Gideon Murray, of Ling, Co. Derry
Gideon MURRAY was baptized about 30 January 1613 in Edinburgh. He was a son of
John MURRAY and Janet HOWIESON. Gideon was
served heir to his younger brother, William, who died sometime before 1644. Gideon went to Ireland in about 1648 where he
settled at Ling, in County Derry. Ling is on the River Faughan, about 9 miles from Derry/Londonderry. Gideon also held a
considerable interest in other property including lands granted to the Skinner's Company
of London. The leases of some of this property were
to remain with Gideon's descendants into the 19th Century. Gideon married one Miss MACKY, a woman of Scottish birth. The date
and place of the marriage is currently unknown.
It was common for British families in the 17th Century to be torn apart by political events, as one sibling
championed the Catholic STUARTS and another sibling favored the
Protestant Williamites. Perhaps no family in Britain was
more polarized than the household of
John MURRAY and Janet HOWIESON. While the Peeblesshire offspring were risking life and
property as staunch Jacobites supporting the Catholic Stuart family, Gideon MURRAY supported the Protestants and their champion, William
of Orange. Indeed, Gideon's son Adam is still celebrated as The Defender of Londonderry.
Children of Gideon MURRAY and Miss MACKY:
i.
Adam MURRAY
ii. Mary MURRAY
iii. Isabella MURRAY
