SIR JAMES GRANT OF GRANT, BARONET, COMMONLY CALLED "THE GOOD SIR JAMES." JANE DUFF (OF HATTON), HIS WIFE. 1773 - 1811.
[442] THIS Laird of Grant was one of the most amiable of his race, and is still affectionately remembered in Strathspey as "the good Sir James." His correspondence, which was very extensive, bears witness to his high character, his personal worth, benevolent disposition, and patriotic public spirit, which are also commemorated by the universal tradition of the country. His death was considered as a calamity to Strathspey, and his funeral, the largest ever seen in that country, was attended by miles of mourners, all testifying their devoted attachment to the chief whom they loved so dearly.Of a family of twelve children which Lady Margaret Ogilvie bore to her husband, Sir James Grant was the only son. He was born on 19th May 1738. His father, Sir Ludovick Grant, while representative in Parliament for the county of Elgin from 1741 to 1761, resided much in London, and young James was educated at Westminster School. His studies were superintended by a tutor who lived with him, Mr. William Lorimer, an eminent scholar from Lord Findlater's country, who, not only then, but during the whole course of his life, took a warm interest in his pupil and all his affairs. Mr. Lorimer's letters to Sir Ludovick Grant, when he went north to Scotland, report the satisfactory progress of his pupil in his studies, and his exemplary conduct.
In what year James Grant first went to school has not been ascertained. The earliest reference to his education is in 1749, his eleventh year, when Mr. Lorimer wrote to Sir Ludovick of his son's proficiency, and the commencement of the holidays which the pupil and his tutor intended [443] to spend at Kensington. Original Letters at Castle Grant, dated in August 1749. After Mr. Lorimer retired from his office of tutor to Mr. Grant, he was allowed a life annuity of £100 by Sir Ludovick Grant. Mr. Lorimer died between 6th December 1764, when he made his will, and 15th March 1765, when it was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The will contains the following legacy: "I humbly entreat Mrs. Grant of Grant will accept of my best blood-stone seal, as a small testimony of my sincere and great regard for her and her amiable husband, formerly my pupil." - (Commissariot of Edinburgh Testaments, vol. 121, 28th June 1768.) In 1754, he reached the sixth form under the care of Dr. Markham, regarding which the Earl of Findlater and Seafield wrote to Sir Ludovick on 8th June: "Your son is in as good a way as you can desire, both as to health and strength, profiting in his learning, and growing in favour with Dr. Markham, and with all who know him. Since he got into the sixth form his diligence rather increases, and, I believe, in another year, he will be as well advanced in the Greek and Latin languages as any young gentleman of his standing, at the same time that he is improving in some other branches of knowledge likeways, and I do not observe him falling into any sort of bad practices." Original Letter at Castle Grant.
From Westminster the young Laird went to Cambridge, and while there was under the immediate tuition of Dr. Beilby Porteus, afterwards Bishop of Chester. Letter from Dr. Porteus, 28th February 1756, ibid. While at Westminster, Mr. Grant had formed a friendship with Thomas Robinson, afterwards second Baron Grantham. They were also fellow-students at Cambridge, and the friendship then contracted continued during the remainder of their lives. In obedience to his father's wishes, James Grant left Cambridge in January 1758, in order to complete his education by travelling on the Continent. This elicited a letter from Dr. Porteus to Sir Ludovick Grant, in which he regrets Mr. Grant's unexpected departure from the University. The writer commends his pupil's sweetness of temper and goodness of heart. Referring to Mr. Grant and his friend, Dr. Porteus says: "They are as inseparable in my heart as in their friendship, and it is hard to say which deserves the most, when both deserve so much. Mr. Grant leaves behind him an unblemished character in the University, nor do I think there ever was any one of his rank and age more universally belov'd. . . . . . . His conduct here gives the strongest assurance that he will acquit himself with equal applause in every other part of life. He will, I am convinc'd, be an honest, a sensible, and [444] a benevolent man; and, if his great tenderness and sensibility doe not make him feel too deeply the miseries of others, he can want nothing but health (which I hope he wifi never want) to make him a happy man too." Original Letter, dated 10th January 1758, at Castle Grant
Mr. Grant went abroad in the same year in which he left Cambridge. He wrote to his father, from Geneva, on 20th December 1758, but his movements previous to that date, and for some time afterwards, cannot be clearly ascertained. From a book at Castle Grant, containing a few scattered notes of his journey, it appears that Mr. Grant left Geneva on 8th October 1759, on his way to Italy. He travelled by Annecy, Chambery, and other small towns, reaching Susa, near the foot of Mont Cenis, on 13th October. From Susa he went to Turin, and stayed in that town nearly a month, leaving it on 12th November for Genoa, where ten days were agreeably spent. From Genoa, the route was again northward to Milan, which was reached on 1st December. From Milan Mr. Grant seems to have proceeded to Florence, and thence to Naples, where he and his party arrived on 1st January 1760. How long Mr. Grant remained at Naples is not certain, for after recording visits to Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, and other places of interest, the notes suddenly break off without any reference to Rome, or his visit there. That Mr. Grant did pass some time in Rome is evident from a correspondence addressed by Abbé Peter Grant Abbé Grant was one of the family of Grant of Blairfindy. In June 1765, he wrote to Mr. Grant on behalf of his brothers, James and Alexander Grant, who leased Blairfindy from the Duke of Gordon. He also had a nephew a colonel in the French service, who took the title of Baron de Blairfindy. to his young chief. The first letter, dated from Rome, 17th May 1760, regrets Mr. Grant's short stay in Rome, and expresses the Abbé's sincere regret at his departure, "there being in us Highlanders . . . a certain innate love and respect for our chiefs which never can be effaced." Original Letter at Castle Grant The letters of the Abbé between May 1760 and 1765, contain frequent references to works of art, engravings, etc., purchased for Mr. Grant, and also to various pictures commissioned by him, among these being a large painting by Gavin Hamilton, a talented artist, representing the grief of Achilles over the death of Patroclus. The Abbé's letter announcing the completion of this work is dated 12th September 1763, and his opinion of the artist's production [445] may be quoted. After stating that the picture was finished, he says, "All I shall say of it is that it is, without any comparison, by many degrees the best thing he has ever yet done; the composition is truely masterly, and the colouring is most delightfull. I call frequently to see it, and it never fails to enchant me. It is more than you can conceive superior to what he did on the death of Hector." Vol. ii. of this work, p. 537. In reference to this second picture, Mr. Cumming of Altyre, on 8th April 1776, writes to Sir James Grant, "You'11 be pleased to hear I am now the possessor of Hamilton's famous picture of 'Andromache lamenting the death of Hector;' 'twas knocked down to me at a sale of Lord Grosvenor's pictures, for 35 pieces; when 'twas knocked out, people stood astonished; it certainly is as extraordinary a thing as ever happened. I have allowed it to remain a few days at Christie's, for the entertainment of the curious." (Letter at Castle Grant.) The picture contained seven full figures, besides several half figures, and was valued at 350 guineas. When the picture arrived in London, Mr. Grant's uncle, the Earl of Findlater and Seafield, wrote to him, begging that the work, which was said to be "finely executed," might be shown at the Exhibition of Paintings. Mr. Grant's reply has not been found, but no doubt the picture was exhibited. it is now at Cullen House. It was engraved, and a copy of the engraving is at Castle Grant. Other details in this and others of the Abbé's letters, show that Mr. Grant had a love of art, and also a kind heart and liberal hand towards rising artists. He left Rome, with regret, in May 1760, and travelled homewards by Verona, Munich, etc., but of his northward journey there is no record.
Abbé Grant's letters, apart from what may be called a natural enthusiasm for his young chief, which shows itself in a tendency to flatter, give clear evidence that Mr. Grant, even when he was only twenty-two years old, made a favourable impression upon all with whom he came in contact. This evidence is corroborated by a letter from Mr. Grant himself, written on his journey homewards, and addressed to his intimate University friend, Mr. Robinson. The letter, which indicates a mind highly imbued with moral principles, is otherwise also worth quoting, as showing Mr. Grant's high ideal of the duties and responsibilities of a member of Parliament, for which in his sojourn on the Continent it was intended by his father he should prepare himself.
After dwelling on the pleasure of Mr. Robinson's friendship, and expressing a hope that it might continue amid all differences of opinion, Mr. Grant says: " Reflecting upon these things, a thought struck me to examine narrowly into the character most consistent with the man of honour as representative of his country in the House of Commons. Many [446] are the duties to which he is bound, and it requires great learning as well as principle to put them always in execution. When we cannot absolutely reach that, let us at least do our utmost. He should have studied thoroughly the real advantages or disadvantages that attend every form of Government. He should consider what laws, what method of levying taxes, in short everything that regards the internal police is most consistent with each, what laws are suitable to the commercial and what to the warlike nation, how far to an extensive or small dominion; he should be master of the law of nations in general, as well as of those particular treaties which subsist between different powers. He should be capable of distinguishing when it is necessary to incline the balance towards the executive part of the Government and when to the people, as he should curb the licentiousness of the latter and ambition of the former, which, if the legislative power does not do their duty, are equally apt to encroach and endanger the constitution, He should consider any bill that is offer'd in Parliament in the most extensive light, weigh all its consequences, and be carefull least in endeavouring to remedy any small disadvantage he should introduce a precedent which may be detrimental in the main. In short, every great quality that our nature is capable of, ought to be aimed at by him. He shauld be a father to his family and tenants, a sincere and true friend, a modest and open companion; he should be as cool and unprejudiced in his determinations, as expeditious and resolute in executing them; to sum up his character in a few words, he should be slave, to his country and subject to his king, and friend to all mankind." Vol. ii. of this work, p. 431.
With this lofty view of what a statesman and patriot should be, Mr. Grant entered on public life. He made it the standard of his own conduct, and how successfully he strove to act up to it is evinced in the memories cherished of him, and will also appear in the following pages. In this endeavour he was greatly aided by his wife.
This lady was Jane Duff, only daughter and heiress of Alexander Duff of Hatton, by Lady Anne, eldest daughter of William Duff, first Earl Fife. Their marriage-contract was signed at Bath on 4th January 1763, and the ceremony was performed on the same day at that then fashionable resort. [447] Founded on mutual affection, this marriage proved a very happy one. Following the example of the first Sir James Grant, Sir Ludovick shortly afterwards gave up the active management of the Grant estates to his son.
After his marriage, Mr. Grant resided chiefly at Castle Grant, and devoted himself to the interests of his large estates and numerous tenantry, whose prosperity was his constant care. Letters written by him, or in his name, about this period show how anxious he was that good cultivation of land, after the best models, should prevail on the Grant estates, not only for his own sake, but as leading to improved manners and a higher civilisation. In 1765 and 1766, he set about carrying into effect a project which he had much at heart - the founding of the town of Grantown, which became what has been called the capital of Strathspey.
From a paper drawn up about 1792 for the information of the Highland Society of Scotland, then lately established, and of which Sir James was one of the original members, it would appear that the site of the village was marked out in lots, in the year 1766, upon a barren heath moor. Some of these lots were built on during the same year, and others had since been occupied. Sir James Grant had expended above £5000 sterling in promoting the growth and welfare of the place. Every encouragement had been given to various kinds of trade. In special, a linen manufactory had been started, and an establishment for wool-combing and making stockings. These were still carried on in 1792, but not so vigorously as formerly. Sir James Grant had also erected a town-house and jail, and, at considerable expense, had introduced water into the village, built a good stone bridge, and laid out roads in various directions. He had also erected apparatus for a bleachfield which had been converted into a lint mill, and tenants renewing their leases were taken bound to sow lint-seed. In 1792 the village is described as being in a thriving condition, with a number of resident tradesmen, a school for girls, a physician, etc. The population was estimated at above 300, many being in easy circumstances. Draft Memorial to Highland Society, at Castle Grant. For his exertions and public spirit in this matter, Sir James Grant claimed the premium offered by the Highland Society to those who promoted improvements.
[448] Mr. Grant himself prepared a series of regulations for the village of Grantown providing for cleanliness, proper fencing of the various holdings, and care of the march fences, repair of broken windows, etc., also against immorality, under penalties of five shillings for each offence. Draft Regulations at Castle Grant. Among other schemes for the welfare of the inhabitants, Mr. Grant projected a school or "asylum for the education of children," in which, apparently, not only an ordinary English education was to be given, but the children were to be instructed in various arts and trades. This plan, however, was discouraged by Lord Kames, who suggested to Mr. Grant that the preferable mode of giving technical instruction would be found in filling the town "with the best artists that work in such things, for which there was a demand in the Highlands, wheel-wrights, plough-wrights, house carpenters, etc., smiths, masons, weavers," and his Lordship promised aid from the Annexed Estates' fund to provide for apprenticing children to such trades. He advised Mr. Grant against being too precipitate in his schemes. Letter dated 31st August 1767, vol. ii. of this work, p. 450.
Of the village of Grantown in 1785, Mrs. Grant of Laggan, authoress of "Letters from the Mountains," thus writes: "Strathspey is quite a civilised country compared to this (Laggan), and has a good neat village in it, where the father of the district has been cherishing some exotic manufactures, which do not seem to find the soil congenial. In fact a Highlander never sits at ease at a loom; 'tis like putting a deer in the plough." Letters from the Mountains, vol. ii. p. 103. The same writer, in a later work, repeats her statements as to the unfitness of Highlanders for a manufacturing calling, and deprecates enforced residence in villages, while, at the same time, she pays a high tribute to the memory of Sir James Grant, then lately deceased. Essays on the Superstitions of the Highlanders, 1811, vol. ii. pp. 142, 151.
After his efforts had brought the village of Grantown into a thriving condition, Mr. Grant resolved to extend similar advantages to his dependants in Urquhart, and in 1769 he had plans prepared for the erection of a town there, to be called Lewistown. The site selected was a moor near the Castle of Urquhart, and the town was to consist of one great street about sixty feet wide, and other smaller streets about twenty-four feet [449] wide, the lots to be smaller than those in Grantown, as there was less space available. It would appear that various parties in the neighbourhood had been dispossessed of their holdings by a new set of leases, and Mr. Grant indicates his desire to prefer them to possessions in the proposed town. Every encouragement was to be given to tradesmen, and the terms of occupation were to be economically stated, so that "the poorest individual, provided he is a man of good character, may be settled, and have an opportunity of maintaining his family, availing himself of his industry, and bringing up his children in such a manner as to be of use to themselves and their country." Draft scheme as to Lewistown, c. 1769, at Castle Grant
On the death of his father, Sir Ludovick Grant, on 18th March 1773, Sir James Grant succeeded to the Grant title and estates. From that time, for many years, Sir James maintained an even course of life, making no obtrusive figure in public affairs, but yet ready to do his duty to the party he supported. While in Parliament as representative of the county of Moray from 1761 to 1768, Sir James supported the Government of Mr. Pitt, and he was the friend and correspondent of Mr. Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville. Much of his attention was also given to his estates, with a view to improving the state of agriculture in Strathspey and Urquhart. Notwithstanding Sir James Grant's earnest desire that all his dependants should be comfortable, matters did not altogether work smoothly. In 1780 a correspondent of Sir James Grant comments on the turbulent state of the district of Urquhart, and also on the difficulties encountered there and in Strathspey, in obtaining punctual payment of rents. Letter dated 4th May 1780, vol. ii. of this work, p. 469. A few months previous, on 16th December 1779, Mr. Macgregor, Sir James Grant's factor, had been stabbed in the side just after a rent collection. No cause was assigned for the assault, except, apparently, that the assailant (Allan Grant) was intoxicated. Letters at Castle Grant. The factor recovered, and Allan Grant was tried before the Circuit Court, but received a comparatively light punishment. Letter dated 17th June 1780, vol. ii. of this work, p. 41.
Sir James Grant's efforts for the good of his estates were much hindered by the large encumbrances which burdened his property. These [450] were inherited by him with the Grant estates, the first accumulation having begun with the great-grandfather of Sir James, Ludovick Grant of Grant, who was declared by the Scots Parliament of 1695 to have incurred a loss of £150,486 Scots, or about £12,540 sterling, in the service of the Government. Vol. iii. of this work, p. 482 To this burden were added further expenses sustained in 1715 by Brigadier-General Grant, and in 1745 by Sir Ludovick Grant, amounting in each case to nearly £2000 sterling. This heavy debt due by the Government was in 1785 estimated to amount with interest to £71,800. With such a charge upon the estates, and the lawful debts due by his father, Sir Ludovick Grant, and himself, Sir James Grant found him self in 1774, the year after his succession to his ancestral domains, with an estate, the supposed value of which was £123,100, while the charges upon it amounted to upwards of £130,000. The yearly rental of the lands was in money £6652, while the interest payable, added to the expenses of management, reached £6750, thus making an annual balance of £97 against Sir James. State of Affairs, dated 1774, at Castle Grant.
Such a condition of affairs might have overwhelmed any ordinary man, or indeed most men. But the heroic character of Sir James Grant, uniting, as it did, some of the sterner with the gentler virtues, enabled him not only to face and endure his difficulties, but ultimately to overcome them. He gradually redeemed wadsets on his Strathspey lands as they expired. As a chief means of relief, Sir James determined to sell all the outlying portions of his possessions, retaining in the family only their territories in Strathspey. It is stated also that when he discovered the true state of his affairs, he voluntarily gave up his seat in Parliament for the county of Elgin to avoid the expense of living in London with his family, being resolved to submit to every inconvenience, and to adopt the strictest economy, in the view of doing full justice to his father's creditors. Memorandum by Colquhoun Grant, W.S., Edinburgh, agent for Sir James, 22d May 1782, at Castle Grant.
The estates sold between 1774 and 1785 were Moy, Mulben, Westfield, Dunphail, and Achmades, lands then representing a value of £52,500. There had previously been sold by his father, Sir Ludovick, and his grandfather, [451] the first Sir James, the estates of Pluscardine, Allachie, Allanbuie, Ballintomb, and Arndilly for £24,000. The total land sales of Grant estates amounted to £76,500, which, with £20,000, the price of Lady Grant's own estate, also sold, made the whole sales £96,500.
The law-agent of the family, in a state of the sales of land, dated November 1785, takes a gloomy view of the Grant affairs, by adding, "the plain consequence is, that the family of Grant has been ruined by the Revolution, and by its constant and uniform adherence to Revolution principles, and the present royal family during the rebellions of 1715 and 1745." In Sir James Grant's management of his estates, he was much assisted by his law-agents, all of whom were prominent in their profession, and merit a short notice. They were - (1.) Lachlan Grant of Gartenbeg, writer in Edinburgh, who acted as agent for Sir James's father and grandfather, and who has already been referred to as the writer of the account of the part taken by the Laird of Grant in the suppression of the rebellion in 1745. (2.) Ludovick Grant, a writer in Edinburgh, who was the chief legal adviser of Sir James Grant, after the death of Lachlan Grant. (3.) Colquhoun Grant, WS., who chiefly aided Sir James in his affairs between 1773 and 1788, was a well-known figure in Edinburgh society. His Portrait and several curious anecdotes of his life are preserved in Kay's Biographical Sketches, vol. i. pp. 418-422. (4.) Isaac Grant, W.S., Edinburgh (also commemorated by Kay, vol. ii. pp. 147-149), was a son of John Grant in Ballintomb, and grandson of William Grant of Lurg. He was thus a descendant of the Grant family itself. Isaac Grant was a man of high character as a lawyer and conveyancer. He was long clerk to the Commissioners of Teinds, and died 27th December 1794. (5.) Alexander Grant, W.S., who was partner in business with Mr. Isaac Grant, W.S. (6.) Alexander Innes of Breda, an advocate, and commissary of the Commissariot of Aberdeen. The correspondence which Sir James Grant carried on with his different agents was both extensive and arduous, owing to the complicated state of his affairs.
But while Sir James Grant did not hesitate to part with a large portion of his possessions to disencumber the Grant estates, he made strenuous effort to obtain from Government some compensation for the large sums expended by his family in the public service. Yet, though the justice of the claim had been admitted by successive administrations, and various small sums as arrears of feu-duties and bishops' rents had been from time to time remitted to him, Sir James experienced no little difficulty in obtaining any substantial recognition from Government. In the words of his friend Lord Grantham, "Lord North (then Premier) was difficult to deal with, and without parliamentary interest applications were not much attended to." Letter, dated 12th May 1781, vol. ii. of this work, p. 474.
Sir James Grant's brother-in-law, Mr. Henry Mackenzie, author of the [452] "Man of Feeling," interested himself deeply in this matter of the compensation, and had interviews with more than one influential person on the subject. Mr. Mackenzie's own opinion, which was confirmed by others, was that Sir James Grant could not expect "specific compensation for any claim whatsoever ;" his petition was of so old a date that it was considered not to come properly before the Treasury as an official matter, but rather as a fit subject to be considered by the King as a matter of favour. Letter dated 12th May 1781, vol. ii. of this work, p. 474. At a later date, Mr. Mackenzie advised that Sir James Grant should name a sum to be accepted in full of his claims. Letter, 22d August 1784, ibid. p. 484. These were submitted to the Barons of the Exchequer in Scotland to be reported on, and they reported that Sir James had a just claim for £12,540, for which no compensation had been made, save occasional releases of feu-duties, etc. Mr. Mackenzie suggested that Sir James should, in default of a fixed sum, accept as compensation an office or pension of £500 or £600 yearly. Ibid. The Grant papers and correspondence do not clearly show the result, but it is probable that the appointment of general cashier of the Excise for Scotland conferred upon and accepted by Sir James Grant in 1795, was intended as compensation for the losses of the family.
After his appointment to that office, Sir James Grant resided much in Edinburgh. At first he and his family occupied a house in the Canongate, at least from the year 1776 till 1783, if not later, but afterwards he removed to No. 64 Queen Street, a large and commodious mansion, which was subsequently for many years the town house of the Earls of Wemyss. In the time of Sir James Grant a large portion of the West Gardens in Queen Street was attached to the house as a garden and park.
In making his tour of the Highlands in the year 1787, Robert Burns paid a fleeting visit to Castle Grant, whither his fame had preceded him. The poet's own account of his journey, as contained in a letter to his brother Gilbert from Edinburgh, on 17th September 1787, is very short. He announces his arrival in the city after a tour of twenty-two days, his "farthest stretch was about ten miles beyond Inverness." He visited Crieff, Taymouth, Dunkeld, and Blair Athole. From the latter place he [453] travelled "many miles through a wild country, among cliffs grey with eternal snows, and gloomy savage glens, till I crossed Spey, and went down the stream through Strathspey, so famous in Scottish music, Badenoch, etc., till I reached Grant Castle, where I spent half a day with Sir James Grant and family; and then crossed the country to Fort George," Works of Rev. John Skinner, vol ii. p. 105. etc. In his Journal of his tour in the Highlands, Burns notices his visit to Castle Grant: "Strathspey, rich and romantic. Breakfast at Aviemore, a wild spot. Dine at Sir James Grant's. Lady Grant, a sweet pleasant body. Came through mist and darkness to Dalsie to lie." Burns was introduced to Sir James Grant by the following letter from Mr. Henry Mackenzie, which is also reproduced here in facsimile:
Edinburgh, 24th August 1787.
MY DEAR SIR JAMES - This will be delivered by the Bard of Airshire, Mr. Burns, of whom you have heard a good deal, and with whom Louis was acquainted here. He is also charged with a box directed for Miss Grant, I presume Miss Eliza, which came some time ago in the English stage coach, and was omitted to be sent by McLaren. It consists of such light materials as poets sometimes present ladies with. Mr. Burns is accompanied in his northern tour by Mr. Nicol, with whom I have not the honour of being acquainted, but Louis, I presume, has a very feeling remembrance of him. You will find Burns not less uncommon in conversation than in his poetry, clever, intelligent, and observant, with remarkable acuteness and independence of mind, the last indeed to a degree that sometimes prejudices people against him, tho' he has on the whole met with amazing patronage and encouragement. Louis will show him the lions of Castle Grant; and as he is an enthusiast about the fortia facta patrurn, let him not forget, as in the case of Lord Montboddo, to show him the large gun.
Penie still holds out, and is very well settled in Broun Square, whither we removed immediately after dinner on the day you set out. We hope you have by this time finished your journey successfully, and found all well at home. Our love to all.
Yours most affectionately,
Sir James Grant of Grant, Baronet, Castle Grant,
per favor of Mr. Burns.
HENRY MACKENZIE.
A few days later Mr. Mackenzie wrote again, referring to Mr. Burns's intended visit, and advising Sir James that the poet and his fellow traveller "were to make a pretty long circuit by Stirling, etc." Original Letter, dated 30th August 1787, at Castle Grant.
[454] When, in 1793, France declared war against Britain, Sir James Grant's patriotism led him to be one of the first to make offer to the King of a regiment of fencibles. His offer was at once accepted, and, on Sir James appealing to his tenants and dependants to make good his engagements, so readily was he responded to, that in little more than three months after the declaration of war, War was declared on 1st February 1793 and less than two after the date of the warrant for raising the regiment, the Strathspey or Grant Fencibles, as they were called, mustered at Forres in full strength. The regiment, as authorised by Royal warrant, was appointed to consist of eight companies, each composed of three sergeants, three corporals, two drummers, and sixty private men, with two pipers attached to the grenadier company, and the regiment had also a sergeant-major and quartermaster-sergeant, with the usual commissioned officers. The regiment thus numbered about 500 men in addition to the officers, and it was stipulated that it was not to be sent out of Great Britain." Printed copies Royal Warrant, dated 1st March 1793, at Castle Grant.
Though the first muster of the Grant Fencibles took place in April 1793, it was not until the 5th of June that the regiment was finally inspected and embodied by Lieutenant-General Leslie. Stewart's Sketches of the Highlanders, vol. ii. p. 312. The men were not all natives of the Highlands, some being drafted from the Lowlands of Scotland, while three were Englishmen, and two Irish. In August 1793, they were marched to Aberdeen, and were successively quartered in most of the principal towns in the south of Scotland, including Glasgow, Paisley, Linlithgow, Dumfries, etc. The general appearance of the regiment has been handed down to posterity in the collection of etchings made by John Kay, the well-known miniature painter and caricaturist in Edinburgh. Kay's Portraits, vol. i. p. 277. In his work the regiment is depicted in full Highland costume, drawn up in line, and receiving the word of command from Sir James Grant himself, who was their colonel. The etching represents the Grant Fencibles as a fine-looking body of men, and though their bearing is nowhere described in military annals, their appearance seems to have favourably impressed the inhabitants of the places where they were stationed. One local bard has [455] recorded the effect produced the Grants on the minds of the Paisley dames, and that the comparisons made betwixt the fencibles and a troop of horse who succeeded to their quarters, were very unfavourable to the cavalry. The Paisley bard's lines are more forcible than refined, and the first verse will suffice as a specimen:
There came the Grants into this town.
They were all stout and gallant men,
Their Commanders were of high renown
As ever came to Paisley town.
With a Fa, Ia, Ia, etc.
MS. verses at Castle Grant, said to be "composed at Paisley on the Grant Fencible Regiment."
After remaining for a time at Paisley, the Grant Fencibles are said to have marched to Dumfries, where, according to a chronicle quoted in Kay's Sketches, they took part in the "only warlike affray that occurred in Scotland during the whole volunteer and fencible era," and which is thus narrated: "On the evening of the 9th June (1795) the civil magistrates of Dumfries applied to the commanding officer of the 1st Fencibles for a party to aid in apprehending some Irish tinkers, who were in a house about a mile and a half from the town. On the party's approaching the house and requiring admittance, the tinkers fired on them, and wounded Sergeant Beaton very severely in the head and groin; John Grant, a grenadier, in both legs; and one Fraser of the light company in the arm.: the two last were very much hurt, the tinkers' arms being loaded with rugged slugs and small bullets. The party pushed on to the house; and, though they had suffered so severly, abstained from bayoneting them (the tinkers) when they called for mercy. One man, and two women in men's clothes, were brought in prisoners. Two men, in the darkness of the night, made their escape; but one of them was apprehended and brought in next morning, and a party went out upon information to apprehend the other. Fraser's arm received the whole charge, which it is believed saved his heart. Beaton, it is expected, will soon recover." Contemporary Chronicle quoted in Kay's Portraits, vol. i. p. 278. The sequel of the affair, however, was that one of the soldiers died of his wounds; the leader of the tinkers, named John O'Neill, was [456] brought to Edinburgh, tried, and condemned to be hanged, though he was defended by the celebrated advocate, Henry Erskine, but his sentence was commuted.
Shortly after the affair with the tinkers, and while the regiment was still at Dumfries, an unhappy state of insubordination broke out, which ended in the execution of two of the fencibles. Some of the men had been put in confinement and threatened with punishment, which then meant flogging. Such an indignity was so abhorrent to the mind of the Highlanders, that a party of them defied their officers and released the prisoners. At the first appearance of a mutinous spirit among the men, Sir James Grant was informed of the occurrence. He hastened to the regiment to put matters right, but he arrived too late, and the flagrant breach of military discipline which had taken place could not be overlooked. The regiment was marched to Musselburgh, and five men were tried and found guilty of mutiny. One, a corporal, was pardoned, and of the four others, who were privates, two were finally ordered for execution, which took place at Gullane Links on 16th July 1795, in the presence of all the regular and volunteer troops in the neighbourhood. After this affair the regiment, it is said, was quiet, orderly, and attentive to duty, but their service was not of long duration.
In the royal warrant for raising the regiment it was stipulated that it should not he sent out of Great Britain, and the service of the Scotch fencible regiments was strictly confined to Scotland. But while the Grant Fencibles were stationed at Linlithgow in 1794, it was proposed to employ the men in service in England and Ireland. With a view to ascertain the feeling of the soldiers themselves, orders were directed to be issued to this effect, but misunderstandings arose and the proposal was abandoned.
In 1799 it was resolved to discharge all fencible regiments whose service did not extend beyond Scotland, and the Grant Fencibles were therefore disbanded, with several other regiments on the same footing. Stewart's Sketches, vol. ii. p. 315; Kay's Portraits, vol. i. p. 279
Sir James Grant's zeal for the service of the Government did not con fine itself to raising troops who were to serve only within Scotland, but took a wider range. As soon as his fencibles were embodied, he proceeded [457] to raise a regiment for general service. This, however, was a more arduous undertaking, and, though the number of men required was quickly made up, they were not of the same high character as those composing the fencibles. The regiment was embodied at Elgin, and numbered the 97th. They served for a few months as marines on board Lord Howe's fleet in the Channel; but, in 1795, the men and officers were drafted into other regiments, and the two flank companies, consisting of the best men, went to form pare of the 42d or Black Watch, then about to embark for the West Indies. Stewart's Sketches, vol. ii. pp. 215, 216.
As Lord Lieutenant of Inverness, an office to which he was appointed in 1794, Sir James Grant had also much correspondence with the Government as to the militia and volunteer companies. Letters at Castle Grant. The north of Scotland was divided into districts, each of which furnished one or more companies. The correspondence began in 1794, and enrolments were made in Badenoch, Rothiemurchus, and other places, in that year. The "Strathspey Volunteers" continued till 1815, when they were disbanded. On that occasion they were addressed by one of their chief officers, Major John Grant, Auchterblair, in Gaelic, who commended them highly for the alacrity with which they had come forward to the service, and for their good conduct while embodied. To this speech a sergeant replied, "We are ready to go to Paris with you, major, and we'll beat Buonaparte there." This anecdote is furnished by Sir Patrick Grant, Governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, son of Major Grant, who was present on the occasion.
When he accepted the office of General Receiver and Cashier of the Excise in Scotland in 1795, Sir James Grant resigned his seat in Parliament, which he had occupied since 1790, as representative of the county of Banff. Between 1795 and 1811, the year of his death, Sir James Grant's life was comparatively retired, though he acted as Lord Lieutenant of Inverness, only resigning that office into the hands of the king in 1809.
To the great grief of her husband and family, Lady Grant, who had been the happy partner of Sir James for nearly half a century, died some what suddenly at Castle Grant, on 15th February 1805. Vol. ii. of this work, p. 281. She is described as of character "too amiable not to acquire for her general esteem when [458] alive, and general regret and lamentation when dead. In every condition of life she was a pattern to her sex. She was modest without affectation; she knew how to stoop without sinking, and to gain people's affections without losing their regard. Her piety was exemplary, and her charity universal. In a word, she was truly wise, truly honourable, and truly good." Shaw's Moray, 1826, p. 41.
Although Sir James survived Lady Grant for six years, and bore his sore bereavement with christian resignation, he seems virtually to have ceased to take any part in public life after her death. He died on 18th February 1811, at Castle Grant, and was buried at Duthil, though his ancestors, for several generations, had been interred at Holyrood. In religion Sir James was a Presbyterian, and he regularly attended his own parish churches of Cromdale and Inverallan. Had Sir James lived, eight months longer, he would have succeeded his cousin as fifth Earl of Seafield - the fourth Earl having died on 5th October 1811, when Sir James's eldest son, Sir Lewis, succeeded as Earl of Seafield. A contemporary journal, while recording the death of Sir James Grant, adds a panegyric, which sufficiently shows the high estimation in which he was held by his countrymen.
"The virtues of Sir James, as an individual, will long be cherished in the recollection of his friends; the excellence of his public character will be not less warmly remembered in the district over which he presided - presided not so much by holding the property of the soil, as by possessing the attachment, the gratitude, and the confidence of its inhabitants. He had all the affections, without any of the pride, or any of the harshness of feudal superiority, and never forgot, in attention to his own interests, or in the improvement of his extensive estates, the interests or the comforts of the people. Amidst the varied situations, and some of the severe trials of life, he was uniformly guided by rectitude of principle, benevolence of disposition, and the most fervent, though rational piety. From these he derived support and resignation during the long progress of a painful disease, and felt their best consolations at the close of a life devoted to his family, his friends, his dependants, and his country." The Edinburgh Evening Courant, February 28, 1811.
[459] Mrs. Grant of Laggan, in her work, already referred to, on the Superstitions of the Highlanders, published a few months after Sir James Grant's death, thus refers to him: "His native Strath still mourns the recent loss of a chief, who, with all the polish of the best modern manners, and all the meekness of the best Christian principles, retained as much of the affections of his people, and as entire controul over them, as was ever possessed by any patriarch or hero of antiquity, in the like circumstances. Gentleness and humanity were his distinguishing characteristics: yet his displeasure was as terrible to his people as that of the most ferocious leader of the ancient clans could have been to his followers. Banishment from the domains of such a paternal ruler was in itself most terrible: but here it was aggravated by disgrace; as his well-known probity and lenity warranted the inference, that it was no small misdemeanour that occasioned so heavy an inffiction. . . How pleasing to trace the wide and deep effects of those quiet, unpretending virtues more felt at home than heard of abroad, that made his people happy! How rich is the incense of praise that rises round his grave, from sincere and sorrowful hearts! and how superfluous to add, 'Peace be to his manes!'
Farewell, pure spirit! vain the praise we give;
The praise you sought, from lips angelic flows.
Farewell, the virtues that deserve to live-
Deserve a nobler bliss than life bestows!'"
Essays on the Superstitions of the Highlanders, 1811, vol. ii. pp. 151-154.
The same authoress in the year 1803 published a volume of poems, in which there is one inscribed to Sir James Grant, the theme of which is himself as the Patriot Chief. The poem is printed at the end of this memoir of Sir James.
Colonel David Stewart of Garth, who wrote in 1822, also paid a tribute to the worth of Sir James Grant. He says, "This good man and patriarchal chief lived at Castle Grant, respected and beloved by all around him." Colonel Stewart further applies to Sir James the character bestowed by Lord Clarendon in his History upon King Charles the First, "He was the worthiest gentleman, the best master, the best friend, the best husband, [460] the best father, and the best Christian, of the district to which he was an honour and a blessing." Stewart's Sketches of the Highlanders, vol. ii. p. 310.
Sir James and Lady Grant had a large family of seven sons and seven daughters. Of these several died young. The sons were:
1. Lewis Alexander, born 22d March 1767, who succeeded his father in the Grant estates in 1811, and in the same year succeeded his cousin, as heir-general to the title and estates of the fourth Earl of Seafield. Of him a brief memoir follows.
2. Alexander, "second son," the exact date of whose birth has not been ascertained, but who died in infancy on 21st March 1772.
3. James Thomas, born in August 1776, was educated at Richmond, near London; went to India in 1792. He became a magistrate at Furruckabad, and in 1801 was appointed Registrar of the Provincial Court at Benares. Vol. ii. of this work, pp. 517, 521 He died in India, unmarried, on 28th July 1804.
4. The Honourable Francis-William, born 6th March 1778. In 1840 he succeeded his eldest brother in the Grant and Seafield estates, and also as sixth Earl of Seafield. A short memoir of him follows.
5. The Honourable Robert Henry, occasionally described as "fourth son," born 5th August 1783. He died, unmarried, on 11th February 1862.
6. Alexander-Hope, born in August 1784, died 22d August 1793.
7. Dundas-Charles, youngest son, born 21st October 1787, died 21st March 1788.
The daughters were
1. Lady On 3d July 1822, King George the Fourth advanced the brothers and sisters of Lewis Alexander, then Earl of Seafield, to the same rank which they would have attained had their father, Sir James Grant, lived to be Earl of Seafield. Anne Margaret, born 1764, died unmarried, at Grant Lodge, Elgin, on 23d November 1827, and her remains were interred in the family vault at Duthil church. Lady Anne figured prominently in the raid of the Strathspey Highlanders, who marched [461] to Elgin for her relief in the year 1820, during a keen election contest. Of that formidable demonstration an interesting account is subjoined to this memoir, furnished for this work by a gallant General who took part in the campaign.
2. Lady Margaret, who married, 10th June 1795, Major-General Francis Stuart of Lesmurdie, and had issue. She died in 1830, and was buried at Elgin.
3. Jane, born 1st March 1774. She died at Grant Lodge, Elgin,
22d May 1819, aged 45, unmarried, and was interred in the family vault at Duthil church.
4. Lady Penuel, died, on 27th January 1844, unmarried.
5. Christina Teresa, died at Grant Lodge, Elgin, 16th July 1793, unmarried.
6. Magdalen, a daughter, living in 1796, unmarried.
7. Mary Sophia, died 26th February 1788, unmarried.
[462] POEM ON SIR JAMES GRANT BY MRS. GRANT OF LAGGAN.
WHILE on the meadowy banks of Spey,
Slow steals along the rural muse,
And sees the bordering flowers display
Their native sweets and vernal hues:
And while she casts her pensive view
Where bold craigillachy aspires,
Now deck'd with heath-bells fresh with dew,
Where blaz'd of old the warning fires:
With glowing heart and trembling hand
She strives to wake the plausive lay;
And wide o'er all her native land
The voice of grateful truth convey.
And while she consecrates the strain,
To worth beyond her humble praise,
The genius of thy native plain
Will smile indulgent on her lays.
Oh, form'd to prove each feeling dear
That heightens joy and sweetens care,-
The tender Parent, Friend sincere,
The Consort blest beyond compare:
The Patriot Chief, who dwells belov'd
Among the race his fathers sway'd;
Who, long his country's friend approv'd,
Retires in peace to bless the shade.
Who when the dreadful blast of wai
With horror fill'd the regions round,
His willing people call'd from far,
With wakening pipe of martial sound:
The valiant clan, on every side,
With sudden warlike ardour burns;
And views those long-lov'd homes with pride,
Whose loss no exil'd native mourns. [463]
From every mountain, strath, and glen,
The rustic warriors crowded round;
The Chief who rules the hearts of men
In safety dwells, with honour crown'd.
"For thee (they cried) dear native earth,
We gladly dare the battle's roar;
Our kindred ties, our sacred hearth,
Returning peace will soon restore.
No ruthless, mercenary swains
Shall ever quench our social fires;
Our labour on our narrow plains
Shall feed our babes and hoary sires.
And when each tender pledge we leave,
Our parent Chief, with guardian care,
Shall soothe their woes, their wants relieve,
And save the mourners from despair."
Beneath his mild paternal sway,
The pow'r of cultivation smiles,
And swelling, proud, impetuous Spey
Rejoices, while the peasant toils:
To see his banks on every side
With crowding population teem,
And cultur'd fields their yellow pride
Reflecting in his copious stream.
Well pleas'd he wanders near the dome
Where every milder virtue dwells;
Where all the gentler graces bloom,
And Painting speaks, and Music swells.
When frosts untimely check'd the spring,
And blasting mildews hover'd o'er,
And cheerful Labour ceas'd to sing,
And Plenty deck'd the plains no more:
To G(rant) she gave her teeming horn,
Well pleas'd he pour'd the bounteous store,
And Want no longer wept forlorn,
And fruitless Labour mourn'd no more.
To Woe, while Pity yields relief,
While Truth adorns the plausive lay,
Our vows shall bless the Patriarch Chief
Who rules the grateful banks of Spey.
[464] MARCH OF THE STRATHSPEY HIGHLANDERS TO ELGIN IN 1820.
Lady Anne Grant was a lady of great personal beauty and accomplishments, and was looked up to with pride by every one on the wide extended estates of Grant, and especially by the Highlanders of Strathspey, where from her infancy she had been well known and almost idolised. Proof of this was given in a remarkable manner in 1820, during a contested election of a Member of Parliament for the Burghs of Elgin, Inverurie, Banff, Kintore, and Cullen, commonly known as the Elgin burghs. In Elgin particularly, where Lewis Earl of Seafield, with his sisters Anne, Margaret, and Penuel, resided at their mansion of Grant Lodge, political feeling ran high. The contest lay between Mr. Farquharson of Finzean, brought forward by Lord Kintore to represent the burghs, and supported by the Earl of Seafield's interest, on one side, and General Duff, backed by Lord Fife, on the other, and the burghers of Elgin strongly favoured the cause of the latter. During the heat of the election the Grant ladies dared scarcely appear on the streets of the town without being annoyed by the rabble. Such conduct the high-spirited Lady Anne could ill brook, and on the morning of Sunday, 12th March, she communicated to her friends in Strathspey intelligence of the treatment to which she and her sisters were being subjected. What followed may be given in the words of one who was an eye-witness and actor in the proceedings. General Sir Patrick Grant, Governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, who has, at the age of 78, furnished an account of this episode with his own hand. At the time of the raid to Elgin be was only a boy of fifteen years. But although in the intervening period he has risen to high distinction in the military service of his country, his earliest campaign from Strathspey to Elgin remains still vividly impressed on his memory. With a touch of his youthful enthusiasm, Sir Patrick says, "It was my first campaign, and I look back to it with unmixed delight."
Grant Lodge was completely beleaguered by the towns people, who were all on the Fife side - not a soul was allowed to go in or out of the house, and those of the Town Council who were favourable to Colonel Grant were carried across the Firth to Sutherlandshire in an open boat, frightening the poor bodies out of their lives. Lady Anne contrived the escape of one of her grooms [465] in the middle of the night, with a note to young Patrick Grant describing how they were situated, and saying she was sure his father's son, Sir Patrick was at this time "a little over fifteen years of age," and was the son of Major Grant, Auchterblair, who had held an active command in the Strathspey Volunteers, and had much intimate communication with Sir James Grant during the formation of the 97th Regiment or Strathspey Highlanders. mere boy though he was, would not hear of the daughters and sisters of his chief being insulted as they were without making an effort for them to gather men as quickly as possible and come to their relief. A similar note was written to Captain Grant, Congash, the factor of Strathspey. Accordingly instant steps were taken. A fiery cross was sent round, and, in the course of a few hours, some five or six hundred men were on their way from Strathspey to Elgin. Some of the people were assembling at their parish churches when the news reached them. But instead of worshipping, they all joined in the march for Elgin.
They got there just at daybreak, and marched through the town to Grant Lodge, at the gate of which they found a party of the towns-people, who had provided themselves with baskets filled with broken bottles to hurl at any one who might attempt a rescue. Seeing the numbers and resolute bearing of the Highlanders, the burghers instantly fled. The Strathspey men entered the grounds, where they were joyfully welcomed - Lady Anne, queen-like as she was, going about with a word of grateful greeting to every one. Their blood was up, and the difficulty was to get their men away without sacking arid burning the town of Elgin. It is said that the Provost of Elgin was so afraid of this, that he contrived to obtain access by a back entrance to Grant Lodge. He implored Lady Anne, on his knees, to induce the Highlanders to spare the town, and return to Strathspey. This appeal was backed by the Sheriff of the county, and the persuasions of these gentlemen, aided by the bagpipes, prevailed. The Highlanders then started for Strathspey.
Lady Anne sent orders to Forres, and every inn on the road, to give the Highlanders anything they wanted. At Forres they made a regular night of it, eating and drinking and dancing till morning, and so on to Strathspey without a halt, so that the men from the remoter parts must have walked fully eighty miles without going to bed. Sir Patrick adds, "The news spread like wild-fire, and, had the struggle [466] been protracted, we should have had the whole of the Highlands in the Lowlands - the Frasers in the Aird, the Mackenzies in Ross-shire, the Macphersons and Macdonalds in Badenoch and Lochaber, were collecting when the contest was ended" by the election of Mr. Farquharson as member for the burghs.
The "Raid of Elgin," as it was called, is rightly described by Sir Patrick Grant as a grand exhibition of the loyalty of Strathspey, and forms a testimony of no ordinary kind to the affection which the noble character of Sir James Grant called forth from his dependants, and was thus displayed towards his family long after his death. A sequel to this remarkable instance of attachment is told by a correspondent of the Banffshire Journal, writing on 23d November 1872, and affords an illustration of how the conduct of the Strathspey Highlanders was regarded even by the Sovereign himself. On the occasion of King George the Fourth's visit to Scotland in 1822 - at one of the presentations which took place during his stay at Holyrood, or at the ball given to His Majesty by the Pears of Scotland - the King asked one of the lords-in-waiting to point out the lady on whose account so many of the Highlanders went to Elgin two years before. The lady being pointed out, the King emphatically remarked, "Well, truly she is an object fit to raise the chivalry of a clan," the lord-in-waiting, or some other courtier, remarking that "it was questionable whether His Majesty could depend upon so spontaneous a demonstration in his favour from any quarter of His Majesty's dominions." The narrator of this anecdote, it is asserted, "happened to have, at the time this event took place, every facility to know its truth."
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Volume 1 Chapter 18 |
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