Patrick Murray, 1st Lord Elibank

Patrick Murray, 1st Lord Elibank (? - 12 November 1649), known as Sir Patrick Murray, 1st Baronet, from 1628 to 1643, was a Scottish peer.

Murray was son of Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank. In 1628 he was created a Baronet, of Elibank in the County of Selkirk, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, and in 1643 he was created Lord Elibank, of Ettrick Forest in the County of Selkirk, in the Peerage of Scotland, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever. Lord Elibank was one of the six peers who opposed the extradition of King Charles I to the English Parliament.

The family although originally from Peebleshire resided at Livingston Peel near Livingston Village.[1]

He died in November 1649. He was succeeded in his titles by his son Patrick.

Patrick Murray, 2nd Lord Elibank

The son Patrick Murray (1632-1671) married Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair.

He was a pioneer of botany and a good friend of Scotland's premier botanist and physician, Sir Robert Sibbald and Sir Andrew Balfour. His garden was known as "the curious garden" and contained over 1000 plants assembled from his travels across Scotland and from seeds posted to him from foreign contacts. It was said to be an Italian style water garden fed by the waters of the nearby Folly Burn.

Inspired by the descriptions of his well-travelled friends Sibbald and Balfour he began a grand tour on 2 September 1668. He visited many gardens, waterways and canals including The King's Garden in Paris which he described as "the most complete that is in the world".

Sadly he never returned to put his new ideas to the test. En route to Italy he died in Avignon, France in early September 1671.[1]

Balfour and Sibbald on hearing of his death travelled to Livingston Peel and organised transportation of the huge plant collection to Edinburgh, to a site now occupied by Waverley Station and shortly, in 1763, to a new site on Leith Walk.

Notes

1. History of Livingston, William F Hendrie

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages