David Christie Murray

Murray was born in High Street, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, one of six sons and five daughters of William Murray and Mary Withers; he was educated in West Bromwich and Spon Lane. At the age of twelve he entered his fathers printing business. At eighteen he was sent to London for further training in the printing business, but, following a failed attempt at romance, he instead joined the army. He became a private with the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards. After being bought out of the service by a great aunt, he became a journalist. Initially he wrote leaders for the Wednesbury Advertiser, then worked for the Birmingham Morning News reporting on police cases. In 1871 he married Sophie Harris, with whom he had a daughter who died young. He had four children out of wedlock.

Murray covered the Russo-Turkish War during 1877–1878, then left journalism to write fiction. He spent a year touring England for a series of articles published in The Mayfair Magazine.[5] Around 1879 he married his second wife, Alice, and the couple had a son, Archibald. That year A life's atonement was published in Chamber's Journal, followed by Joseph's coat in 1880. The late nineteenth century English author George Gissing wrote in his diary that he had 'heard of the book as good; of course find it very poor'. His 1882 By the gate of Les was serialised in Cornhill Magazine and Aunt Rachel (1886) in The English Illustrated Magazine. From 1881 to 1886 he lived in Belgium and France, and from 1889 to 1896 stayed in Nice, France. Murray was well travelled, and had success as a lecturer. In 1889 he performed a lecture tour in Australia, then in 1890 he assisted productions in Australia of the theatrical company of Harry St. Maur. From 1884 to 1885 he lectured in Canada and the United States.