FAMILY WEB PAGE
Seen at right (or above on a portable device), Blair Castle is said to have been started in 1269 by John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died c. 1275), a northern neighbour of David I Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl (died 1270). Comyn started building on the Earl's
CASTLES
land while the Earl was away on crusade. Upon Strathbogie's return, he complained about the interloper to King Alexander III, won back his land, and incorporated the tower built by Comyn into his own castle. Blair Castle has belonged to the Earls, Marqueses, and Dukes of Atholl since it was built. This includes David de Strathbogie (1264 to 1269), the Stewarts of Atholl who were Earls of Atholl from 1342 until 1625, and the Murrays from 1269 to present.
John Murray, son of the second Earl of Tullibardine, was created Earl of Atholl in 1629, because his mother was Atholl heiress Dorothea Stewart. The title, and Blair Castle, has remained in the Murray family ever since.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1745 (the Forty-Five), Blair Castle was occupied twice by Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite army: in early September 1745, for several days, and then in early February 1746, again for several days. However, the Jacobites then unwisely abandoned Blair Castle and Government forces, including Lowland Clan Agnew then occupied it. They held Blair Castle against the Jacobites, who laid siege to the castle during the last stages of the rising, in March 1746. (Blair Castle has the distinction of being the last castle in the British Isles to be besieged.) The Government forces were besieged to near starvation until the Jacobite forces withdrew to fight the British Government forces at the Battle of Culloden, which the Jacobites lost badly.
So we see that Blair Castle has remained the home of Earls/ Marquesses/Dukes of Atholl, from David de Strathbogie (from 1264 to 1269), through other clans, and the Stewarts (from 1342 to 1625) to Sir John Murray (from 1629). The present day Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl was born April 6, 1960 and lives in South Africa, returning to Blair Castle once a year.
Blair Castle is located in Glen Gary, near the village of Blair Atholl, in Perthshire. It is open to the public for day visitors, public events, functions, and weddings. A link to the interior is found by clicking the orange button.
Please note: This link might not work on your portable device,