Duke of Atholl, named afterAtholl in Scotland, is a title in thePeerage of Scotland held by the head ofClan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 forJohn Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with aspecial remainder to the heir male of his father, the 1st Marquess.

Dukedom of Atholl
Quarterly: 1st, Paly of six Or and Sable(for Atholl); 2nd, Or a Fess chequy Azure and Argent(for Stewart); 3rd, Argent on a Bend Azure three Stags' Heads cabossed Or(for Stanley); 4th, Gules three Legs in armour Proper garnished and spurred Or flexed and conjoined in triangle at the upper part of the thigh(ensigns of the Isle of Man); over all, an Inescutcheon en surtout Azure three Mullets Argent within a Double tressure flory Or ensigned of a Marquess's coronet (for Chiefship of Murray).
Creation date	1703
Created by	Anne
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl
Present holder	Bruce Murray, 12th Duke
Heir apparent	Michael Bruce John Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine
Remainder to	the 1st Duke'sheirs maleof the body lawfully begotten, with special remainder to the heirs male of the body lawfully begotten of the 1st Marquess
Subsidiary titles	Marquess of Tullibardine Marquess of Atholl Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle Earl of Tullibardine Earl of Atholl Viscount of Balquhidder, Glenalmond and Glenlyn Viscount of Balquhidder Lord Murray, Balvenie and Gask Lord Murray, Gask and Balquhidder Lord Murray of Tullibardine
Seat(s)	Blair Castle
Former seat(s)	Dunkeld House

As of 2017^[update], there were twelve subsidiary titles attached to the dukedom: Lord Murray of Tullibardine (1604), Lord Murray, Gask and Balquhidder (1628), Lord Murray, Balvany and Gask (1676), Lord Murray, Balvenie and Gask, in the County of Perth (1703), Viscount of Balquhidder (1676), Viscount of Balquhidder, Glenalmond and Glenlyon, in the County of Perth (1703), Earl of Atholl (1629), Earl of Tullibardine (1628), Earl of Tullibardine (1676), Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle, in the County of Perth (1703), Marquess of Atholl (1676) and Marquess of Tullibardine, in the County of Perth (1703). These titles are also in the Peerage of Scotland. The dukes have also previously held the following titles:Baron Strange (Peerage of England 1628) between 1736 and 1764 and 1805 and 1957; Baron Murray, of Stanley in the County of Gloucester, and Earl Strange (Peerage of Great Britain 1786) between 1786 and 1957, Baron Glenlyon, of Glenlyon in the County of Perth (Peerage of the United Kingdom 1821) between 1846 and 1957 andBaron Percy (Peerage of Great Britain 1722) between 1865 and 1957. From 1786 to 1957, the Dukes of Atholl sat in theHouse of Lords as Earl Strange.

The Duke's eldest son andheir apparent uses thecourtesy title Marquess of Tullibardine. The heir apparent to Lord Tullibardine uses the courtesy title Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle (usually shortened to Earl of Strathtay). Lord Strathtay's heir apparent uses the courtesy title Viscount Balquhidder. The Duke of Atholl is the hereditarychief ofClan Murray.

The Dukes of Atholl belong to an ancient Scottish family. Sir William Murray of Castleton married Lady Margaret, daughter ofJohn Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (seeEarl of Atholl). Sir William was one of the many Scottish noblemen killed at theBattle of Flodden in 1513. His son Sir William Murray lived atTullibardine inPerthshire. The latter's grandson,Sir John Murray, was createdLord Murray of Tullibardine in 1604 andLord Murray, Gask and Balquhidder andEarl of Tullibardine in 1606. All three titles were in the Peerage of Scotland. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Murray (1574–1628), the second Earl of Tullibardine. He married as his third wife Lady Dorothea, daughter of John Stewart, 5th and last Earl of Atholl.Charles I agreed to revive the earldom of Atholl in favour of Lord Tullibardine's children by Lady Dorothea. Tullibardine consequently resigned his titles in favour of his younger brother, Patrick Murray, who was created Lord Murray of Gask and Earl of Tullibardine in 1628, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever and presumably with the precedence of 1606. John Murray, son of the second Earl of Tullibardine by Lady Dorothea Stewart, was createdEarl of Atholl in the Peerage of Scotland in 1629. He was succeeded by his son, thesecond Earl of Atholl. In 1670 he succeeded his cousin James Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine, as third (or fifth) Earl of Tullibardine. In 1676 he was createdLord Murray, Balveny and Gask,Viscount of Balquhidder,Earl of Tullibardine andMarquess of Atholl, with remainder to the heirs male of his body. All titles were in the Peerage of Scotland. Lord Atholl married Lady Amelia Anne Sophia, daughter ofJames Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (and 1stBaron Strange).

On his death the titles passed to his eldest son, the second Marquess. He had already been created Lord Murray, Viscount Glenalmond and Earl of Tullibardine for life in the peerage of Scotland in 1696. In 1703 he was madeLord Murray, Balvenie and Gask, in the County of Perth,Viscount of Balwhidder, Glenalmond and Glenlyon, in the County of Perth,Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle, in the County of Perth,Marquess of Tullibardine, in the County of Perth, andDuke of Atholl, with remainder failing heirs male of his own to the heirs male of his father. All five titles were in the Peerage of Scotland. His eldest surviving son and heir apparent, William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine, took part in theJacobite rising of 1715. He was charged with high treason and attainted by Act of Parliament. An Act of Parliament was also passed to remove him from the succession to his father's titles. William was, on 1 February 1717, created Duke of Rannoch, Marquis of Blair, Earl of Glen Tilt, Viscount of Glenshie, and Lord Strathbran in theJacobite Peerage. The first Duke was consequently succeeded by his third son, James, the second Duke. In 1736 he also succeeded his kinsmanJames Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby as 7thBaron Strange and asLord of Mann. On the death of his brother William in 1746, he succeeded to the Jacobite titles, such as they were. The Duke's two sons both died in infancy. His eldest daughterLady Charlotte succeeded him in the barony of Strange and the lordship of Mann. Atholl died in 1764 and was succeeded in the dukedom and remaining titles by his nephew, John, the third Duke. He was the eldest son ofLt-Gen Lord George Murray, sixth son of the first Duke (who had beenattainted for his participation in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715), the same year he succeeded the House of Lords decided that he should be allowed to succeed in the titles despite his father's attainder. He married his first cousin, the aforementioned Charlotte Murray,Baroness Strange. They sold their sovereignty over theIsle of Man to the British Crown for £70,000.

The Duke and Duchess were both succeeded by their eldest son John, the fourth Duke. In 1786 he was createdBaron Murray, ofStanley in the County of Gloucester, andEarl Strange in the Peerage of Great Britain. These titles gave him a seat in the House of Lords. Atholl sold his remaining properties and privileges in the Isle of Man to the British Crown for £409,000. He was succeeded on his death in 1829 by his eldest son, John, the fifth Duke. He had already in 1798 been declared to have been of an "unsound mind". The fifth Duke never married and was succeeded by his nephew,George Murray, 2nd Baron Glenlyon, the eldest son ofJames Murray, 1st Baron Glenlyon, second son of the fourth Duke, who had been createdBaron Glenlyon, ofGlenlyon in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1821. Lord Glenlyon married Lady Emily Frances Percy, daughter ofHugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland and 3rdBaron Percy.

The sixth Duke was succeeded by his only child, John, the seventh Duke. In 1865 he succeeded as sixthBaron Percy through his grandmother aforesaid. The same year he registered the additional surname of Stewart at theLyon Court. In 1893 he resumed the original spelling of the title, "Atholl" instead of "Athole". He was succeeded by his second but eldest surviving son, John, the eighth Duke, who died childless in 1942 and was succeeded by his youngest brother, James, the ninth Duke. James never married, and on his death in 1957 the baronies of Murray and Glenlyon and earldom of Strange became extinct, the barony of Percy was passed on to his kinsmanHugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland, while the barony of Strange fell intoabeyance (seeBaron Strange).

The dukedom of Atholl and remaining titles were passed on to the late Duke's fourth cousin twice removed, Iain Murray, the tenth Duke of Atholl. He was the grandson of SirEvelyn Murray, son ofSir George Murray, grandson ofDr George Murray, Bishop of Rochester, son of BishopLord George Murray, second son of the third Duke. As all the English titles had become extinct on the ninth Duke's death, the tenth Duke was not entitled to an automatic seat in the House of Lords, gaining in 1957 the then unfortunate distinction of being the highest rankingpeer without a seat in the upper chamber of parliament. However, in 1958 Atholl was elected aScottish representative peer and was able to take a seat in the House of Lords. Through thePeerage Act 1963 all hereditary Scottish peers gained the right to sit in the House of Lords. The tenth Duke was unmarried and was succeeded in 1996 by his second cousin once removed,John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl. He was the grandson of the Rev. Douglas Stuart Murray, brother of the aforementioned Sir George Murray, great-grandfather of the tenth Duke. On his death in 2012, the eleventh Duke was succeeded by his eldest son,Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl.^[1]

Mungo Murray, second son of the first Earl of Tullibardine of the first creation, succeeded as secondViscount of Stormont according to a special remainder in 1631, but died childless in 1642.Lord Charles Murray, second son of the first Marquess, was createdEarl of Dunmore in 1686.Lord James Murray, third son of the first Marquess, was Member of Parliament forPerthshire. Lord William Murray, fourth son of the first Marquess, succeeded his father-in-law asLord Nairne in 1683 but was attainted for taking part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715.Lord George Murray, fifth son of the first Duke and father of the third Duke, was a prominentJacobite general. He was also the father ofJames Murray, a soldier and politician, andGeorge Murray, a naval commander and politician.Lord John Murray, eighth son of the first Duke (and the eldest by his second wife), was a soldier and politician.Lord George Murray, second son of the third Duke, wasBishop of St David's. His eldest sonGeorge Murray wasBishop of Rochester. His fourth sonSir Herbert Harley Murray wasGovernor of Newfoundland. The actorStephen Murray and diplomat SirRalph Murray were the grandsons of the Rev. Francis William Murray, son of George Murray, Bishop of Rochester. Comedian andprospective parliamentary candidateAl Murray is the grandson of former British Ambassador Sir Ralph Hay Murray.

James Arthur Murray (1790–1860), only son of Lord William Murray, third son of the third Duke, was avice admiral in theRoyal Navy.Lord Charles Murray-Aynsley, fifth son of the third Duke, was a clergyman. His son John Murray-Aynsley was the father of 1) Charles Murray-Aynsley (1821–1901), a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy; 2) George Herbert Murray-Aynsley (1826–1887), amajor general in theMadras Army, and 3)Hugh Murray-Aynsley, a New Zealand politician.Sir George Murray, son of the Rev. George Edward Murray, son of George Murray, Bishop of Rochester, was a civil servant. His son SirEvelyn Murray was secretary to the general post office between 1914 and 1934.Lord James Murray, second son of the fourth Duke, was a soldier and politician and was createdBaron Glenlyon in 1821.Anne, Duchess of Atholl, VA, wife of the sixth Duke, wasMistress of the Robes toQueen Victoria.Dame Kitty Stewart-Murray, DBE, MP, wife of the eighth Duke, wasParliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education from 1924 to 1929, the first woman to serve in aConservative and Unionist government.^[2]

The Dukes of Atholl'straditional residence isBlair Castle, though the family has owned several other residences and castles in the past, notablyHuntingtower Castle,Balvenie Castle,Tullibardine Castle andDunkeld House (the latter two demolished).

The traditional burial place of the Dukes of Atholl is theFamily Burial Ground (photo) next to the ruins of St Bride's Kirk in the grounds of Blair Castle. The ruin stands on a mound a little to the north-east of the castle, where a church has existed since at least 1134.^[3] St Bride's was the village church of Old Blair but fell into disuse after 1823 when the estate village was relocated to its current location.^[4]

The holder of the dukedom of Atholl also commands the only legal private army in Europe, theAtholl Highlanders, which is headquartered atBlair Castle.^[5]

• John Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine (died 1609)
• William Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine (c. 1574–1626) (eldest son of the 1st Earl; resigned his titles in favour of younger brother in 1626)

• Patrick Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine (1578–1644) (third son of the 1st Earl of Tullibardine of the first creation)
• James Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine (1617–1670) (eldest son of the 1st Earl; died without surviving children)
  • Patrick Murray, Lord Murray and Gask (c. 1644–c. 1661–1664) (elder son of the 2nd Earl, died unmarried)
  • James Murray, Lord Murray and Gask (c. 1652–c. 1664–1670) (younger son of the 2nd Earl, died young)
• John Murray, 3rd Earl of Tullibardine (1631–1703) (first cousin of the 2nd Earl; became 2nd Earl of Atholl in 1642 and created Marquess of Atholl in 1676)

• John Murray, 1st Earl of Atholl (died 1642) (son of the 2nd Earl of Tullibardine of the first creation)
• John Murray, 3rd Earl of Tullibardine, 2nd Earl of Atholl (1631–1703) (elder son of the 1st Earl; createdMarquess of Atholl in 1676)

• John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl (1631–1703) (elder son of the 1st Earl)
• John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl (1660–1724) (eldest son of the 1st Marquess; createdDuke of Atholl in 1703)

Other titles: Marquess of Tullibardine, Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle, Viscount of Balwhidder, Glenalmond and Glenlyonz and Lord Murray, Balvenie and Gask (Scotland, 1703); Marquess of Atholl, Earl of Tullibardine, Viscount of Balquhidder and Lord Murray, Balvany and Gask (Scotland, 1676); Earl of Atholl (Scotland, 1629); Earl of Tullibardine and Lord Murray, Gask and Balquhidder (Scotland, 1628); Lord Murray of Tullibardine (Scotland, 1604)

• John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl (1660–1724) (eldest son of the 1st Marquess)
  • John Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (1684–1709) (eldest son of the 1st Duke; died unmarried)
  • William Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (1689–1746) (second son of the 1st Duke; was aJacobite who was attainted and executed, unmarried, for treason; excluded from the succession)
  • Lord Charles Murray (1691–1720) (fourth son of the 1st Duke; predeceased his third brother without issue)
  • Lt.-Gen. Lord George Murray (1694–1760) fifth son of the 1st Duke, also attainted

Other titles (2nd and 4th through 9th Dukes):Baron Strange (England, 1628)

• James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl (1690–1764) (third son of the 1st Duke)
  • John Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (1728–1729) (eldest son of the 2nd Duke; died in infancy)
  • James Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (1735–1736) (second and youngest son of the 2nd Duke; died in infancy)
• John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl (1729–1774) (only son of Lord George Murray, attainted fifth son of the 1st Duke)
• John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl (1755–1830) (eldest son of the 3rd Duke)
• John Murray, 5th Duke of Atholl (1778–1846) (eldest son of the 4th Duke; died unmarried)

Other titles (6th through 9th Dukes): Earl Strange and Baron Murray (Great Britain, 1786, extinct 1957);Baron Glenlyon (United Kingdom, 1821, extinct 1957)

• George Augustus Frederick John Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl (1814–1864) (eldest son ofJames Murray, 1st Baron Glenlyon; see below)

Other titles (7th through 9th Dukes):Baron Percy (Great Britain, 1722)

• John James Hugh Henry Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl (1840–1917) (only son of the 6th Duke)
  • John Stewart-Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (1869–1869) (eldest son of the 7th Duke; died in infancy)
  • Major Lord George Stewart-Murray (1873–1914) (third son of the 7th Duke; predeceased his second brother without issue)
• John George Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl (1871–1942) (second son of the 7th Duke; died without issue)
• James Stewart-Murray, 9th Duke of Atholl (1879–1957) (fourth and youngest son of the 7th Duke; died unmarried)
• George Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl (1931–1996) (fourth cousin, twice removed of the 9th Duke; great-great-great-grandson ofRt. Rev. Dr. George Murray, eldest son ofRt. Rev. Lord George Murray, second son of the 3rd Duke; died unmarried)
• John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl (1929–2012)^[1] (second cousin, once removed of the 10th Duke; great-great-grandson of Rt. Rev. George Murray, eldest son of Rt. Rev. Lord George Murray, second son of the 3rd Duke)
• Bruce George Ronald Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl (born 1960) (elder son of the 11th Duke)

Theheir apparent is the present holder's elder son, Michael Bruce John Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (born 1985).

• James Murray, 1st Baron Glenlyon (1782–1837), second son of the 4th Duke
• George Augustus Frederick John Murray, 2nd Baron Glenlyon (1814–1864) (succeeded as 6th Duke of Atholl in 1846)

see above for further succession

•  
  Murray
•  
  Stewart of Atholl
•  
  Stanley
•  
  Isle of Man
•  
  Arms of John Murray, 1st Earl of Atholl
•  
  Arms ofJohn Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl
•  
  Arms of the 2nd to 4th Dukes of Atholl
•  
  Arms of the 7th to 9th Dukes of Atholl

• Clan Murray
• Murray (surname)
• Earl of Dunmore
• Atholl
• Atholl Highlanders
• Atolovo, a Bulgarian village named after the eighth Duke

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911)."Atholl, Earls and Dukes of" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 849–851.
• Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921).Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: London: Dean & son, limited. p. 73.
• Anderson, Alan Orr,Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500–1286, 2 Vols, (Edinburgh, 1922)^{[page needed]}
• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,^{[page needed]}
• Roberts, John L.,Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, (Edinburgh, 1997)
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages^{[self-published source][better source needed]}

• Cracroft's Peerage page
• European Heraldry pageArchived 27 July 2022 at theWayback Machine (archived page)
• Murray Clan Society of North America