The 11th Duke of Atholl, centre, in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders

John Murray, the Chief of the Murray clans and 11th Duke of Atholl has died in a South African hospital on Tuesday, 15th May after suffering a stroke. He was 83.
The Johannesburg born Murray became Clan Chief and inherited the Dukedom after his cousin George Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl passed away unmarried in 1996.

Murray, the 4x great-grandson of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, was born in South Africa in 1929, the only child of Major George Murray and his wife Joan Eastwood. His father was killed in 1940 in active service during the Second World War.
A land surveyor by profession, John married Margaret ‘Peggy’ Leach in 1956 and had three children together: Lady Jennifer Murray; Bruce Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine; and Lord Craig Murray. The eldest son, Bruce, will now become the 12th Duke of Atholl.

A spokesperson at the Atholl Estates in Perthshire announced the death of the Duke and said that his standard would be flown at half-mast out of respect. He added,

“The Duke was Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders and over the years had become a well known figure on Atholl Estates. He visited Scotland every year for the Atholl Highlander’s parade and gathering held at the end of May.
“As he would have wished, the parade will be held this year as usual, at Blair Castle on Saturday May 26 and the Gathering on Sunday 27.
“A service of remembrance will be held at Blair Castle when the Atholl Highlanders and local friends will have a chance to remember the Duke.”

Andrew Bruce Wooton, the general manager at Blair Castle said,

”He was in his 80s and had a full and fantastic life. His family are feeling the sorrow but are thankful he had such an interesting and varied life. He was such a happy and joyful man.”

Apparently, it has been confirmed that Bruce Murray, the new Duke, will visit Blair Atholl to inspect the Highlanders at the next coming parade and gathering.

The 11th Duke was well liked around the estate, and made many friends. Edna Mackay, a former employee at Blair Castle, and good friend, who spent much time with Duke and Duchess, both in Scotland and South Africa, was very saddened by the news of Murray’s death. She went on to say,

“He was proud to be the Duke of Atholl and he carried out his duties very well. We are a small community and he will be greatly missed by the many friends he made here.”

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Blaze at Blair Castle

Atholl Estates, which runs the castle, said that the actions of firefighters preveneted the blaze from having catastrophic consequences.

A statement released on Friday noted: “The swift action of the emergency services to a fire at Blair Castle averted a near catastrophe last night.

“Flames were spotted rising from the clock tower at the south end of the castle at around 8.45pm where a chimney fire had broken out above the castle’s wood chip boiler.

“Thankfully the castle was empty at the time and the few residents were quickly evacuated.

“Fears that the fire would spread to the rest of the castle failed to materialise and fire fighters had fully extinguished the blaze by 10pm.”

The interior of the clock tower was gutted in the blaze, while the roof also collapsed.

Power supply to the main castle offices was also cut off during the fire, however management are in discussions with insurers and emergency services to get this damage repaired as quickly as possible.

Six fire engines and an aerial platform battled the the flames.

Around 50 firefighters tackled the fire using breathing apparatus, while the roof of the clocktower fell into the building during the incident.

Atholl Estates also confirmed on Friday that the castle would be open from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Saturday.

Andrew Bruce Wootton, general manager of Atholl Estates that runs the castle, said: “The roof of the clocktower was substantially on fire, flames were rising quite high with sparks flying everywhere because of the strong winds.

“The area where the fire started is a contained part of the building and it did not spread any further. No one was injured and nothing of historical significance was damaged.”

The clock tower was built at the castle in the 19th century after a blaze ripped through the structure.

Rab Middlemiss, group manager of Tayside Fire and Rescue, said: “Our fire crews stopped the fire from spreading into the residential wings adjacent to the clocktower.

“Everybody got out of the building fine and after we extinguished the fire our crews went into the clocktower to assess the damage.

“We will now be carrying out a full investigation into the cause of the fire, but it does not appear to be suspicious.”

Blair Castle

Blair Castle is the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl and its history dates back around 740 years.

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Fiona 21 (left) and Faye 18 (right)

The siblings Fiona and Faye Henderson from Kirriemuir practise at Blair Castle ahead of this weekend’s Glenfiddich Piping and Fiddle Championships. Fiona and Faye are finalists in the events, the most respected competitions of the piping and fiddle worlds.

Faye, was the first woman to win the Gold Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering, one of the top awards that can be bestowed on a piper. Fiona, is one of the country’s finest young fiddlers.

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