The Good Governor
Kenny MacAskill tells the tale of James Murray, the first British governor of Quebec
MANY Scots may have heard of General Wolfe’s infamous words at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Talking about his Highland troops he said, “They are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country, and no great mischief if they fall.”
That contempt should perhaps be expected given that he served with “Butcher” Cumberland at Culloden.
What’s less well known is that a Scottish officer, James Murray, serving under Wolfe in that same North American battle would later become the first British governor of Quebec, and then of the entire province.
Murray was to prove far more protective of the defeated French than Cumberland had been of the Highlanders and is therefore recalled with more warmth.
It is also argued that his refusal to carry out certain policies helped ensure the survival of that distinct society which still exists in French Canada to this day.
General James Murray was born in 1721 at Ballencrieff, near Haddington, where his father Lord Elibank had a house and land.
Educated locally at first and then in Selkirk, as a younger son his fortune had to be made away from the family estate and so young Murray joined the army.
As 1736 ended and his 16th birthday neared, he enlisted in the Scots Brigade still serving in the Dutch army and based in Ypres, Belgium. A few years later
Murray enlisted in the marines. By 1759, he was a lieutenant-colonel in a Regiment of Foot.
His early military years saw him engaged in combat, serving in the West Indies where Spanish power was the major threat, participating in the attack on Cartagena, Colombia, as well as operations in Cuba. Returning to Europe, as the War of the Austrian Succession continued to rage, he fought in Flanders and was seriously wounded.
As the Seven Years War engulfed the globe in 1756, France became the principal enemy and the battlefield moved from Europe to North America. Having been
“Wolfe’s audacious move saw troops” them scaled by Highland
involved in a raid on Rochefort in 1757, the following year Murray moved across the ocean, serving under Wolfe at the siege of Louisbourg, the French citadel based on Cape Breton, or Ile Royale as they called it.
That was to be the prelude to the expulsion of the Acadian settlers, the French speaking people in the maritime areas, and in which Murray had a minor role but still bore some culpability.
The history of the Acadians reveals a tragedy that makes the Highland Clearances seem almost benign. Perhaps his actions in Quebec atone somewhat for that.
Following the French removal from Louisbourg, the front moved to Quebec, with Murray commanding the left flank of Wolfe’s troops in the Battle on the Plains of Abraham, the ground outside the city and high above the St Lawrence River where British ships had anchored.
It was assumed the height would prevent a military attack, but Wolfe’s audacious move saw them scaled by the Highland troops and victory delivered. Had their climb been noticed, as Murray feared, then a slaughter might have followed, but Wolfe viewed it as a risk worth taking and the soldiers’ lives expendable.
As fighting continued to wage across modern day Canada and the USA, Murray was left in charge of the captured city. In 1760, he suffered defeat at the Battle of Sainte-foy when he ventured out to confront French forces under Duc de Levis. Managing to retreat back in to the city, questions were raised about his command.
However, Montreal soon fell and control of the wider province was secured. Wolfe still thought highly of Murray and appointed him first British governor of the city.
In 1763, the war ended and peace was made – with France ceding her North American territories. That same year Murray was made governor of the entire province.
There are many reasons why French settlers were never expelled from Quebec as they were in Acadia. There were more of them, the war had ended so the threat of an internal enemy was reduced, and their land was less fertile or coveted by others, as it had been in Nova Scotia by New England settlers. These factors,
coupled with the need for British mercantile interests to retain the French trappers’ knowledge of the fur trade, were influential in the French settlers’ survival in the area.
But Murray, as governor, also set a conciliatory tone, showing respect to the French speaking population and to their Catholicism – both of which faced prejudice in North America and Britain. Their laws, customs and religion were upheld allowing that distinct society to exist to this day. This is thought to be a factor explaining why Quebec didn’t join other colonies in the American Revolution of 1776.
However, this attitude made Murray enemies among the anglophone merchants and in 1766 he was recalled by London to face charges. Exonerated, he chose not to return to Quebec, instead heading to Minorca where he became governor from 1778 until 1782.
He was in command during a seven-month siege at Port Mahon and was praised for his actions even though he was forced to surrender to a superior force.
Murray then returned to Britain and settled in Sussex. He died in 1789 and is buried in Hastings.
Next time you’re passing by Ballencrieff, exploring the lovely East Lothian towns and villages, bear in mind that community also has a link to Quebec and Minorca.
“Their upheld” laws, customs and religion were