Lord John Murray was born 14 April 1711, the fourth son of John, 1st Duke of Atholl by his second wife Mary, the daughter of William, 12th Lord Ross of Halkhead. Murray was a godson of Queen Anne and was educated at a school in Chelsea from 1720. Later he possibly attended St. Andrews University before going on to study at Leiden in 1728.

Murray was raised as a Whig, but three of his older half-brothers were known Jacobites. William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine and Lord George Murray both played major parts in the 1745 uprising. As a result John Murray relied considerably on his elder half-brother James for his early advancements and political career. James, 2nd Duke of Atholl had replaced his Jacobite bother William as the heir to the family estates, succeeding to the title in 1724.

In September 1758 John Murray married heiress Mary Dalton (d. 1765) of Banner Cross, Yorkshire, the daughter of Sheffield merchant Richard Dalton. The couple had one daughter, Mary, who was born in October 1759.

Murray had a significant army career, beginning in 1727 when he was commissioned as an Ensign in the 3rd Foot Guards. In 1743 he served as aide-de-camp to George II in Germany and in April 1745 he was appointed Colonel of the 43rd Highlanders, (later known as the 42nd Royal Highlanders, or the Black Watch). Murray was devoted to the regiment and the welfare of its soldiers. Chichester notes one particular incident following the attack on Ticonderoga in July 1758, in which many of his men were injured. Murray personally pleaded the claims for the soldiers affected and successfully secured a pension for each of them. He subsequently offered every man individual cottages on his estate, rent free. In 1755 Murray was promoted to Major General and he was eventually made General in 1770.

Murray also enjoyed a political career as MP for Perthshire from 1734 to 1761. The seat was secured for him by his older brother James who held a substantial interest in the constituency. Murray supported Walpole’s government until the Prime Minister’s fall in 1742. After this he gave his support to the Pelham and Newcastle administrations. Murray was not particularly popular with his constituents in Perthshire as he was seen to be neglectful of their interests. In 1773 following the collapse of his political career Murray retired to his estate Banner Cross, Yorkshire. Murray died in Paris 26 May 1787.

This castle-style scheme for Banner in Ecclesall is dated to 1782, nine years after Murray retired from politics and returned to his South Yorkshire estate. The estate of Banner Cross had formed part of Murray’s wife Mary’s inheritance. The scheme was possibly intended to replace an older manor house that stood on the site of the current Banner Cross Hall, which was built for General William Murray in 1817-21 by Sir Jeffry Wyatville. Bolton compared Adam’s castle-style scheme to designs produced for Barnbougle and Barnton.

King notes the particularly elaborate designs for a castle-style entrance, which he highlights as particularly fine examples of Adam’s work. King notes that the two variant designs were conceived simultaneously, with the preliminary drawings for both entrances presented on the same sheet (SM Adam volume 2/159). Adam’s designs for a new entrance convey an extraordinary degree of movement and King compares them to a scheme produced for a castle-style lodge for the Earl of Findlater.

Literature:
A.T. Bolton, The architecture of Robert and James Adam, 1922, Volume II, Index pp. 3, 81; D. King, The complete works of Robert and James Adam & unbuilt Adam, 2001, Volume II, pp. 22, 138, 145, 161, 228, 237, 238, 239, 243, pls. 241-2; ‘The Dalton family of Banner Cross- BAG/5/4/1-66’, www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk; ‘Murray, Lord John (1711-87), of Pitnacree, Perth and Banner Cross, Yorks.’, www.historyofparliamentonline.org; H.M. Chichester and R.T Stearn, ‘Murray, Lord John (1711-1787)’, www.oxforddnb.com; ‘Banner Cross Hall’, www.historicengland.org.uk; ‘The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)’, www.nam.ac.uk (accessed February 2021)

Anna McAlaney, 2021