Colonel Sir Charles Wyndham Murray, (22 February 1844 – 1 November 1928) was a British Army officer and politician. He served as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament MP for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

from 1892 to 1906 and as Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod of the Order of the Bath from 1913 until his death.

Biography

Early life and education

Charles Wyndham Murray was born on 22 February 1844, the son of Rev Thomas Boyles Murray and Helen Douglas, and was educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a co-educational, fee-charging, private day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate Pre-Preparato ...

from 1853 until 1856, when he went to

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

. The Rev Mr Murray served as

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

and is remembered there by a pair of candle holders at the main entrance which were given by Thomas Douglas Murray 1841–1911 barrister, Egyptologist, author in memory of his father.

Career

He began his military career as an

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the 61st South Gloucestershire Regiment in November 1862, promoted to Lieutenant in October 1865 and passed from Staff College in 1872. By October 1877 he was a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and in July 1881, a Major. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as military

King's Messenger The Corps of King's Messengers (or Corps of Queen's Messengers during the reign of a female monarch) are couriers employed by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). They hand-carry secret and important documents to B ...

in France. In 1875, he was appointed Deputy-Assistant Quartermaster-General in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, and then moved to the Intelligence Department in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. In 1878, he moved to Turkey, where he was a

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

. During the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

, he was aide-de-camp to

Major General Crealocke Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in music ...

( 1st Division), then deployed with Clarke's column on reconnaissance missions (medal and clasp). In Spring 1880, he was attached to

72nd Highlanders The 72nd Highlanders was a British Army Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line. Raised in 1778, it was originally numbered 78th, before being redesignated the 72nd in 1786. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 78th (Highlanders) ...

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

(staff), became orderly officer to General

Thomas Durand Baker Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Durand Baker KCB (23 March 1837 – 9 February 1893) was a British army officer, and Quartermaster-General to the Forces. Military career Educated at Cheltenham College, Baker was commissioned into the 18th (R ...

, taking part in the Logar Valley expedition of May–June 1880. In 1882, he was involved in the Egyptian War, as Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General on the base and lines of communication; he was present at

Tel-el-Kebir Tell El Kebir ( lit."the great mound") is 110 km north-north-east of Cairo and 75 kilometres south of Port Said on the edge of the Egyptian desert at the altitude of 29 m. Administratively, it is a part of the Ismailia Governorate. In the ...

, gaining the

Khedive's Star The Khedive's Star was a campaign medal established by Khedive Tewfik Pasha to reward those who had participated in the military campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan between 1882 and 1891. This included British Army, British forces who served during t ...

and 4th Class Osminieh. During 1884–85, he took part in the Bechuanaland operations. He retired from the service in 1890. He was elected Conservative MP for

1892–1906 and was a member of Carlton and

Army and Navy Club The Army and Navy Club, commonly known as The Rag, is a private members' club in London that was founded in 1837 for officers of the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.Japan Society from 1913 to 1918, and he held the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

list, was promoted to a Knight Commander of the Order in 1917, and served as a Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod to the Order of the Bath (1913).

Marriage and children

He married Emma Cecilia Walker in 1890. Lady Murray, as she was known, died in 1922. Their country seat was 'Culverlands' at

Burghfield Burghfield is a village and large civil parish in West Berkshire, England, with a boundary with Reading. Burghfield can trace its history back to before the Domesday Book, and was once home to three manors: Burghfield Regis, Burghfield Abbas, ...

in Berkshire.

Death and afterward

Culverlands, the former residence of Col. Sir Charles Wyndham Murray, C.B., is an 18th-century house altered and enlarged in 1879. It is a plain plastered building with a balustraded parapet and

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

roofs, situated in an elevated well-wooded park, the

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

s being particularly fine. The

araucaria ''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. While today they are largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, during the Jurassic and Cretaceous they were glo ...

s were raised from seed brought from South America by the late Thomas Bland Garland and are probably the oldest in England grown by this method. On his death Murray was buried in

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

Awards and honours

*1891:

Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of Gen ...

*1902: Companion of the Order of the Bath *1905: Knight Bachelor *1917: Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath *1927: Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John *

Order of Osminieh The Order of Osmanieh (, Modern ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i Iftikhar, this became the second highest order ...

4th class *

His medals were sold at auction in February 2016 for £7,200 as was his badge of office as Scarlet Rod for £900.

References

External links

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Wyndham 1844 births 1928 deaths Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John British diplomats British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun People educated at Highgate School People educated at Marlborough College Burials at Brookwood Cemetery UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 People from Burghfield Politics of Bath, Somerset Knights Bachelor