The Atholl Highlanders is a Scottish ceremonial infantry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

. They are the only remaining

private army A private army (or private military) is a military or paramilitary force consisting of armed combatants who owe their allegiance to a private person, group, or organization, rather than a nation or state. History Private armies may form when ...

in Europe, and act as the personal bodyguard to the

Duke of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of ...

, chieftain of the

Clan Murray Clan Murray () is a Highland Scottish clan. The chief of the Clan Murray holds the title of Duke of Atholl. Their ancestors were the Morays of Bothwell who established the family in Scotland in the 12th century. In the 16th century, descendants ...

, a family that has thrived in

Perthshire Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nort ...

for some 750 years. Although it has no official military role, this hand-picked body of local men are armed with

Lee–Metford The Lee–Metford rifle (a.k.a. ''Magazine Lee–Metford'', abbreviated ''MLM'') was a bolt-action British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and detachable magazine with an innovative seven groove rifled b ...

rifles, and the regiment includes a pipe band. Joining the Highlanders is by invitation-only from the Duke, who specially selects men with ties to the estate or the local area. The regiment is not part of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

but under the command of the Duke of Atholl, and based at

Blair Castle Blair Castle (in Scottish Gaelic: Caisteil Bhlàir) stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl ...

Blair Atholl Blair Atholl (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr Athall'', originally ''Blàr Ath Fhodla'') is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Gr ...

History

First raising as a regular regiment in the British Army

The regiment was raised in

John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, KT, PC, FRS (30 June 1755 – 29 September 1830), styled Marquess of Tullibardine from 1764 to 1774, was a Scottish peer. Life and career Murray was the eldest son of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, and his ...

as the 77th Regiment of Foot (or Atholl Highlanders, or Murray's Highlanders) in December 1777. The regiment was formed as a relief for other regiments serving in North America, and spent most of its existence in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The terms upon which the regiment was raised stated that the men were to be employed for either three years or the duration of the war in America. In 1781, the original three-year term ended, and the men expected the regiment to be disbanded. However, the regiment was transported to England and marched to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

to be embarked for service in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Upon learning of this, the men mutinied, and the embarkation orders were countermanded. The regiment was marched to Berwick, where it disbanded in 1783.

Second raising as a private regiment of the Duke of Atholl

Atholl Highlanders inspection 2017-05-27

More than 50 years later, in 1839,

George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl George Augustus Frederick John Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl, (20 September 1814 – 16 January 1864) was a Scottish peer, important landowner, and freemason. Life Born at Great Cumberland Place, Westminster, Murray was the son of James Murray, ...

, as Lord Glenlyon, formed the regiment as a bodyguard which he took to the Eglinton Tournament at

Eglinton Castle Eglinton Castle was a large Gothic castellated mansion in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland. History The castle The ancient seat of the Earls of Eglinton, it is located just south of the town of Kilwinning. The original Eglinton Castle w ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...

. Three years later, in 1842, the regiment escorted

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

during her tour of

and, in 1844, when the Queen stayed as a guest of the Duke at

, the regiment mounted the guard for the entire duration of her stay. In recognition of the service that the regiment provided during her two visits, the Queen announced that she would present the Atholl Highlanders with

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

, thus giving the regiment official status, in perpetuity. The regiment's first stand of colours was presented by Lady Glenlyon in 1845. It received new colours in 1979 from

Myra Butter Myra, Lady Butter (born Myra Alice Wernher; 18 March 1925 – 29 July 2022) was a British aristocrat and thoroughbred racehorse owner. Early life Butter was born Myra Alice Wernher on 18 March 1925 in Edinburgh. She was the third child and y ...

, the wife of the

Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross This is a list of people who have served as Lord-lieutenant of Perth and Kinross. The office replaced the Lord Lieutenant of Perthshire and the Lord Lieutenant of Kinross-shire in 1975. *''Butter had been Lord Lieutenant of Perthshire'' * Sir Dav ...

. A third stand of colours was presented in 2006 by the Duchess of Atholl. Under John Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke, the regiment regularly provided guards for royal visitors to Blair Castle (which was a convenient stopping point on the journey to Balmoral). The regiment also attended the Braemar Gathering, while an annual Atholl gathering was held in the first week in September in which the regiment paraded, then participated in various trials of strength and stamina. Following the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, parades of the regiment became fewer, although it did provide guards when the Crown Prince of Japan and King Faisal of Iraq visited Blair Castle in 1921 and 1933 respectively. After many years of inactivity the regiment remained in abeyance until in 1966, when it was reformed by

Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl George Iain Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl, DL (19 June 1931 – 27 February 1996), known as ''Wee Iain'', was a Scottish peer and landowner. Background and education Murray was the only surviving child of Lieutenant-Colonel George Anthony Murray ...

. The 10th Duke made the decision to revive the regiment’s annual parade. To this effect eight local men mostly estate employees and all with previous military service training were invited to join, seven accepted. They paraded on 8 April 1966 at Blair Castle for the first time in 33 years. They marched past the Duke led by two Atholl Highlander pipers. In 1973 the regiment returned to the Braemar Gathering and took part in a march past in front of the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and other members of the royal family. The Atholl Gathering was re-introduced at Target Park in June 1984. It was feared that the regiment would be disbanded following the 10th Duke's death in 1996, until his successor,

John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl (19 January 1929 – 15 May 2012), was a South African-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Scotland, hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Murray, and Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders. As Duke of Atholl, h ...

, wrote to the estate trustees insisting that he would continue his traditional role.Daily Mirror, March 20, 1996 The 11th Duke, although resident in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, visited

almost every year to inspect the regiment's annual parade until his death. The 12th Duke continues this tradition. The Atholl Highlanders continue with the current

Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl Bruce George Ronald Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl OStJ (born 5/6 April 1960), is a South African-born hereditary peer in the Peerage of Scotland and Chief of Clan Murray.

, as their Colonel in Chief.

Alliances

* –

Solomon Mahlangu Regiment The Solomon Mahlangu Regiment (formerly the Transvaal Scottish) is a reserve infantry regiment of the South African Army. History Origin John Murray, Marquis of Tullibardine, who later became the 7th Duke of Atholl, established the regiment a ...

(formerly the Transvaal Scottish) * –

Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse The Fife & Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse is unit of the British Army regiment formed in 1956. Originally a regiment in its own right, it is currently a Yeomanry Squadron of the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry. History The regiment was form ...

References

External links