| Honorific-Prefix: | The Right Honourable |
| The Earl of Mansfield | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | KT |
| Office: | Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire |
| Term Start: | 4 May 1803 |
| Term End: | 18 February 1840 |
| Predecessor: | The Lord Cathcart |
| Successor: | George Abercromby |
| Birthname: | David William Murray |
| Birth Date: | 7 March 1777 |
| Birth Place: | Paris, France |
| Death Place: | Leamington, United Kingdom |
| Nationality: | British |
| Children: | 9 |
| Parents: | David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield Louisa Murray, 2nd Countess of Mansfield |
David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield, KT (7 March 1777 – 18 February 1840) was a British army officer and peer, who served as Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire from 1803 until his death.
Murray was born in Paris in 1777 to David Murray, then 7th Viscount Stormont, and Louisa, daughter of Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart and Jane Hamilton.[1] In 1792 Murray's father succeeded to his uncle William Murray's 1792 creation of the Mansfield earldom and became 2nd Earl of Mansfield in 1793; Murray succeeded his father in 1796 as 3rd Earl of Mansfield and inheriting Kenwood House in Camden, London.[2]
Mary Hamilton, his mother's first cousin, visited Kenwood and described "little William had written an answer to a letter from his great uncle Lord Mansfield—the style was easy & the language perfectly good—no one would imagine this letter to have been written by a boy of 7 years old—he has very astonishing abilities of comprehension equally surprising for his age."[3]
He was educated at Westminster School, at Leipzig, Germany and at Christ Church, Oxford. He received a degree, Doctor of Civil Law, from Christ Church, Oxford in 1793.[4] He joined the Militia, becoming Colonel of the East Middlesex Militia in 1798, transferring to the Royal Perth Militia on 3 May 1803.
Mansfield served as Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire from 1803 until his death.
In 1835, Mansfield was elected a Knight of the Order of the Thistle. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society (elected 1802)[5] and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Mansfield appointed William Atkinson to undertake essential structural reinforcement to Kenwood house between 1803 and 1839. Although the Mansfields preferred to live at their Scottish seat, Scone Palace, which had also been previously rebuilt by William Atkinson.In March 1805, Lord Mansfield gave a grand dinner at Mansfield House in Portland Place, the guests included Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, Marquess and Marchioness of Bath, Lord Grantham, Lord Somerville, and his sister Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton with her husband.[6]
When his eldest daughter Lady Frederica died in 1823, Mansfield took his greatly afflicted and depressed son in law to live at Kenwood, but he never recovered and died in 1825, the jury gave a verdict of "temporary insanity".
In July 1835, King William IV and Queen Adelaide paid a royal visit to Kenwood, this was attended by 800 of the nobility and gentry, scattered around the Kenwood garden. The Marchioness of Salisbury wrote "The King and Queen and Royalties extremely well pleased: the King trotted about with Lord M. in the most active manner".
On 16 September 1797, Mansfield married Frederica Markham, a daughter of Sarah (Goddard) Markham and William Markham, Archbishop of York. William Markham was a close friend of his father, the 2nd Earl of Mansfield. They had nine children:[7] [8]
Mansfield died at Leamington on 18 February 1840 and is buried in St Andrew's Churchyard, Kingsbury, London.[9]