The Elgin Text

[Transcription Notes This version is taken from Gordon's 1882 update of the History of the Province of Moray. It largely follows the Elgin text, updating for the intervening years towards the end. Note the Editorial remarks at the beginning.]

Rev. James Chapman, son of Robert Chapman, merchant, Inverness, minister of Cromdale in 1702, gave great attention to the pedigree of the Grants. At, his death in 1737, aet. 63, there was found in his repositories a History of the Clan, tracing it to the 6th or 7th century, or rather to Odin, god of the Saxons. Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk has printed the MS., taken chiefly from a Norwegian genealogist. We have almost reprinted what is given by Grant in his Edition of Shaw in preference to the details given by Robert Young in his “Annals of Elgin”; but those two writers diverge greatly.(Ed.)

[The sirname of Grant is of great antiquity in Scotland: but historians do not exactly agree about their origin, – some alleging that they are of the ancient Scots, denominated Caledonians when the Picts inhabited the south of Scotland others that they came from Denmark; others from England; and others again from France.

Although we cannot with certainty fix the precise time of their settlement in Scotland, or whether they were of the aborigines of the country, yet we have incontestible proof from our histories and records that they were a powerful family, and made a considerable figure in that kingdom about 600 years ago.]

We shall therefore pass over the traditional part of their history, and proceed to deduce their descent from

I. GREGORIUS, or GREGORY de GRANT. Sheriff Principal of Inverness in the reign of King Alexander II, who succeeded to the crown of Scotland in the year 1214, and died in 1249. At that time, and indeed till the year 1583 the shire of Inverness comprehended besides what is now so called, all Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness. This one consideration is a convincing proof that Gregory was a man of no small influence and power; for on such only would our kings of old confer the important office of Sheriff over so extensive a territory as such only could with success discharge the duty. He married Mary Bizzet, a daughter of the family of Lovat with whom he got the lands of Stratherrick, &c., and by her he had several sons - (1) Sir Lawrence his heir; (2) Robert; (3) Lucas of whom Dellachapple; (4) Allan, of whom Achernack. Whether Lucas or Allan was the eldest is disputed. Gregorius de Grant died in the reign of King Alexander III, and was succeeded by his eldest son.

II. Sir LAURENCE de GRANT. In a competition in 1258 between Archibald, Bishop of Moray, and John Bizzet, father of Walter Bizzet, mentioned in “Rymer’s Federa”, this “Dominus Laurentius de Grant” is particularly mentioned as a friend and kinsman of the said Bizzet, and to which deed Robert de Grant, brother to the said Lawrence is a witness. These Grants resided in Stratherrick, a part at that period of the Province of Moray.
Sir Lawrence had two sons: (1) Sir John his heir; (2) Rudulphus de Grant, who being firmly attached to the Bruce interest against Baliol, was, with his eldest brother Sir John, and his uncle Robert de Grant, taken prisoners by King Edward I of England in 1296. Robert, as possessing less influence and weight, obtained his freedom at Berwick; but Sir John and his brother were carried to London, whence they were liberated on bail in 1297. Sir Lawrence was succeeded by his heir.

III. Sir JOHN de GRANT the First He was a great hero and patriot, and joined the brave Sir William Wallace in defence of the liberties of his country. He was succeeded by his eldest son,

IV. Sir JOHN de GRANT the Second, This gentleman is frequently mentioned upon very honourable occasions: first as a commander in the right wing of the army in the battle of Halidonhill, 19th July 1333, in which he commanded a battalion of his own name and followers. He received the honour of knighthood from King David II after the return of that monarch from England in spring 1359, and in the same year he, with Sir Robert Erskine, progenitor of the Earl of Mar, and Norman Leslie, ancestor of the Earls of Rothes, were appointed ambassadors extraordinary to the court of France, to renew the ancient league betwixt Scotland and that kingdom, and to negociate other affairs of State, which embassy they discharged honourably. The Earldom of Moray, after the death of Earl John Randolph, in the battle of Durham in 1346 fell to the gift of the Crown, as did many of the lands belonging to the Cummings; and considering the esteem in which Sir John Grant stood with the King, there is a strong probability that at this time he received a royal gift of part of their lands in Speyside, as soon after his family are denominated of Freuchy, now called Castle Grant, which is situated within a short distance of the river Spey. There is a Safe Conduct from King Edward III of England, Domino Johanni Grant militi et Elizabeth, his spouse,” &c. to travel into that kingdom, with 10 servants to attend them, anno 1363. He afterwards got another Safe Conduct to repair to the court of England upon affairs of state anno 1366. He died in the end of the reign of King David II, and by Elizabeth, his wife, left a son, Sir Robert, his heir, and a daughter, Agnes, married to Sir Richard Cumming progenitor of Altyre, &c.

V. Sir ROBERT, As Sir John had been much in favour with King David II, so this Robert was respected by his successor King Robert II. In the year 1385, on a war breaking out betwixt France and England, the King of France remitted 40,000 francs to be divided amongst the nobility and principal gentry of Scotland, for the purpose of animating the Scots to make an irruption into England, and thereby a diversion in favour of France, of which sum Sir Robert had a proportion as chief of the family. He was a man much esteemed for his conduct and fortitude. He died in the reign of King Robert III, and was succeeded by his son,

VI. MALCOLM de GRANT, who began to make a figure as head of the Clan soon after Sir Robert’s death, though then but a young man. He was one of those gentlemen of rank and distinction mentioned in a convention for settling certain differences between Thomas Dunbar, Earl of Moray, and “Alexander de Insulis Dominus de Lochaber". He died about the beginning of the reign of King James I, and was succeeded by his son,

VII. Sir PATRICK GRANT Sir Patrick Grant, who by a charter in the archives of Castle Grant, is designed “Patricius le Grant Dominus de Stratherrock,” by which he gives in liferent to Elizabeth his daughter, and William Pilche, burgess of Inverness, her husband, the Davoch of Dreggie, and the half Davoch of Glenbeg in lnverallen of Strathspey. Sir Patrick was twice married. His first lady was daughter and heiress of Wiseman of Mulben; and his second a daughter of Maclean of Douart, who was killed in the battle of Harlaw anno 1411. She was the mother of his son and successor Sir John. Sir Patrick was a man of activity and prudence and, to increase the fortune of his family, projected and accomplished the marriage of his son with Matilda, the heiress of Gilbert Cumming of Glenchernick. He was succeeded by his said son.

VIII. Sir JOHN, Sheriff Principal of Inverness Among the arms at Castle Grant, there is a musket with the Inscription on the barrel, “Dominus Johannes Grant, Miles, Vicecomes de Inverness, anno 1434,” accompanied by the three antique crowns of the family arms. By his lady Matilda Cumming, heiress of the estate of Glenchernick, he had three sons: Duncan, the oldest, succeeded him in the family honours and estates. The next was ancestor of the Clan-Phadric, or House of Tullochgorum, of whom are sprung the Guns and Groats, or Groots in Caithness, who boast of including in their Tribe the great Hugo Grotius, who in the Dutch language is called Hugo Groot. The other son was progenitor of the Clan Donachie, or House of Gartenbeg. In this Sir John’s time, his mother being a daughter of Maclean of Douart an ardent friendship commenced betwixt the two families of Grant and Maclean, which continued for several successive generations, and in memorial of which, agreeably to the romantic ideas of the times, on the decease of the Chief of either, the sword of the deceased was transmitted to the survivor as a pledge of reciprocal attachment. Sir John was succeeded by his son and heir,

IX. Sir DUNCAN GRANT, who in a charter under the Great Seal, anno 1442, is designated “Dominus de eodem et de Freuchie." A precept of Sasine by the Earl of Moray for infefting Sir Duncan in some lands in Moray, begins thus, "Archibaldus Comes Moraviae et Magister de Douglas,” &c., dated at Elgin, 31st August 1453. There is likewise a Retour of Sir Duncan Grant, Fruquhie, Knight as heir to his “guidsire” (grandsire or grand father) Gilbert of Glenchernick, dated 6th February, 1468. And a precept of Sasine on said Retour by King James III, in favour of Sir Duncan Grant Knight, as heir to his guidesire Gilbert Cumming, of Glenchernick, on the lands of Congash, dated 3rd March, and 9th year of King’s reign (1469).
Sir Duncan was a man in great esteem for prudence of conduct, as well as for valour and courage. His knowledge in business made him much employed in accommodating differences betwixt neighbouring Gentlemen, and we accordingly find him one of the arbiters in settling a debate in 1479 between Duncan Macintosh, Captain of the Clan Chattan, and Hutcheon, or Hugh Rose, Baron of Kilravock (Pen. Kilravock). He married Muriel, daughter of Malcolm, Laird of Macintosh, by whom he had two (twin) sons John, his heir, and Patrick, and a daughter, named Catherine who was second wife of Duncan, Laird of Macintosh. Sir Duncan Grant’s second son Patrick, was the progenitor of the family of Ballindalloch, from whom are descended the Grants of Tomvullin, Tulloch, Dunlugas, Advie, Dalvey, and Rothmais, &c. Of this family Sir William Grant, Master of the Rolls, and representative in Parliament for the county of Banff is a Cadet (1810).

X. JOHN the eldest son of Sir Duncan, was a man of distinguished honour and integrity. He had two sons, John, the eldest, and William, the progenitor of the Grants of Blairfindy in Glenlivet. By a precept of Sasine from George, Earl of Huntly, for infefting this John Grant, in Farmerstown, in the County of Aberdeen, and Kinrara, in the County of Inverness, dated at Bog of Gight, 8th September 1478, he is called the son and heir of Sir Duncan Grant of Fruquhie. Dying, however, before his father, Sir Duncan was succeeded by his oldest grandson,

XI. JOHN GRANT of that Ilk and Freuchie, who in 1484 married Margaret Ogilvie, daughter of Sir James Ogilvie, of Deskford, Knight. In the contract of marriage, he is called “the Oye” (grandson), and apparent heir of Sir Duncan Grant of Fruquhie, Knight; and among others therein named as witnesses, is the foresaid William Grant, ancestor of the Blairfindy Grants.

In 1493 a Crown charter is granted in favour of this John Grant of Fruquhie, annexing and creating for him and his heirs, all and hail the lands of Fruquhie, the two Culquoichs, Dellifour, and Achnagaln, the two Congashes and Glenlochy in the County of Inverness, five parts of Linkwood, five parts of Barmuckity, and Garbaty, half the lands of Inchberry, with the half of Ordequish, the half of Mulben, and the lands of Sheriffstown, in the County of Elgin, into a Barony, to be called the Barony of Fruquhie, with full and ample powers, civil and criminal, dated 4th January, 1493. And another Crown charter is granted by King James IV to the said John Grant of Glenchernick and Ballindalloch, dated 4th February 1498. He was succeeded in the estate by his son and heir.

XII. JOHN, who married a daughter of the Earl of Rothes, by whom he had three sons and three daughters; first, James, who succeeded him; second, John, the progenitor of the families of Corrimony and Sheuglie, in Urquhart, from the last mentioned of which, Charles Grant, Esq., M.P., for the County of Inverness, and chairman of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, is lineally descended; and third, Patrick, of whom are sprung the Grants of Bonhard, in Perthshire. The daughters were, first, Isobel, married to Sir Archibald Campbell, of Calder; second, Catherine, to John Haliburton, of Pitcur, and after his death to Hugh Lord Lovat; and third, Agnes, married to Donald, son and apparent heir of Ewen Allanson, Captain of the Clan Cameron, by Contract dated 1520. In 1509 King James IV grants him a Feu Charter upon the lands and Lordship of Urquhart, and at the same time another Feu Charter upon the lands and Barony of Corrimony, to his son John, now represented by his descendant James Grant, Esquire, of Corrimony, Advocate. John, died about the year 1527, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

XIII. JAMES, commonly called Shemish-nan-creach, a term expressive of the bold and daring character, which, in conformity with the genius of the times, led him to resent any injury or insult offered to his Clan, by ravaging the territories of their enemies.
He was much in esteem and favour with his sovereign, as his predecessors had always been, and was much employed by the King and his Government in quelling insurrections and disturbances in the northern counties, upon several important occasions, as the writs in his family archives bear. James was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Forbes, and of Catherine Stewart, daughter of John, Earl of Athol, by whom he had a son, John, who succeeded him, and two daughters, Marion, married to John Fraser, brother to Hugh Lord Lovat, and Janet, married the 26th January, 1552, to Alexander Sutherland, of Duffus.

In 1534, King James V writes a letter to this James, Laird of Grant, "praying and charging him, with his kin, friends, and partakers, to pass with his Lieutenant-General upon Hector Macintosh, cawand himself Captain of the Clanchattan and others, his accomplices and partakers, and inward them to slachter hership and fire &c., taking their goods to himself for his labour. Given under the Sign-Manuel at Stirling, the 13th May, and of his reign the twenty-first year (Signed) James R” Addressed thus: “To our well beloved James the Grant of Fruchy.”

And on the 28th of July, 1535, at Stirling, the same King grants under his Seal and Sign-Manuel to his loveit and Servitour, James Grant of Fruchie, and all and sundry his kinsmen, friends, householdmen, tenants, servants, and inhabitants of his lands of Strathspey, Mulben, and Urquhart and all other his lands within the realm, an exemption from appearance in any of his Majesty’s Courts of Lieutenancy, Warrandry, Admiral Courts, Chamberlain Courts, Sheriff Courts, Bailie Courts, Burrow Courts or any other temporal courts within the realm for any action whatever, or at the instance of any person whatever, except before the Lords of Council and session only.

In 1544, James grants a Commission of Bailery to his trusty and well beloved friend Alexander Cumming of Altyre upon the lands and Barony of Kinloss, for all the days of his life. He died in 1553, and was succeeded by his son.

XIV. JOHN Grant of Freuchy, a man of solid judgement and mild and gentle manners. He was a strenuous promoter of the Reformation, and in 1560 was a Member of Parliament when Popery was abolished and the Protestant Religion established; and ever since that memorable year, the Family have zealously maintained that religion which they so early contributed to establish. John was twice married. First in 1555, to Margaret Stewart, daughter of John 3rd, Earl of Athol, by Mary, daughter of Colin, Earl of Argyle. By this lady he had two sons and two daughters: the eldest son was Duncan, and the second Patrick, progenitor of the family of Rothiemurchus. To this Patrick, John gave a feu charter on the lands of Over Findlarg or Mukerach, 26th Septemher, 1583, but redeemable, and on his afterwards acquiring the lands of Rothiemurchus, he gave them to Patrick and redeemed Mukerach. His eldest daughter Catherine, was married to Colin McKenzie, Laird of Kintail; and his second daughter Mary, to Abergeldy. After the death of his first wife, Lady Margaret Stewart, he married Isobel Barclay, who brought him one son, Archibald, the progenitor of the family of Ballintomb, now represented by Sir Archibald Grant, of Monymusk.

XV. DUNCAN, his eldest son, married Margaret, daughter of William, laird of Macintosh, by whom he had four sons. John, who succeeded his grandfather; Patrick, of whom the family of Easter Elchies is descended; Robert ancestor of the family of Lurg, and James, of Ardnellie. Duncan died in 1581, before his father, who lived till 1585. John was succeeded by his grandson the son of Duncan.

XVI. JOHN Grant of Freuchy The Chiefs of the Family of Grant for several generations took the addition of Fruchy; but this Gentleman was peculiarly called, and to this day is known by the name of John of Fruchy. He was much employed in Public affairs, and was offered a Patent of Dignity by King James in 1610, but he declined accepting it. He was a man of prudence and economy, and at the same time retained the honour and increased the fortune of the family. He purchased the Lordship of Abernethy from the Earl of Moray, for 22,000 merks, and the Estate of Lethen from the Falconers (now Halkerton) who had long been the proprietors. Along the north side of the Spey, his property extended as far as Rothes, he had the estates of Mulben, Cairnty, Mulderies, the Kinminities, Couperhill, and others near Keith; the Baronies of Cromdale and Freuchy, the Lordships of Glenchernick and Urquhart, besides many others; and in short was accounted the most opulent and. extensive land proprietor in the north.

He exchanged with the Earl of Huntly, the lands then belonging to the family of Grant, in Glenlivet and Strathaven, for the lands of Gartenmore, Tulloch, and Rymore, in Abernethy, and of Curr, Clury, and Tullochgorum, in the Parish of Inverallan, which were a part of the sixteen Davochs of the Lordship of Badenoch, and to which the Lake and Castle of Lochindorb are a pertinent. In the Deed of excambion, Huntly reserved a servitude upon that part of the woods of Abernethy, which lie westward of Star na Manach (the Monk’s Bridge), at the foot of the hill of Rymore, for repairing the House of Gordon Castle and Blairfindy, which servitude was abolished by a Decree arbitral settling the marches betwixt the families of Gordon and Grant, recorded in the Books of Session, 21st December, 1771. To his Brother Patrick, he gave Easter Elchies, to his Brother James, the Ancestor of the Moynes family, he gave Ardnellie, in Rothes, and to Robert he wadsetted the Davoch of Lurg and Clachaig; being burdened with the portion of his Aunt, the Lady Kintail, he paid it by adjudging the lands of Macdonald, of Glengary, who had joined Ewan Macallin, of Lochiel, in plundering and burning the lands of Urquhart, which adjudication he assigned to Kintail.

He married Lillias Murray, daughter of John, Earl of Athol, by Catherine, daughter of Lord Drummond. King James VI and his Queen honoured the marriage with their presence. This lady brought him one son, John, his heir, and four daughters, viz., Janet, married to Sutherland, of Duffus; Mary, to Sir Lachlan Macintosh, of that Ilk; Lillias, to Innes, of Balvenie; and Catherine, to Ogilvie, of Kempcairn. He had also a natural son named Duncan, Progenitor of the Family of Clury. He died in 1622, leaving an opulent and free Estate to his son.

XVII. Sir JOHN Grant of Freuchy who entered into possession of his fortune with every advantage, but by the profuse and expensive style in which he lived, his frequent attendance at Court, and residing chiefly at Edinburgh, he considerably impaired it and sold the Estate of Lethen, one of his father’s acquisitions, to Alexander Brodie. He married Mary Ogilvie, daughter of Walter Lord Ogilvie and of Marion, daughter of William, Earl of Morton, who brought him a family of eight sons and three daughters, viz. (1) James, his successor, (2) John, who entering the army was soon advanced to the rank of Colonel, and died a bachelor. (3) Patrick, afterwards Tutor to his nephew Ludovick, Laird of Grant. He was likewise a Colonel in the time of the civil wars. He married a daughter of Sutherland, Earl of Duffus by whom he had three daughters; Mary, married to Patrick Grant of Rothiemurchus. Xxx; married to Fraser, of Belladrum; and Anne, married to William Grant of Dellay. (4) Alexander, married to Isobel Nairn, daughter to Nairn, of Morenge, by whom he had two daughters. (5) George, a Major in the Army, and appointed by King Charles II Governor of Dumbarton Castle. He died a bachelor. (6) Robert married a daughter of Dunbar, of Bennagefield, and by her had a son, the father of Robert Oge, of Milton of Mukerach. (7) Mungo of whom are descended the Grants of Tomdow, Knockando, Kinchirdy, and Tullochgriban. (8) Thomas, of Bellimacaan, in Urquhart, who married Mary, daughter of Colin Campbell, of Clunies, son of Sir John Campbell, of Calder, by whom he had Ludovick, of Achnastank, the father of Captain Thomas Grant; Patrick Grant, of Culvullin the father of George Grant, of Bellifurth; and a daughter, married to Mungo Grant, of Mullochard.

Sir John’s daughters were: (1) Mary, married in 1644 to Lord Lewis Gordon, who, after the death of his father and his elder brother, George Lord Gordon, who was killed at the battle of Alford in 1645, became Marquis of Huntly, and was father by this lady of George, the first Duke of Gordon; Lewis dying in 1653, she married the Earl of Airly and lived to a great age, having died about the year 1712. (2) Anne, married in 1640, to Kenneth Mackenzie, of Gairloch. (3) Lillias, married to Sir John Byres, of Cotts.

Sir John died at Edinburgh in 1637, and was interred beside his father, John, of Fruchy, in the Abbey Church of Holyrood House. He was succeeded by his eldest son.

XVIII. JAMES, who became Representative of the Family in times of the greatest confusion and convulsions, both in Church and State. In the summer after his father’s death, when the troubles began on account of imposing a public Liturgy and Canons on the Church, it was not to be expected Grant would be (as indeed few were) allowed to stand neutral, accordingly he openly joined the Covenanters in the year 1638 and 1639, and afterwards subscribed the Solemn League and Covenant in 1643. He was at the same time a steady Royalist, and much respected by his Sovereign. In 1640, he married Mary Stewart, daughter of James, Earl of Moray, by Ann, daughter of the Marquis of Huntly. Of this marriage there were two sons and three daughters that arrived at the years of maturity. The eldest son, Ludovick, succeeded him in the Estate. The second son, Patrick, founded the family of Easter Elchies. Of the daughters, Mary was married to Ogilvie, of Boyne, Margaret, to Sir Alexander Hamilton, of Haggs and Anne, to Roderick Mackenzie, of Redcastle. Had the Laird of Grant lived in better times, he would have made a brighter figure, as a man of solid judgement, a firm friend, a true Patriot, and a good economist; but having found the Estate greatly burdened by his Father’s profusion, he could not possibly avoid adding to its incumbrances, owing to the troublesome times in which he happened to live. He lived to see the restoration of King Charles II and was a Member of the Parliament that met in January 1661. In the year 1663, he went to Edinburgh to see justice done to his kinsman, Allan Grant, of Tulloch, in a criminal prosecution for manslaughter; and although he was successful in preserving the life of his friend, he could not prolong his own. He died there that year, and was buried in the Abbey Church at Holyrood House. In the same year “as the reward of virtue, and in consideration of the many good eminent, and faithful services done and performed to his Majesty, and his Royal Progenitors, by his Majesty’s lovit James Grant of Fruchie, and his predecessors, and especially that he and his friends and followers had followed the Royal Standard under the conduct of the Marquis of Montrose, and had on all occasions shown their attachment and steady adherence to Royalty,” a patent was made out “making, constituting and creating him the said James Grant of Fruchy, and the heirs male gotten or to be gotten of his own body, which failing his nearest and lawful heirs male whomsoever, Earls of Strathspey, Lord Grant of Fruchy and Urquhart &c.”
Falling sick, however, about the time it was made out, and dying soon after, it did not pass the seals; but the Patent itself lies in the Family Archives.

XIX. LUDOVICK, his eldest son and successor, being a minor at the time of his father’s death, came under the inspection of his Uncle Colonel Patrick Grant, as tutor. This Gentleman was faithful to his trust, both in the management of his estate, and in giving his pupil the benefit of a liberal education. Ludovick married Janet, the daughter and only child of Alexander Brodie of Lethen, a choice which proved every way happy to himself, and advantageous to his family. By this lady he got a handsome fortune, which extinguished considerable encumbrances upon the estate. During the Reigns of the Royal Brothers, Grant, who was much averse to their arbitrary and persecuting measures, could obtain no favours at court; and because his Lady supported the distressed Presbyterians, and kept a chaplain of that persuasion, when she could with safety, he was fined in 1685 in £42 500 Scots. But the less he was in favour during these despotic Reigns, the more he was regarded at the revolution. When the Prince of Orange called a convention of the Estates in Scotland, to meet on the 14th March 1689, Grant was a member of it and one of the Committee, nominated for settling the government. His attachment to the Liberties of his country, and to those principles on which the Revolution was founded, appeared in his levying a Regiment for the service of Government. King James having landed in Ireland, and King William meeting with much opposition in England, a force could not be spread sufficient to reduce the malcontents in Scotland, and keep the country in peace, several patriotic individuals, offered in the Convention to raise some corps for the public service. The Earl of Angus raised a Regiment of 1 200; Argyll, Mar, Glencairn, Strathnaver, Blantyre and Bargeny, raised each a Regiment of 600. The Laird of Grant likewise raised a Regiment of 600, and was the only Commoner who did so. And he maintained and paid them at his own expence. He was a Member of Parliament in 1690, and one of the Committee appointed by that Parliament to visit the universities colleges, and schools, and to purge them of all insufficient, immoral, and disloyal Teachers. He was likewise one of the Lords Commissioners for the plantation of Kirks and valuation of Teinds (acts Parlt. 1690), and so zealous was he to have legal Ministers planted in his own estates, that he removed John Stewart at Cromdale, Suene Grant at Duthil, and James Grant at Abernethy, and shut up their churches in 1690 or 1691, till ministers properly qualified for discharging the sacred functions were found.

His zealous attachment to and appearance for the Revolution, his levying a regiment of 600 men and keeping them fully a year in pay on his own charge, his long and close attendance in Parliament, and the loss sustained by his tenantry who, having their substance carried off by the rebels, were unable to pay their rents, all tended again to bring a burden of additional debt upon his Estate. King William being always engaged in war abroad, and embarrassed in his measures by parties at home, was seldom in a condition to do justice, far less to confer favours on his friends, so that Grants’s loss remained unrepaid and unrecompensed. One advantage only he obtained from his country, the erection of all his lands into a free Regality, with all the powers and privileges of that Jurisdiction, which continued in the Family until all heritable Jurisdictions, were abolished and annexed to the Crown in 1748 when £900 was paid as a compensation for their Regality, to his grandson Sir Ludovick Grant. A small sum indeed in comparison with what was allowed to others in similar cases, and considering that the Family had a prior Jurisdiction unrecalled of a long standing; but the circumstance was unattended to by Sir Ludovick’s agent at Edinburgh.

He was twice married; first, as already mentioned to Janet Brodie, by whom he had four sons and four daughters, who survived their parents. The two elder, Alexander and James, came successively to the Estate, and represented the Family. The third son, George, entered the Army; soon attained the rank of Major; and was appointed Governor of Fort George. Retiring afterwards he purchased the Estate of Culbin and Moy, and dying a Bachelor, he left it to his nephew, Sir Ludovick Grant, of Grant. The fourth son, Lewis, a Colonel in the Army, was one of those brave men sent to the West Indies in 1740, under the command of Lieutenant-General Cathcart, where next year he unfortunately died of the disease of the climate. The Estate of Dunphail, which he purchased before he set out on that expedition, he also left to his nephew, Sir Ludovick Grant.

Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, was married to Hugh Rose Baron of Kilravock; Ann, the second daughter, to Colonel William Grant, of Ballindalloch; Janet, the third daughter to Sir Roderick Mackenzie, of Scatwell; and Margaret the fourth, was married in 1717 to Simon Lord Lovat. Their mother died in 1697, and some years after her death, Ludovick married Jean Houston, daughter of Sir John Houston, by whom he had no children. Dying himself in 1718, he was interred in the Abbey Church of Holyroodhouse, and was succeeded by his eldest son.

XX ALEXANDER GRANT OF GRANT, who had the command a Regiment of Foot, was Governor of Sheerness, and rose to the rank of Brigadier General. During the course of the war in Queen Anne’s reign, he served with the greatest applause. He was the inseparable companion of that great General and patriot, John, Duke of Argyle, and shared the same fate with him both in the dangers of the field and in the smiles and frowns of the Court. He was one of the Commissioners for settling the Articles of Union of the two Kingdoms, and a member of the first five British Parliaments. In 1704 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of the County of Inverness; and in 1715, by a new Commission, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Inverness and Banff. It may with justice he said that he was one of the first rate men of his day in the nation. He was equally qualified for the Camp and the Court, and alike uncorrupted and faithful in both. He married, first, Elizabeth Stewart, eldest daughter of James Lord Down, son and apparent heir of Alexander, 6th Earl of Moray; second Anne, daughter of the Right Honourable John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons, and one of the maids of honour to Queen Anne, but had no surviving children by either. He died at Edinburgh in 1719, and was interred in the Abbey Church of Holyrood house. He was succeeded by his next brother.

XXI. JAMES, the second son of Ludovick, Laird of Grant. He having, by the indulgent care of his grand father, Alexander Brodie, of Lethen, been provided with an independent fortune upon his coming of age, his inclination led him to a country life, and in 1702 he married Ann Colquhoun, daughter and heiress of Sir Humphry Colquhoun, of Luss, the Chief of an honourable Family of considerable antiquity in the County of Lennox. In the marriage articles it was provided that this James Grant, of Pluscarden (the Estate of Pluscarden having been delivered to him when purchased), should, as is usual in such cases, assume the sirname of Colquhoun, and if he should happen to succeed to the Estate of Grant, that his eldest son should bear the name of Grant, and his second son the name of Colquhoun. Sir Humphry Colquhoun resigned his Patent of Baronet and obtained a new one in his own favour, whom failing to the said James his son-in-law, whom failing to the heirs male of the body of the said Anne Colquhoun his daughter, whom failing to the heirs male whomsoever of the said Humphry himself, upon whose death James Grant, of Pluscarden, his son-in-law, entered upon the possession and assumed the Title of Luss together with the sirname and Arms of that Family, and in virtue of the new Patent was called Sir James Colquhoun. His elder Brother, Brigadier Alexander Grant dying, Sir James succeeded him, and resumed his paternal sirname of Grant. He retained the Baronetage, it being vested in his person, and the estate of Luss went to his second surviving son, according to the settlement in the Entail. He was several times a member of Parliament, and was justly esteemed, respected, and honoured by all ranks. His temper was remarkably mild and equal, and his social conduct full of goodness and benevolence. He was an encourager of Religion and Learning. To his clan he was indulgent, if not to a fault, and to his tenants always just and kind.

By his Lady Anne Colquhoun, he had five sons and five daughters - (l) Humphry, who, at the age of 20, died a Bachelor in his father’s lifetime. (2) Ludovick, afterwards Sir Ludovick. (3) James, a Major in the Army, who, upon his brother Ludovick becoming heir of the Estate of Grant, retired from the army, succeeded him in the estate of Luss, and married Helen sister of the Earl of Sutherland. (4) Francis, a General in the Army, married Miss Cox, and left a numerous family. (5) Charles, an officer in the Navy, was Captain of a 74-Gun Ship, and was at the taking of Manilla. Of the daughters, Jean, the eldest, was married in 1722, to William Lord Braco, was mother of the late James, Earl of Fife, also of his Brother Alexander, who succeeded him, and Grandmother of the present Earl of Fife. Anne, the second, married in 1727 Sir Harry Innes of Innes and was Mother of the late, and Grandmother of the present Duke of Roxburgh. Sophia, the third, died unmarried. Penuel, the fourth, married in 1739 Captain Alexander Grant, of Ballindalloch, the elder brother of the late General James Grant. And Clementina, the fifth, was married to Sir William Dunbar, of Durn Bart. Sir James died at London in January 1747, and was succeeded by his son.

XXII. Sir LUDOVICK Grant of Grant, Bart,. who after a course of liberal education, to qualify him for the Bar, was admitted Advocate in 1728. On the death, however, of his elder brother, Humphry, he became heir apparent of the Family, and his Father devolving upon him the whole care and burden of the Estate, he laid down the practice of the law, and represented his Father as Chief of the Clan. During the Rebellion in 1745 and 1746, he, as all his ancestors had invariably done, stood firmly attached to the Protestant Succession and the Revolution interest; and accordingly raised a number of his Clan and Vassals, in defence of his King and the established Constitution. He was Representative in Parliament for the County of Moray, from the year 1741 till the year 1761, when his son Sir James was elected in his stead. Sir Ludovick was an affectionate husband, and kind father; a steady friend; benevolent and warm hearted; of great hospitality; and an excellent Chief of a Clan; respected for his talents and beloved for his virtues both public and private. He married (1) Marion Dalrymple, daughter of Sir Robert Dalrymple, of North Berwick, by whom he had a daughter who died unmarried, aged about 19. He married secondly Lady Margaret Ogilvie, eldest daughter of James, Earl of Findlater and Seafield, by Elizabeth, Daughter of Thomas, Earl of Kinnoul. By this Lady (who died in January 1757, universally, justly and deeply regretted), he had one son, James (born in May 1738), who succeeded him; and 11 daughters, of whom 6 survived their father; viz: (1) Mariana, (2) Anne Hope, married to Robert Darly Waddilove, DD, Dean of Ripon. (3) Penuel, married to Henry Mackenzie, Esq. of the Exchequer, author of “The Man of Feeling,” &c., &c. (4) Mary; (5) Helen, married to Sir Alexander Penrose Cumming Gordon, of Altyre and Gordonstown, Baronet. And (6) Elizabeth.

Sir Ludovick died at Castle Grant, the 18th March, 1773, and was interred at Duthil, the Family burying place. He was succeeded by his son

XXIII. Sir JAMES Grant of Grant, Baronet. who married in January 1763, Jane Duff, only child of Alexander Duff of Hatton, Esq., by Lady Anne Duff, eldest daughter of William, first Earl of Fife. By this lady he had 7 sons and 6 daughters, the survivors of whom are 2 sons and 3 daughters, viz. (1) Lewis Alexander; (2) Francis William. The daughters are (1) Anne Margaret, (2) Margaret, married to Francis Stewart of Lesmurdie and Newmills and has surviving issue 4 Sons and 1 Daughter; (3) Penuel.

Lady Grant [died], on the 15th February 1805, to the unspeakable grief of her husband and Family, and indeed not of them only, for her character was too amiable not to acquire for her general esteem while 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.

Sir James himself possessed in an eminent degree all the qualities which win upon the human heart, which command respect or secure attachment. He was affable and courteous in his deportment; distinguished for his charity, hospitality and beneficence; of a generosity that anticipated the wishes of his friends and exceeded the expectations of strangers; and of exemplary attention to all the offices of religion. He was dignified without pride; affable without meanness; and courteous without deceit. At different periods he represented the counties if Moray and Banff in Parliament. In 1793 he levied the first Regiment of Fencible Infantry

“I have had frequent occasion to mention the family of Grant, and particularly the late excellent chief, Sir James Grant, to whom may justly be applied the character given an unfortunate monarch by a celebrated Judge and historian: ‘He was the worthiest gentleman, the best master, the best friend, the best husband, the best father, and the best Christian,’ of the district to which he was an honour and a blessing.
This good man, and patriarchal chief, lived principally at Castle Grant, respected and beloved by all around him. Few men, therefore, could, with more confidence of success, step forward with an offer to his King of a regiment of loyal men to support the Crown, the Constitution and the Independence of the country. The offer was early made and accepted, and two months after the declaration of war, the Grant Fencibles were assembled at Forres in the end of April 1793, being so complete in numbers, that seventy men were discharged as supernumeries in May: but it was not till the 5th of June that the regiment was finally inspected and embodied by Lieutenant General Leslie.” Gen. Stewart sketches.

and, in the year following, the 97th Regiment of the Line.

“The Regiment was inspected and embodied at Elgin by Major-General Sir Hector Munro, and numbered the 97th: and thus a private gentleman added 1300 soldiers to the force of the country, besides those raised by the officers in the southern districts. From this, and several other instances at this period, we may, without going back to the days of chiefs and clansmen, estimate the great importance of family, territorial and personal influence. When exercised by such men as the late Sir James Grant, honourable, humane, and hospitable in his private character, and a kind, generous landlord, to a numerous and grateful tenantry, Great Britain may calculate on commanding the willing services of the youth of the mountains.” Gen. Stewart sketches.
At the time of the threatened invasion, Sir James Grant provided Arms, and the necessary accoutrements of war, for 700 men of his clan and tenantry entirely at his own expense.

He was general Cashier of Excise for Scotland: And Lord Lieutenant of the county of Inverness from the year 1794, the time when that office was revived in Scotland, till 1809 when the infirm state of his health obliged him to resign it to his Sovereign, who appointed his son to succeed him. This Illustrious Chief died at Castle Grant, the 18th of February 1811in the seventy-third year of his age. His remains were interred at Duthil amidst the lamentations of his people, by whom he was extremely beloved and revered on account of his piety and benevolence. He was succeeded by his son.

XXIV. Sir Lewis Alexander, the present Chief of the Grant Clan. James, 7th Earl of Findlater, and 4th Earl of Seafield died at Dresden, in Saxony, Oct. 5th 1811, without issue, when his extensive Estates devolved on Sir Lewis Alexander Grant, of Grant Bart. With the titles of Earl of Seafield, Viscount Redhaven and Baron Ogilvie of Deskford and Cullen. In the year 1822, His Majesty King George the fourth, was graciously pleased to advance his Lordship’s Brother and sisters to the same rank and dignity they would have attained, had their Father, the late Sir James, lived to be the Earl of Seafield. As the earl is unmarried, his Brother, Colonel, the Honorable Francis William Grant, of Grant, representative in Parliament for the county of Moray, Lord Lieutenant of the county of Inverness, and Colonel of the 10th or Invernessshire Regiment of Militia, is presumptive heir, who married in 1811, Mary Anne, only daughter of J C Dunn, Esq., and has issue: (1) Jean, (2) Francis William (3) John Charles (4) James (5) Lewis Alexander. And (6) George Henry.

The Armorial Bearings of Grant are Quarterly quartered, First and Fourth Grand, Quarters quarterly. First and fourth, Argent, a Lion passant guardant Gules, crowned with an Imperial Crown Or; second and third Argent, a Cross engrailed Sable, for Ogilvie; second and third grand quarters Gules, Three Antique Crowns Or, for Grant.

Above the Shield is placed an Earl’s Coronet, over which is an Helmet befitting his Lordship’s degree, mantling Gules doubled Ermine, next to which, above the achievement are two Crests, that on the dexter side being on a Torse Argent and Gules a Lion rampant guar. of the second, holding in his paws a Plummet, Or, and having above it on an Escrol Tout Jour; and that on the sinister side being upon a torse Gules and Or, a Burning Hill, Proper, having upon an Escrol above it, Craig-Ellachie.

The Shield is encircled with an Orange Tawney Ribbon, pendant, wherefrom is the Badge of a Baronet of Nova Scotia; and on a compartment below the Shield, whereon is the Motto Stand Fast; are placed for supporters, on the Dexter side a Lion Rampant guardant Or, armed Gules and on the Sinister, a Savage or Naked Man, bearing upon his left shoulder a Club, Proper, and wreathed about the head and middle with Laurel Vert.