Murray Islands is a group of small islands 1.2 nautical miles (2.2 km) southeast of Cape Whitson

Cape Whitson

Whitney Peak is a conspicuous peak rising 3 nautical miles northwest of Mount Hampton, from which it is separated by a distinctive ice-covered saddle, in the northernmost part of the Executive Committee Range, Marie Byrd Land. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy...

, off the south coast of Laurie Island

Laurie Island

Laurie Island is an island in the Antarctic Circle, the second largest of the South Orkney Islands. The island is claimed by both Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica, and the United Kingdom as part of the British Antarctic Territory...

 in the South Orkney Islands

South Orkney Islands

The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a total area of about ....

. Discovered in 1823 by Matthew Brisbane, who explored the south coast of Laurie Island under the direction of James Weddell

James Weddell

James Weddell was a British sailor, navigator and seal hunter who in the early Spring of 1823 sailed to latitude of 74°15' S and into a region of the Southern Ocean that later became known as the Weddell Sea.-Early life:He entered the merchant service very...

. The name "Murrys Islands" appears on Weddell's chart, but the islands are probably named for James Murray

James Murray

-Politicians:* Lord James Murray , MP for Perthshire* James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl , Whig MP and lord of the Isle of Man from 1736–1764* Hon. James Murray -Politicians:* Lord James Murray (1663–1719), MP for Perthshire* James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl (1690–1764), Whig MP and lord of the Isle...

of London, maker of the chronometers used on Weddell's voyage.