James Murray

• Birth date           9 December 1831
• Married               22 September 1853 to Maria Jane Parry at Holy Trinity, Chester
• Death date          24 October 1863
• Burial                 Coventry Cemetery

James Murray was born the son of John Murray in Armagh, Northern Ireland on 9 December 1831. His family moved to England while he was a child and in 1845 he was articled to the Liverpool architect Walter Scott.  On completion of his articles about 1850, he commenced practice in Liverpool in partnership with Thomas Denville Barry. This partnership was dissolved on 12 March 1853, at which time James Murray took the share of the business lying in the neighbourhood of Coventry and settled there. In 1857 he entered into a short-lived partnership with E W Pugin. This was formally dissolved on 29 October 1858 although it would appear that James Murray was still in London when his daughter, Ethel, was born in July 1859.

On 22 September 1853 James Murray married Maria Jane Parry at Holy Trinity, Chester. The only daughter of Thomas Parry, surveyor, she had been born at Over, near Winsford, Cheshire but at the time of her marriage was resident in Chester. There were three surviving children (a daughter was stillborn November 1855). By reference to the 1861 census, his son James Johnston Murray was born in Coventry and baptised there on 17 February 1857. His two daughters M (born 11 March 1859) and Ethel Mavourneen (born 4 July 1859) are both recorded as having been born in London. At the time of the census the family had returned to Coventry

FRIBA 19 Mar 1860. He was sponsored by G Gilbert Scott and Philip C Hardwick

In 1862., he published what was intended to be the first part of a collection of his works under the title Modern architecture; ecclesiastical, civil and domestic. Illustrated by views and plans of Gothic and classic buildings erected since 1850.

James Murray died of consumption on 24 October 1863. Among those present at the funeral was E Welby Pugin having returned specially from Belgium. The Building News obituary recorded: Mr. Murray was interred in the Coventry Cemetery, according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, of which he was always a member. This position (which is most beautiful) was chosen by his widow and his devoted friend, Mr. F. Vaillant, on ascertaining that his last wish, of being buried under the shadow of the late A. Welby Pugin’s work, St. Mary's, Kenilworth, could not be complied with.

Address
1852    Barry and Murray, 8, Parker-Street, Clayton- Square, Liverpool.
1854    St. Michael’s Church yard, Coventry.
1855    Bailey Lane Coventry
1856    Priory Row, Coventry
1857    Pugin and Murray, London and Coventry (Coventry Standard) 24 July 1857

Residence
1857    Priory Row, Coventry baptism record 17 Feb 1857)
1858    Queen’s-road, Regent’s-park, London (Coventry standard 19 March 1858 births}
1859    8 Queen’s Road, Regent’s Park London, (Coventry Standard 9 July 1859 births)
1857-1859 St Pancras London (1861 census)
1861    Jesson Street Coventry- baptism record 21 Feb 1861)
1861    Warwick Road Coventry (Census)