Moray Family Album volume 1

This exhibition brings together the images from volume one of a set of 19th century family photo albums in our collections recording the lives of the Stirling Home Drummond Moray family, known as the Moray Albums.

The family was founded by John Moray of Drumshergart, who received the lands of Abercairny in Perthshire on his marriage to Lady Mary, daughter of the Earl of Strathearn. John Moray's grandfather was Andrew Moray of Drumshergart and Clydesdale.

The addition of Home Drummond to the family name came through the marriage of Miss Christian Moray to Henry Home Drummond. Many of the photographs in this first volume are of various members of the family, and in a few, Charles Home Drummond Moray and his son Henry Home Drummond appear.

Charles Stirling Home Drummond Moray, 9th of Blair Drummond, was born in Edinburgh on 17 April 1816, his father was Henry Home Drummond, 7th of Blair Drummond, and his mother, was Christian Stirling Moray. He married Anne Georgina Douglas on 11 December 1845, in Churchover, Warwickshire and together had 3 children. He died on 24 September 1891, in Blair Drummond, Perthshire, aged 75, and is buried in Blair Drummond Cemetery, Doune, Stirlingshire.

His son, Henry Home Drummond Moray was born in Edinburgh and educated at Eton College. He played in goal in the F.A. Cup final in 1875 when The Old Etonians played against The Royal Engineers. He served in the Scots Guards from 1866 to 1880, rising to rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

In 1877, he married Lady Georgina Emily Lucy Seymour (1848-1944), daughter of Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford. From 1878 to 1880 he was a Conservative Member of Parliament, and also Vice Convener of Perthshire. In 1891, he dropped the name of Moray on succeeding his father in the estate of Blair Drummond.

Throughout the album there are many and various individual and group photographs of the family, taken both in a studio and at different locations in the grounds of their properties. Pets are represented too and alongside the photos are a handful of drawings and cartoon illustrations. One of the most intriguing photos in the album shows a massive bonfire that was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's 21st year of reign with men and boys precariously perched all around it and surrounded by a crowd of people and children.

The album also contains several photos of Abercairny House in Perthshire which was owned by the Moray family. The estate, owned by the family since the 13th century, is located four miles east of Crieff. Built for William and James Moray, Abercairny House is a neo-Georgian design by the Hon. Claud Phillimore. It was built to replace the previous mansion Abercairny Abbey which was a Gothic Revival building designed by Richard Crichton between 1804-9 and 1814-17, completed by R. and R. Dickson and demolished in 1960. The stable-block is a one and two storey block with a round internal courtyard and large archway on the west elevation. It was built in 1841-2 by R. and R. Dickson and reused the materials of the previous stables which had stood adjacent to the house.

View the Moray Family Album volume 2.