The authoritative publication History of Firearms by H. B. C. Pollard, tells us that T. Murdoch was a gunsmith that operated in Leith circa 1775-95. The pistol probably dates from around 1785 when Duncan served as a Lt. Col. of the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards.
The print shown at the left is of Ewen Macpherson, son of Duncan and 20th Chief. Note that the handle of the pistol hanging from his belt bears the word "Cluny." It is from a painting by the Scottish artist, R. R. McIan which appeared in the book Costumes of the Clans of Scotland published in 1845, to commemorate the centenary of the 1745 Rising.
The pistol is here on loan from Museum Victoria of Melbourne, Australia. How it got to Australia and back here is a story of great interest. The pistol was one of the items from Cluny Castle which were sold at the 1943 auction. Where it resided during the next decade is not known but in 1954 one of our Canadian members noticed an advertisment by Eatons of Montreal offering for sale a pistol with the name "Cluny Macpherson" engraved on it. The photo accompanying the ad is shown at the right. He immediately called Eatons but they told him that it had been sold to a dealer in New York. Contacting the New York buyer he learned that the pistol had been purchased by the Australian Museum who provided the technical details that appear above. In 1957 he wrote an article on the matter that appeared in the Clan annual Creag Dhubh.
As far as the Clan is concerned, nothing else transpired until 2003 when we asked the Museum Victoria to loan us the pistol for display here. After much negotiation over the next three years, Museum Victoria kindly agreed to the loan. During that period we also learned what an enormous amount of red tape is involved in such transfers. Space does not permit us to relate how difficult the transportation of the pistol to Scotland really was. But through the untiring efforts of clansmen and other interested parties on three continents it arrived at the Museum in March 2006 safe and sound.