MACGREGOR, Alexander Murray (Colonel of the Royal Clan-Alpin Fencibles)

1746 - 1822  (75 years)

• Name	MACGREGOR, Alexander Murray  [1]
  Suffix	(Colonel of the Royal Clan-Alpin Fencibles)
  Born	25 Aug 1746	Napier Ruskie, Lanrick, Scotland   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Died	21 Jul 1822	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [1, 2, 4]
  Person ID	I17579	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	16 Sep 2023

  
  

  Father	MACGREGOR, Major Evan Murray Lieutenant,   b. 1714, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland ,   d. 29 Oct 1778, Jersey, Channel Islands  (Age 64 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	MACDONALD, Janet,   b. Bef 1707, Scotland ,   d. 15 Feb 1793  (Age > 86 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Married	10 Jan 1744  [5]
  Family ID	F2909	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	PASCAL, Frances,   b. 1754,   d. Abt 1786, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age 32 years)
  Married	23 May 1773	Madras, India   [3]
  Children	1. MURRAY, Frances-Janetta,   b. Abt 1774, Scotland ,   d. 3 Aug 1794, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age ~ 20 years)  [natural]   2. MACGREGOR MURRAY, Evan Edmund Hastings Pascal,   b. 8 Feb 1777, Scotland  [natural]   3. MACGREGOR, Alexander Murray (Major General 4th Ceylon),   b. 27 Nov 1778, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland ,   d. 27 Feb 1827, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age 48 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	16 Sep 2023
  Family ID	F4765	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	HAY, Grace,   b. Abt 1763, Banffshire, Scotland ,   d. 3 Feb 1844, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  (Age ~ 81 years)
  Married	25 Mar 1790	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
  Children	1. MACGREGOR, Jeanetta  [natural]
  Last Modified	16 Sep 2023
  Family ID	F4766	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Maj Gen A Murray MacGregor

  
  

• Notes

  Excerpt from Wikipedia Major-General Alexander Murray Macgregor (27 November 1778 – 20 August 1827), born Alexander Murray, was a Scottish army officer in the British East India Company. Clan Gregor[edit] Alexander Murray was born on 27 November 1778, the second but only surviving son of Colonel Alexander Murray (1746–1822) of Napier Ruskie, an officer in the Royal Clan Alpin Fencibles, and his first wife Frances, daughter of Major Edmund Pascall.[2][nb 1] Murray was part of Clan Gregor (or Macgregor), but his forebears had been forced to assume the surname Murray as a result of the persecution of the clan and the outlawing of their name from the 17th century onward.[4] Murray's father was a younger son of Evan Murray, who had fought with his own elder brothers Robert and Duncan against the government in the Jacobite rising of 1745; in 1787, Evan's eldest son (and the younger Alexander Murray's uncle) John succeeded Duncan as chief of the clan and was created a baronet in 1795.[2][5][6] Military career[edit] A number of Macgregor's relatives were officers in the British East India Company; his father had served in it as an officer,[nb 2] as had his paternal uncles the baronet Sir John (who was Military Auditor General)[8] and Peter Macgregor (an adjutant-general),[2] and his cousins Sir Evan John Macgregor, 2nd Baronet,[6] General John Alexander Paul Macgregor and General Sir Duncan Macgregor.[9] The younger Alexander Murray was commissioned as a captain in the 90th Perthshire Volunteers in 1796 and served in the regiment until 1800, when he moved to the Royal Clan Alpin Fencibles, of which his father was Colonel. He was given the rank of major. After the Fencibles disbanded two years later, he transferred to the 67th Regiment and then in 1808 became lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment. He was with it when it carried out the Walcheren Expedition in 1809. In 1812, he became lieutenant-colonel in the 4th Ceylon Regiment and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the Army in 1814. He was placed on the half-pay list two years later and promoted to major-general in 1825.[4] Family and later life[edit] In 1810 Murray married Lady Charlotte Anne Sinclair, daughter of James Sinclair, 12th Earl of Caithness.[2] They had seven children: • Captain Alexander Nugent Murray Macgregor (died 1844), an officer in the Bengal Army, who married Eleanor, daughter of one Captain Hopper.[2] • Caithness Evan Edmund Murray Macgregor (died 1834).[2] • Colonel John Murray Macgregor (1819–1891), who married Mary Barbara, daughter of John Featherstone of Blackhall and Newbus Grange; his daughter Charlotte married Major-General John Elpinstone (died 1877).[2][10] • Major-General Evan Murray Macgregor (1822–1885)[2][11][12] served in the cavalry in the East India Company's Army[11] and the British Indian Army and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1866,[13] Brevet Colonel in 1871[14] and on retirement was granted the honorary rank of Major-General in 1875.[15] He married Sophie Mary Ann (died 1885), daughter of Charles Frederick Collier, inspector-general in the Indian Army, and had six children; he retired to Hobart, Tasmania, where he and his wife died.[2][12] • Jane Helen Campbell Murray Macgregor (died 1860), who married Colonel Alex Boyd Kerr, an officer in the Madras Rifles.[2] • Frances Grace Hay Murray Macgregor, who married Major-General Edward Every Miller (died 1877) and whose eldest daughter Charlotte (died 1880) married Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Paul Haines, the Commander-in-Chief, India.[2] • Charlotte Murray Macgregor (died 1850), who had married James Alexander Cruikshank of Langley Park (died 1849), and died childless.[2] Murray had added the surname Macgregor to Murray in 1822.[4] He died on 20 August 1827. His widow died on 7 April 1854.[2] References[edit] Notes[edit] 1 ^ The elder son was Evan Edward Hastings Pascal (sometimes spelt Pascall or Paschall) Murray; a daughter, Frances Janetta, also died young.[3] 2 ^ The elder Alexander served in Keith's Highlanders in Germany in 1762 and was then an Ensign in the 77th Regiment and then the 50th Foot until 1772. He joined the East India Company Army in 1772 as an Ensign, served in the Siege of Tanjore in 1773 and in the First Rohilla War (in St George's Battle, 1774). He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1778, served in the campaign against the Rajah of Benares in 1781 and was promoted to Brevet Captain in 1782, Captain in 1784, Local Major in 1782, Local Lieutenant-Colonel in 1783 and Local Colonel in 1785; he was Commander in Chief at British Bencoolen from 1782 to 1785 and, after eight years of furlough, resigned in 1793. He commanded the Royal Clan Alpine Fencibles from 1798.[7] Citations[edit] 1 ^ Mellish, Raoul, ed. (1982). Queensland Art Gallery Selected Works. South Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery. p. 23. ISBN 0724209565. 2 ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Foster, p. 401. 3 ^ Debrett, p. 962. 4 ^ Jump up to: a b c Boag, p. 128. 5 ^ Macgregor, pp. 266–267, 388, 392–394, 402. 6 ^ Jump up to: a b Cokayne, p. 303. 7 ^ Hodson, pp. 356–357. 8 ^ Hodson, p. 141. 9 ^ Macgregor, p. 394; for his full rank, see Atholl, p. 511. 10 ^ "Deaths", Dublin Daily Express, Tuesday 22 December 1891, p. 1. 11 ^ Jump up to: a b "Evan Murray", Indian Office Family History (British Library). Retrieved 10 April 2020. 12 ^ Jump up to: a b "Deaths", London Evening Standard, 29 April 1885, p. 1. 13 ^ The Edinburgh Gazette, 7 August 1866 Iissue 7665), p. 940. 14 ^ The London Gazette, 18 August 1871 (issue 23768), p. 3645. 15 ^ The London Gazette, 22 October 1875 (issue 24257), p. 4954. Bibliography[edit] • Atholl, Duchess of, "General Sir Duncan MacGregor, K.C.B.", in Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl (ed.), A Military History of Perthshire, 1660–1902, vol. 1 (Perth: R. A. & J. Hay, 1908). • Boag, W. G. F., "Major General Alexander Murray MacGregor", Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, vol. 57, no. 231 (1979), pp. 127–128. • Cokayne, G. E., The Complete Baronetage, vol. 6 (Exeter: W. Pollard & Co., 1900). • Debrett, John, The Baronetage of England, 4th ed. (London: F.C. and J. Rivington and others, 1819). • Foster, Joseph, The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the British Empire for 1881 (Westminster: Nichols and Sons, 1881). • Hodson, V. C. P., List of the Officers of the Bengal Army: 1758–1834 (London: Constable, 1946). • MacGregor, Amelia Georgiana Murray, History of Clan Gregor, vol. 2 (Edinburgh: William Brown, 1901). Borrowed from Clan Gregor Australia Facebook page: Clan Gregor Australia 29 November 2017 · On this day in 1774, the Act that banned the use of the name MacGregor was finally repealed. For nearly 200 years, MacGregors lived as outlaws because of this Act of Parliament. Wonderful that we could use our name again because it is the best surname in the world. Biased view here. Here is a short history on what led up to the bannishment of Clan Gregor. In 1589 John Drummond, the Kings forester, was murdered after hanging some MacGregor’s for poaching. The Chief, Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae, gave shelter to the killer. Such was the highland honour to do so, he took responsibility for the act and was condemned by the Privy Council. King James VI, issued an edict proclaiming the name MacGregor “altogidder abolished,” meaning that those who bore the name must renounce it or suffer death. This wasn’t helped by probably the most significant event in MacGregor history was the Battle of Glen Fruin on Feb 7 1603. The Proscriptive Acts of Clan Gregor were enacted on the 3rd of April 1603. This draconian ruling authorized the capture of Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae and his leading kinsmen. In the spring of 1604, Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae, Chief and Laird of MacGregor was hung with thirty of his warriors against the West End of Saint Giles Kirk where the Tollbooth stood. Today, the “Heart of Midlothian” in Edinburgh marks the spot where the MacGregor Chief was executed. The names of Clan Gregor were erased from existence. To even claim one of these names openly was to invite an immediate execution. The clanfolk of the Gregorach were ordered to take different names, usually assigned. They were to obey implicitly to the new Chief placed over them. It should be noted here that many of the Gregors refused. Of those who refused (and were caught); the men were executed, the women were stripped bare, branded, and whipped through the streets. The women and children were sold into slavery for Britain’s new colonies in North America. Further additions to the proscriptive acts denied the Gregors basic necessities of food, water, shelter, and care for infants and the elderly. The Gregors were denied the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, marriage, and last rites. The gentry of Scotland were encouraged to hunt the Gregors with dogs as if they were common game stock. But, without a doubt, the most horrifying act was the commission of selling Gregor heads to the government to attain pardon for thievery and murder. The surviving MacGregor’s continued in two groups. The first were those who legally changed their name to satisfy the law, but never changed their heart or blood. The other group were those who took to the great highlands and continued to use their Gregor names in defiance. With their names proscribed, they became known as the “Children of the Mist” the most romantic title in Scotland. At Loch Katrine on the 7th of March 1671, the 3rd son of Chieftain Donald (Glas) Gregor of Glengyle and Margaret Campbell, cousin to John Iain (Glas) Campbell 11th Laird of Glenorchy, later in 1681 The Earl of Breadalbane, was born and baptised at Buchanan Parish as Robert MacGregor. Because of the proscription he was forced to assume his mother’s name of Campbell. His somewhat fictionalized adventures have been immortalized in Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Rob Roy. The persecution of Clan Gregor finally ended in 1774 when the proscription against them was repealed – 171 years later. When the harsh laws against Clan Gregor were lifted in 1774, many clansmen and clanswomen threw off their assumed names and took back their rightful name but many didn’t. This is why the Clan Gregor DNA project is valuable in helping find and identify lost MacGregor’s. MacGregor’s today can still find comfort and strength in remembering and knowing that; “While there’s leaves in the forest and foam on the river, MacGregor despite them shall flourish forever!” – Sir Walter Scott.

  
  

• Sources

  [S309] Public Member Trees, Ancestry.com, (Name: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;;), Database online. Record for Evan MacGregor http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=0&pid=9138 [S309] Public Member Trees, Ancestry.com, (Name: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;;), Database online. Record for Evan Macgregor Murray (Major) http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=0&pid=9138 [S309] Public Member Trees, Ancestry.com, (Name: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;;). Record for Frances Pascal (Pascall or Paschal) http://search.ancestry.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1030&h=19087401145&indiv=try [S309] Public Member Trees, Ancestry.com, (Name: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;;), Database online. Record for Alexander Murray Macgregor (Major General, 4th Ceylon) http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=0&pid=9138 [S309] Public Member Trees, Ancestry.com, (Name: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;;), Database online. Record for Evan Macgregor Murray (Major) http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=103289043&pid=12163