The Castles of Clan Murray

Clan Murray have used their power and influence to stake claim over a number of grand Scottish Castles. We find that exploring a clan’s strongholds is one of the best ways to learn about their history and connect with their heritage, and luckily, all the sites we are going to mention today are open to visitors! 

We’d like to start with Clan Murray’s ancestral seat, Blair Castle, situated in the sweeping countryside surrounding the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire. While it is now firmly recognised as the family’s historic home, there have been countless battles over its ownership ever since it was built. 

It's believed that Blair Castle was constructed in questionable circumstances, with John Comyn I, Lord of Badenoch, taking advantage of his neighbour, the Earl of Atholl’s absence to start building on his land in 1269. The story goes that, once the Earl returned from his crusade overseas, he was outraged to see that Lord Badenoch had encroached on his territory, and complained to King Alexander III, successfully campaigning to be granted official ownership of the newly constructed Blair Castle. 

The difficulties were not over yet, as the Murrays continued to face threats to their land. One particularly contentious occasion arose during the notorious Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the 17th century, when the Murrays sided with the Royalist cause. This led to Cromwell besieging Blair Castle during the invasion of 1650.

Fortunately, when Charles II was restored, he returned the land to the Murray family. This pattern seemed to repeat itself numerous times over the following centuries, with the Dukes of Atholl always finding their way back to the castle, often supported by extremely influential figures. 

Blair Castle by Alan Edwards

Arguably the most prestigious character who helped cement the Murrays’ ownership of Blair Castle was Queen Victoria herself! 

In 1777, John Murray, the 4th Duke of Atholl, created a brigade called the Atholl Highlanders to support other troops serving in North America, though they ended up spending most of their time in Ireland. 

Many years later, the group received a prestigious royal stamp of approval. In 1842, the Atholl Highlanders escorted Queen Victoria on a tour of Perthshire, and in 1844 they stood guard during the entire time the Queen stayed as a guest at Blair Castle. She was so grateful for their service that she presented the regiment with official colours, gave them official status, and assigned Blair Castle as their base.

To this day, the group continue to attend the current Duke of Atholl at ceremonial occasions and they hold the title of Europe’s only official private army! They are still stationed at Blair Castle, so maybe if you visit, you will be lucky enough to spot this historic troop.

The castle has been open to visitors since 1936, and we’d highly recommend a trip if you are looking for a way to learn more about Clan Murray. You can discover a wealth of objects and artefacts related to the family’s fascinating history, including weapons used at the infamous battle of Culloden.

Find out more and plan your visit by having a look at the website here.

While the Murrays held ownership of Blair Castle from almost as far back as the origins of the clan, they also managed to use their influence to gain more grand castles centuries later. 

One of the clan’s most striking territorial gains occurred in 1600, when Sir David Murray was awarded the lands of Scone in Perthshire by James VI and given the title ‘Lord Scone,’ and later, ‘Viscount of Stormont,’ then most notably ‘Earl of Mansfield.’ These lands included the stunning Scone Palace.

The site had originally housed an early Christian church, then an Augustinian Priory, before becoming one of Clan Murray's grand homes. The clan added extensively to the already magnificent building. In 1802, David William Murray, the 3rd Earl of Mansfield, hired renowned architect William Atkinson to enlarge Scone. He requested that Atkinson update the palace, while maintaining the charming characteristics of the medieval abbey that once stood on the grounds. 

Scone Palace by PaulT (Gunther Tschuch)

Atkinson completed the building in eye catching red sandstone, adding a castellated roof, and sophisticated gallery, while Murray curated an impressive range of artefacts, furniture, paintings, and ivories to adorn the interior. 

The transformation was undoubtedly highly successful, and the Murray’s stronghold attracted any number of impressive visitors! In 1842, Queen Victoria stopped in on her way to the Highlands, while more recently, Queen Elizabeth II paid a visit. 

Today, Scone Palace is open to the public – so why not follow in royal footsteps and check it out for yourself! You could spot a writing desk gifted to the 2nd Earl of Mansfield by Marie-Antoinette, inspect a bed hanging made by Mary Queen of Scots, or get lost in the Murray Star maze, planted in the colours of the Mansfield tartan, and built in the shape of the star that features heavily in Clan Murray’s arms. 

Find out more on their website here and be sure to let us know if you do visit!

Our final Murray site for today is Bothwell Castle, which Walter Moray’s family began building all the way back in the 1200s! 

Bothwell was a clear indicator of the Murray’s great power, influence, and strength, as it stands in a key strategic position at one of the main crossing points of the river Clyde. This would have meant that the family would have been able to spot any invaders approaching from a long distance away, giving them a keen advantage over any potential enemies. 

The castle also reflects the Murray’s grand historic fortune, as the quality of its construction is obvious even today. It is thought that they commissioned the best craftsmen and masons in all of Europe to complete the work, and that no expenses were spared. 

Bothwell Castle by Otter

The donjon, or main residential tower, is one of the greatest remaining stone buildings from medieval Scotland, and once measured 20m in diameter and stood at more than 30m tall. 

While the castle left Clan Murray’s possession in 1362, when it passed on to the Black Douglasses, we still would recommend visiting the site to connect with the mighty Murrays. Much of their impressive building and design work is still on display and is often heralded as some of the finest remaining ancient stonework in Scotland. 

You can also find intriguing hints about the Murray’s daily life in the expansive and beautiful grounds, where the exotic plant ‘sand leek,’ also known as ‘Spanish garlic’ grows abundantly. It is thought that it was once used for medicinal purposes, so perhaps Clan Murray were advanced healers as well as warriors! 

You can find details on opening times, as well as how to reach the site, here.

That brings us to the end of today’s blog. We hope you have enjoyed learning about a few of Clan Murray’s grand and impressive homes and perhaps even feel inspired to visit one or two for yourself! Please do let us know if you make a trip to anywhere we have mentioned today – we’d love to hear about it! 

Image Sources:

Blair Atholl Castle photo © Alan Edwards (cc-by-sa/2.0) 

Scone Palace by PaulT (Gunther Tschuch) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bothwell Castle by Otter - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0