[88] (See Chapter Six, p. 38)
15th- and 16th-century bronze and iron cannons.
17th- and early 18th-century long guns and a blunderbuss.
Steel Scottish pistols, the latest being dated 1701.
Claymores, basket-hilted broadswords, targes, and various pieces of 17th- century armour and saddle furniture.
Highland guns of which only 25 exist today; they have curved butts with considerable ornamentation.
200 muskets with bayonets, for the Strathspey Fencibles raised in 1793 and disbanded in 1799, and for a line regiment, the 97th the Inverness-shire Regiment of Foot, which was disbanded after one year.
In addition there were knapsacks, ammunition pouches, brass shoe buckles and pouch belts for 200 men, over 100 Grenadier caps for a company of the 97th, and an 18th-century side-drum for the Fencibles, and 136 pikes for the Strathspey Company of the 97th. It is a sad reflection on modern economics that a family collection such as this, stretching over several centuries, had to be sold to meet taxation, but at least they will all be well cared for and can be seen by the public at large. The cost of housing and maintaining this equipment would be a very heavy item for a private individual today, with ever-increasing costs and diminishing incomes. It is to be hoped that it will be made clear at any exhibition of all this Grant militaria which has been purchased from my cousin, the Earl of Seafield, that they are from the Chief of Grants' Armoury, at Castle Grant.
The following is a fascinating list, dated 1720, of the armoury then existing in the Castle: [89]
'Baillie Clerk's long gun
Colonel Grant's long gun
Glenmoriston's long gun
Belindalloch's long gun
Peter Haberon's gun
Belindalloch's carved gun
Litcheston's whippe
The gilt gun of the famelie
The double barrell'd gun
Pitchases eight squair gun marked J.G.
The short waipon gun
My Lady Doun's long fusie
The Dutch fusie with the brass lock
Two round barrell'd fusies made by Smairt
The club marked number twelve
The cartrage rifle
Delvey's rifle
Cuthbert's rifle
The Huzar number nineteen
Carron's rifle
A rifle by Barber
Hyland guns
Jean Cumming (one's mind boggles as to the possibility of this doubtless fearsome weapon!)
Seaforth's gilt gun
The gilt rifle
Sir John Grant's litle gun
Alister More's gun
The steel gun
The Glainar
Tannachie's rifle
Three larg brass blunderbusses
Two small blunderbushes
Three iron blunderbushes
A short carraben with a Highland lock
Kinmillies long gun
A Highland Gun
Twentie-four muskets in the gun case in the hall
A case of pistols with silver mounting
The two-handed sword
The sword of the famely
Seven brod swords
A syd pistoll with Grant of that Ilk on the barrell.'
The longest gun has engraved on the barrel 'Clerk to the Laird of Grant', and on one of the largest blunderbusses is inscribed 'Grant's pocket pistol', thus demonstrating the Scots sense of humour!