663.
  11. HMC Report on the Manuscripts of Colonel David Milne Home of Wedderburn Castle, (London, 1902), p. 67.
  12. John Duncan Mackie, Calendar of Scottish Papers: 1597-1603, vol. 13 part 1 (Edinburgh, 1969), p. 181.
  13. David Masson, Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1882), p. 513.
  14. Keith Brown, Noble Power in Scotland (Edinburgh, 2011), p. 50.
  15. Thomas Birch & Robert Folkestone Williams, Court and times of James the First, vol. 1 (London, 1848), p. 274.
  16. Allen F. Westcott ed., New poems by James I of England: from a hitherto unpublished manuscript (New York), pp. 78–80.
  17. W. Boyd & H. Meikle, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 533–5.
  18. Annie I. Cameron, Calendar of State Papers Scotland, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 458.
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