Book to remember late Duke of Atholl
Known to the villagers of Haenertsburg simply as John Murray, the land surveyor, he was a humble man given his royal status.
HAENERTSBURG – The skirl of the African Skye piper, Ian Houston, heralded the touching and emotional launch of a commemorative book marking the late Duke of Atholl’s life and royal ancestry. Known to the villagers of Haenertsburg simply as John Murray, the land surveyor, he was a humble man given his royal status. He shunned publicity although he put himself into the spotlight when he flew annually to attend functions at Blair Atholl, his castle in Scotland.
Historian, Professor Louis Changuion, wanted to write about the Duke while he was alive but the Duke told him he could only do so once he’d died. Three years later, together with printers Charles and Beverly Leach from Louis Trichardt and an illustrator, the tartan-bound book has been launched at Memory-Hold-The-Door bookshop in Haenertsburg. The Duke died at the age of 83.
Present at the launch were the Duke’s family members including his son, Bruce, from Louis Trichardt, now the 12th Duke of Atholl, his widow, Peggy, and his daughter, Lady Jennifer, known locally as Jenny Glodek.
Copies of the book are on sale in the village and copies are being sent to the shop at Blair Atholl Castle.
