Английская Википедия:Catherine Murray, Countess of Dysart

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Catherine Murray, Countess of Dysart (née Bruce, also known as Katherine; died 2 August 1649) was a Scottish noblewoman. She was wife of William Murray, 1st Earl of Dysart and mother of Elizabeth, Duchess of Lauderdale. She was responsible for the management of Ham House during the English Civil War, defending it from the encroachment of Parliamentary forces. She was portrayed by prominent artists such as Anthony van Dyck and John Hoskins.

Early life

Catherine was the daughter of Col. Norman BruceШаблон:Sfn and his wife Janet Norvell. Norman Bruce was the second son of the 8th Baron of Clackmannan. Catherine was part of a family that could trace its lineage to Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.Шаблон:Sfn

Marriage and Family

In the mid-1620s, Catherine married William Murray, the son of the parson of Dysart, Fife, who could trace his lineage to James II of Scotland.Шаблон:Sfn Elizabeth, their eldest child, was baptised at St. Martin-in-the-Fields on 28 Sep 1626.Шаблон:Sfn She went on to have 4 more daughters, one of whom died in 1636.Шаблон:Sfn In 1626, William was made Gentleman of the Bedchamber by Charles I and the family moved to Ham House near Richmond.Шаблон:Sfn Catherine was made a Lady-in-waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria. When William initiated a program of renovation to elevate Ham House to the highest standard of courtly taste, Catherine furnished the house with richly-embroidered silk textiles and leather wall hangings.Шаблон:Sfn

The outbreak of the Civil War took William from his family in service of the King, leaving Catherine to manage the family and estate.Шаблон:Sfn In 1641, William transferred ownership of the Ham House estate to Catherine, under the supervision of trustees led by Thomas Bruce, 1st Lord Elgin as a means of safeguarding their assets.Шаблон:Sfn She and her daughters did manage to visit the court occasionally while it resided at Oxford, up the Thames from Ham House.Шаблон:Sfn Being part of a prominent Royalist family, she attracted the attention of Parliament, who accused her in 1643 of secretly funneling funds to the King.Шаблон:Sfn She successfully rebuffed the accusation, but was subject to threats of sequestration in the years that followed.Шаблон:Sfn Despite those challenges, Catherine took her daughters to the Oxford court for the winter of 1643–44.Шаблон:Sfn She also continued to entertain at Ham House, with Thomas Knyvett noting in May 1644 that he was "kindly intertainde" by a "very fine discreet Lady."Шаблон:Sfn This discretion served her well while traveling abroad in 1645 - to the Netherlands and France as well as Scotland - to visit her husband while he was in service of the King, as she managed to avoid arousing the suspicions of the Parliamentary authorities.Шаблон:Sfn A landing permit which was required for her return to England, was signed by Lord Warwick, who would not have done so if she was believed to have been undertaking espionage.Шаблон:Sfn After her return to England, a final attempt to seize the Ham House estate was made, which Catherine won after months of persistent struggle.Шаблон:Sfn

Portraits

Файл:Catherine Bruce, Mrs William Murray (d.1649) by John Hoskins the elder.jpg

Catherine Bruce, Mrs William Murray and Countess of Dysart (d.1649) by John Hoskins the elder, 1638

A bronze bust of a woman, shown with elaborate ringlets falling down to her shoulders, which are slightly exposed by a drooping chemise.

Bronze bust by Peter Besnier

Catherine was portrayed by several notable artists of the day.

• A 1638 miniature portrait by John Hoskins the elder, considered to be his finest work as well as one of his largest.Шаблон:Sfn The portrait remains in its ebony frame with silver mounts and is signed and dated 1638, showing the countess in a blue satin dress richly trimmed with pearls, in a landscape with a castle in the background.Шаблон:Sfn A 1649 copy of this work by Alexander MarshalШаблон:Sfn includes an image of Ham House in the background instead of the castle, serving as an important architectural reference for the property.Шаблон:Sfn
• A portrait by Anthony Van Dyck now hangs at Petworth House, which was home to the 10th Earl of Northumberland, who was known to the Murray family. The painting was one of a series commissioned to honour the leading ladies of court, which was destined for the Earl's London home.Шаблон:Sfn
• Peter Besnier created a bronze bust of Catherine, which remains in the White Closet at Ham House. Besnier was part of a family of French sculptors in service to the royal familyШаблон:Sfn and a student of Hubert Le Sueur, to whom the bust was previous attributed.Шаблон:Sfn

Death

In 1648, Catherine transferred ownership of the Ham House estate to Elizabeth and her husband Lionel Tollemache.Шаблон:Sfn Catherine had fallen ill and wrote to Lord Elgin asking his continued support of her daughters in the event of her passing.Шаблон:Sfn She died on 2 August 1649 and was buried at Petersham Church.Шаблон:Sfn Her burial plate, which was gifted to the NT by Sir Humphrey Tollemache in 1976 excludes her title of Countess of Dysart, but mentions that "the whole funerall was celebrated with all fiting solemnitie acording to her degree."Шаблон:EfnШаблон:Sfn

Sources

• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite ODNB