‘Your Politick, self designing sister’: The role of Katherine, first Duchess of Atholl in the Scottish parliamentary elections of 1702

Abstract

From the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 until the 1707 Act of Union, Scotland experienced changes which led to the loss of Scottish independence, the abolition of the Scottish Parliament and the creation of the unitary kingdom of Great Britain represented in a single parliament at Westminster. Noblewomen, although overlooked in political histories, were well placed to engage in the public and political life of Scotland in this period. Affairs of government, economic and business concerns as well as religion, law and education were all in the remit of nobles. Noblewomen understood the role of their male counterparts within the Scottish aristocracy but they too played an important role within the governing elite. Their roles and responsibilities have still to be fully revealed. This article focuses on Katherine Murray, first Duchess of Atholl (1662–1707), in an attempt to explore how a noblewoman used her status and political knowledge to engage with the electoral process in Perth in 1702. Lady Katherine was the daughter of Anne, third Duchess of Hamilton (1632–1716), and was married to John Murray, second Earl of Tullibardine (1696), later first Duke of Atholl (1703) (1660–1724). Murray was a prominent Scottish noble and politician who, along with Lady Katherine's brother, James, fourth Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), led the opposition to the Union. The Atholl estates were in highland Perthshire, which meant that the town of Perth lay within their lands. This ancient town on the River Tay was historically important with nearby Scone the home to the Stone of Destiny, or Stone of Scone, where Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned. It was created a royal burgh in the twelfth century, a status that was fiercely guarded.*12 Given that the majority of the population was excluded from the electoral process, Lady Katherine's attempt to promote a family representative in the absence of her husband was a remarkable undertaking. That she did so with the full knowledge and approval of men in the family and brought no censure on herself was extraordinary. *I am grateful to Dr Christopher Storrs and Dr Alan MacDonald (at the University of Dundee) for reading and commenting on previous drafts of this article which is based on a chapter of my PhD thesis. I also wish to thank Dr John Young for his guidance and advice through the peer review and editorial process. The research on which this article is based was funded by the Carnegie Trust. I am indebted to Jane Anderson, archivist at Blair Atholl castle, for her assistance, interest and advice. 1National Archives of Scotland [NAS], Hamilton Muniments GD406/1/6894 Elizabeth, Duchess of Hamilton to her husband, the Duke of Hamilton [Kinneil] 8 February 1704. 2A.R. MacDonald, The Burghs and Parliaments in Scotland, c.1550–1651 (Aldershot, 2007), pp. 168–75.