Lord George Murray (bishop)

Lord George Murray (30 January 1761 – 3 June 1803) was an Anglican cleric best remembered for his work developing Britain's first optical telegraph, which began relaying messages from London to Deal in 1796, a few years after Claude Chappe's system began operation in France. He was Bishop of Saint David's from 1801 until his death.


George Murray
Bishop of St David's
ChurchChurch in Wales
SeeDiocese of St David's
In office20 December 1800 3 June 1803
PredecessorWilliam Stuart
SuccessorThomas Burgess
Orders
Consecration11 February 1801
Personal details
Born(1761-01-30)30 January 1761
Died3 June 1803(1803-06-03) (aged 42)
SpouseAnne Charlotte Grant

Life

Murray was the second son of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl. He was Archdeacon of Man from 1787 to 1801. On 19 November 1800, Murray was nominated bishop of St. David's. He was elected on 6 December, confirmed on 7 and consecrated on 11 February 1801. He caught a chill waiting for his carriage on leaving the House of Lords, and died at Cavendish Square on 3 June 1803.[1]

Family

He married Anne Charlotte Grant, lady in waiting to Queen Charlotte. He had nine children; the eldest son, another George Murray, was also a cleric, becoming in time Bishop of Sodor and Man and Bishop of Rochester. This son George married Lady Sara Hay-Drummond daughter of Robert Auriol Hay-Drummond, 10th Earl of Kinnoull and Sarah Harley. A daughter, Charlotte Sophia Murray (1785–1866) married The Rev. Townshend Selwyn (1782–1853), Canon of Gloucester. Another daughter, Amelia Matilda Murray (30 Apr 1795– 7 Jun 1884), was a botanist and the author of "Recollections from 1803–1837, with a conclusion in 1868".;[2] she was also a Maid-of-Honour to HM Queen Victoria, 1837–1853, then an Extra Maid-of-Honour, 1853, and finally a Woman of the Bedchamber, 1853–1855.[3] His daughter Caroline Leonora Murray married Henry Fox-Strangways, 3rd Earl of Ilchester, and had four children.

References

  1. Pollard 1894.
  2. K. D. Reynolds, 'Murray, Amelia Matilda (1795–1884)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 3 Feb 2015
  3. http://users.uniserve.com/~canyon/qvcoronation.htm Archived 3 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine
Attribution
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Pollard, Albert Frederick (1894). "Murray, George (1761-1803)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 39. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 361.
Church of England titles
Preceded by
William Stuart
Bishop of Saint David's
1801–1803
Succeeded by
Thomas Burgess
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