Murray, John Archibald, Sir, Lord Murray (1779 -1859)

Sir John Alexander Murray was born in 1779, the second son of Alexander Murray, Lord Henderland, and Katherine, daughter of Sir Alexander Lindsay, of Evelick in Perthshire. He was educated at Edinburgh High School, Westminster School, and the University of Edinburgh. He became a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1799, and was one of the original editors of the “Edinburgh Review”. He married, in 1826, Mary, eldest daughter and co heir of William Rigby of Oldfield Hall, Cheshire. An ardent supporter of the Reform Bill, he was returned unopposed for Leith in December 1832, was made Lord Advocate on the elevation of Jeffrey to the bench, and was knighted and became a Lord of Session as Lord Murray in 1839. Lord Murray was a friend of Sir Walter Scott, and is believed to be the `Magnus Lucullus' of J. Hill Burton's Book Hunter. He died in March 1859. His only son had died in childhood, and his library, including his collection of manuscripts in the hand of Allan Ramsay was sold at auction by Dowells & Lyon in Edinburgh 18 February 1862. A small part of the library was given to the Advocates' Library, and is now in the National Library of Scotland, where it forms the collection with the shelfmark `Lord Murray'.