[12] Sir Duncan Grant (1434-1485) First of Freuchie
WE NOW GET TO THE CHIEFS about whom more is known from authentic evidence than the earlier ones in Chapter Three. Duncan was heir to his mother; on her decease in 1434 he thus became a major landed proprietor in the district of Rothes and Elgin. He was born about 1413. During his life there was a struggle between King James I and some of his barons, but Duncan, following or perhaps commencing family tradition, kept out of it, and supported the king. It is of interest that in a document dated 1453 Duncan is the first Chief to be described as 'of Freuchie', but there is no evidence as to how he obtained the lands of Freuchie. He was knighted about 1464. His only son, John, died in 1482, when leading the Morayshire contingent of men home after the army raised by King James III had been disbanded at Lauder. But John left three sons, and John, the eldest, succeeded his grandfather, Duncan, as second of Freuchie.
John Grant (1485-1528) Second of Freuchie
John Grant married Margaret Ogilvie of Deskford in 1484. Margaret Ogilvie was of the family who were Earls of Findlater and later became Earls of Seafield. Findlater Castle still exists as a ruin on the cliffs east of Cullen in Banffshire. John was known as the 'Bard Roy', but the reason for this is not indicated. During his lifetime, he greatly extended the Grant Estates by the acquisition of Tullochgorm, Mulben, Urquart, Glencarnie, and Ballindalloch. He was on good terms with the Earl of Huntley, and from him received the life rent of lands at Kinrara and other lands in Badenoch. It was whilst he was staying at Gordon Castle, Fochabers, Huntley's home, that he made the marriage contract with Sir James Ogilvie of Deskford. (It is of interest to note that my cousin, the present Earl of Seafield, is, inter alia, Lord Deskford, Deskford being a parish on the Cullen Estate.) The marriage contract contained non-aggression and mutual help clauses, as well as financial provisions. There [13] was an excambion exchange of lands between John and Huntley to consolidate boundaries. John got Curr, Tullochgorm and Clurie, and gave over lands in Strathavon which were much more convenient to Huntley's estates. John was an arbitrator in a number of disputes between Mackintoshes, Dunbars, Innes, Kilravocks, and others, so he clearly took an important part in public affairs.
In 1493, when John was in Edinburgh, he formally resigned all his lands into the hands of King James IV, who then re-granted them, and united them by Royal Charter into one barony to be called the Barony of Freuchie. This barony continued until 1694 when, with the other baronies, it was absorbed in the Regality of Grant. The Regality and Barony of Grant Court Records are preserved in five volumes for the years 1690 to 1729.
In 1498 the king conveyed to John the lands of Glencarnie and Ballin- dalloch, for a feu of £71 Scots per annum. John was then made a Sheriff in order to help the king maintain proper law and order in that part of the Highlands. For example, Alexander of Lochalsh's son, the deposed Lord of the Isles, led a strong party of Islesmen to Locaber and Badenoch to try to recover by force of arms the ancient Earldom of the Isles which the king had re-granted to the Earl of Ross. This unpopular move by the king had led to much strife; the Mackintoshes and Kilravocks joined Lochalsh in the storming of Inverness Castle. They ravaged the Black Isle, but at Strathconan they were defeated by the Mackenzies, at a place called Park. The Mackenzies then proceeded to ravage Monro and Kilravock lands. John was also a member of a Royal Commission which had the duty of settling compensation for decree by the Lords of Council.
John acquired lands in the barony of Cromdale in 1505, and arranged suitable marriages for his children. It should be noted here that his youngest son (who was a natural son called John More, meaning Big John) obtained a charter for Glenmoriston. His second son (who was also named John) received in 1509 a Crown Charter of the lands of Corriemony which is up Glenurquart; thus he is the ancestor of the Grants of Corriemony. His eldest daughter married Thomas Cumming, son and heir of Cumming of Ernside; his second daughter, Anne, married Hugh Fraser, Master of Lovat; and his daughter, Agnes, married Donald Cameron the Younger, Chief of Clan Cameron.
John's last public act was to take part in an inter-clan non-aggression agreement which was called the 'Letter of Slains', between the Grants and the Farquharsons of Strathdee, which was to put an end to the pillage, looting and killing which had been going on between the two clans.
Perhaps it might be of interest to set out here a little of the story of John More, or Ian More as he is named in Gaelic. He came from Kincardine, presum- ably by Boat of Garten. John More's mother was a daughter of the Baron of Kincardine. John was of great strength and stature and was the subject of many bardic tales of valour. His father conveyed to him the lands of Glenmoriston, and he also held the estates of Carron, Wester Elchies, and Kinchurdy by Boat [14] of Garten. He divorced his first wife, Isabella Innes, and then married Agnes, a granddaughter of Lord Lovat. His son, Patrick, succeeded to Glenmoriston, hence the Grants of Glenmoriston have since been known as Clan Patrick. John More also had two natural sons: John Roy, to whom he conveyed the estates of Carron; and James, to whom he conveyed the estates of Wester Elchies. The former family seems to have died out in 1801, and the latter in 1644, when the estate reverted to the Laird of Freuchie. A second line of Grants of Wester Elchies was started by the younger son of James Grant of Freuchie (see below), who had the estates conveyed to him in about 1675, but again the line appears to have died out with Lewis Grant of Wester Elchies in 1783.
So far as I am aware the Corriemony Estate was sold away many years ago, and I believe that the last Grant of Corriemony was Sir Francis Grant, K.C.V.O., C.V.O., LL.D., W.S., Lord Lyon, King of Arms, who died in Edinburgh about 1955. I knew him as a very delightful character; very short, very broad, with a large square-cut white beard. He matriculated my father's arms. (Mine were matriculated by his successor in office, Sir Thomas Innes of Learny.) Sir Francis left two daughters.
James Grant, Third of Freuchie (1528-1553)
James was nicknamed 'James of the Forays' as he held his post as Chief during very troublous times, and his services were much in demand by King James V, together with the Earl of Huntley, who was the King's Commissioner (Lieutenant of the North). It is of interest to record that for the first time the Grants were called a Clan, valedicet 'ye Clan of Grauntis'. The Clan would have comprised the Chief's family, septs, their tenants and vassals. Most of the latter would have had Celtic names, but many later added the name of Grant to their Celtic patronymic and then dropped their Celtic name. The Clan also comprised any others inhabiting Grant lands. Most of the Grant estates were feued from the Crown in accordance with Scottish feudal law of land tenure, and the Chief had to pay annual dues or rents to his superior from whom he held the land.
In 1528 the Clan Chatton, under the leadership of Hector Mackintosh, had been so troublesome in the lowlands of Morayshire, that a Royal Mandate was issued to burn out the clan, and to ship their women and children to Norway. However, the barons were slow to execute this extreme commission, so very fortunately, the Clan Chatton were saved. For this inaction by James and other leading Grants, James was found surety for 1,000 merks. But in spite of this the Chattons were rash enough to make more trouble for everyone by despoiling and destroying Ogilvie properties in Strathnavin and Daviot in 1531, and again in 1534. Once more James did nothing to hinder them, and he was again ordered by the king to assist Huntley in a raid against them. James [15] took little action, for he was related to Hector Mackintosh their leader, so his inaction is understandable. For these defaults, and also for his failure to send clansmen to join the king's army in an attack on England, James was, rather surprisingly, given a pardon and discharge by the king in 1536.
After King James V's death in 1542, the Highlands again became disorderly, particularly the Clans of the Camerons, Macdonalds, and Mackenzies. Huntley, as Lieutenant of the North, proceeded against them with a force of Grants, Rosses, Mackintoshes, Chisholms, and Lovats, but as all these clans were allied in some degree to the delinquents, punitive action was slow and ineffective. The Lovat contingent were caught by Clan Ranald at Loch Lochy and most of them slain. This was known as the 'field of the shirts', because it was a hot day in July 1544, and the contestants had stripped to their shirts.
James's lands at Glenmoriston and Urquart were looted by the delinquent forces of Clan Ranald and Cameron. There is a very lengthy and detailed list of booty carried away which makes interesting reading. For example, '100 grite each valued at £2-13-4d' and 'tuelf feddir beddis, with the bowstairs blancattis and schetis-price xli. There were many other items. It was from this raid on Urquart that the laird became known as 'James of the Forays'. Huntley later apprehended Macdonald of Keppoch and Cameron of Lochiel and had them beheaded after a trial for high treason.
The closing years of James's life were relatively peaceful. Friendly contracts and bonds of maintenance were made with neighbouring barons, and his lands were left largely at peace. He was the first Grant of Freuchie to be buried at Duthil, where the old family mausoleum can still be seen by all from outside. It stands very solidly in front of the church there.
Before we leave James the Third of Freuchie the tale of the Grants of the Trough should be told. I was staying in Morayshire for a few days some years back, with one of my young cousins, when a charming Grant lady came to dinner. I learned that she was chairman of an important local business. During the course of conversation she told me, not without some understandable pride, that she believed her ancestor to be one of the Grants of the Trough. As she was the first such Grant that I had met I was of course most interested. These Grants happened this way: a brother-in-law of James called Gordon Baron of Brackley was entertaining some Farquharsons on Deeside, when he was murdered by them. The reason for this base murder was probably because of some of James's successful plundering raids against the Farquharsons. The Earl of Huntley and James then combined forces, and executed a terrible revenge, murdering most of the Deeside men. A year later James, when visiting Huntley for dinner, was invited by Huntley to come outside after dinner, and see something he had never seen before. In the courtyard was a large trough and the remains of dinner was emptied into this. A whistle was blown, and immediately a horde of children burst into the yard fighting to get at the contents of the trough. Huntley told James that these were the orphan whelps [16] of the Farquarsons, and that he was hard put to feed them. James, as may be imagined, was horrified by this, and he said that as he had helped to make them orphans, he should share the burdensome responsibility by taking half the children. When James returned to Strathspey he divided his adopted orphans among his clansfolk and ordered that they were to be known as Grants from then on. Thus ended a sad state of affairs and the 'Grants of the Trough' were created.
There is no clear evidence as to the date of the marriages of James the Third of Freuchie, but his son and heir, John Grant, was himself married in 1539, so his father must have been married quite young. It appears his wife was a Christine Barclay, who survived him and was named as his relict. It is believed she was his second wife, and that his first had been Elizabeth Forbes, daughter of Lord Forbes. James left four sons and one daughter. They were: John, who succeeded him; William, who received lands at Muckrach from the Bishop of Moray; Duncan, who received lands at Easter Elchies from the Bishop of Moray, and thus founded the Grants of Easter Elchies; Archibald, who became the ancestor of the Grants of Moneymusk; and Isabel, who married Campbell of Cawdor.
John Grant, Fourth of Freuchie (1553-1585)
Lady Margaret Stewart was his first wife, and Lady Janet Leslie was his second wife. John was granted sasine (title) to his father's Speyside lands, and Sheriffdom of Elgin and Forres, together with his father's land in Urquart; he also received the lands given as compensation for the Macdonald raids on Glen Urquart, which were the proscribed Macdonald lands at Loch Broom, Loch Carron, Strome Castle, Lochalsh, and Glengarry.
This was a vast land holding, full of resentful clansfolk, and John Grant had considerable difficulty in extracting any rents, and in managing the land, as may well be imagined. The former owners and their clan tenants and retainers must have felt very resentful, and John had difficulty in meeting the arrears of feu-duty due to the Crown on these lands. Fortunately, in 1554 he received a Crown gift of the relief of these duties.
John was made a Baillie of Kinloss Abbey with Cumming of Altyre as his deputy. (There is still a Cumming living at Altyre, Sir William Gordon Cumming.) It was the practice to make powerful local lairds church Baillies, for the defence of the abbey. John also acquired additional land at Rothes from the Earl of Rothes.
In 1555 the Clans Ranald and Cameron again started to make trouble, and John was given a commission to act as Justiciar of the Crown, by the Regent Arran, and the Queen Dowager, Mary of Guise, in order to secure peace in his extensive land holdings. One result of this was that the Queen Dowager ordered John to bring in a special friend, the freebooter named [17] James Grant. Because he could not be apprehended and brought alive to trial, John caused him and his company to be slain, and their heads were presented to the Queen Dowager. Very rough days then, but it was clearly a major task to obtain law and order in the wild Highlands. The Queen Dowager had, in fact, come north especially to settle feuds and to try to secure peaceful behaviour among the clans. A typical example was Mackay of Farr, ancestor to Lord Reay, who had committed spoilation in Sutherland. He avoided the queen's order to appear before her, was captured by Mackenzie of Kintail, and com- mitted to Edinburgh Castle prison. John stood surety for Mackay, who subsequently redeemed himself by good service against England on the borders, and returned to Sutherland. Some years later, however, he burned down the town of Dornoch.
All these brief details of history do show the very great confusion and general lawless behaviour existing in the Highlands over a long period of time, with clans and leaders often changing sides. One feels that a lot of the disorder must have been due to the very poor economic circumstances in much of the Highlands. The Grant lands as a whole were much better agriculturally than those held by other clans, so it is easy to understand how it was nearly always possible for the Grants to be on the side of law and order, as presumably they did not have to face the alternatives of stealing or starving.
In 1561 the famed and unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots appeared in Edinburgh. She gave great offence to Roman Catholics in Scotland, although one of her great problems as a claimant to the English Crown was that she herself was a Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholic leader in Scotland was our powerful friend, the Earl of Huntley. Mary consequently quarrelled with him, so he decided to attempt a rebellion. One of the usual mistakes and changes of side these Highlanders were always making . . . but not the Grants!
In 1562 Mary arrived at Inverness Castle, and was refused admittance by Huntley's men. Mary then gathered an army of Mackintoshes and others, and occupied Aberdeen with the object of attacking Huntley in his own castle. The latter assembled his retainers and marched to Aberdeen, but his army melted away en route to a mere 500 men, who were met by Mary's army of 2,000 under the Earl of Murray, some 12 miles outside Aberdeen. The ensuing battle ended in the death of Huntley, and the rout of his men. It is not known what part our Chief, John, took in this rebellion. His position was invidious, as he held much of his lands in feu from Huntley, and thus was, in effect, a vassal of Huntley's. It would appear that he wisely kept out of trouble or even possibly joined the royal forces. Shortly after this, John was ordered to take charge of Drummin, Huntley's castle near Aberdeen, and hold it on Mary's behalf, which he did on 2 December, gaining entry by means of a ladder to scale the walls of the empty castle. By the queen's order the Chief of Grant was named the Laird of Grant for the first time.
[18] In 1562 the Laird of Freuchie was made a 'cautioner' for the good behaviour of Cameron of Lochiel, under a mutually executed deed made in Edinburgh. This must have been a good thing as we have read that the Camerons had for long been a constant source of trouble. Unfortunately, however, it was not the last of the problems with this clan.
Huntley's son, unlike his father, was a warm supporter of Queen Mary, and John Grant was in his train at Holyrood Palace in 1565, on the night that David Rizzio was murdered. It is not common knowledge that our forebear was in the queen's party at this tragic event. Readers will recall that the conspirators entered the dining-room, seized Rizzio, dragged him into the next chamber, and there killed him. Various lords, including the Laird of Grant fought the Earl of Morton and his company of conspirators. Two days later the queen, together with the lords Huntley, Bothwell, Caithness, and others, of whom John was probably one, removed to Dunbar Castle some miles east of Edinburgh. These events eventually resulted in the queen's imprisonment in Lochleven Castle, and John's return to Speyside to secure his own estates against turbulent neighbours.
On John's return he received information that certain Camerons and Clan Ranalds were again planning an affray against his properties in Glens Urquart and Morriston. He took the precaution of obtaining letters under the seal of the infant King James VI (to whom his mother, Queen Mary, had had to hand the Crown) to direct Clans Mackintosh and Mackenzie to prevent this raid under the pain of themselves being proceeded against. The threatened raid was thus avoided.
When the queen escaped in 1568, and fled to England after the defeat of her army at Langside, the Earl of Huntley and others, of whom John was one, subscribed to a bond binding them to maintain the queen's authority and not acknowledge any other. The Earl of Murray became Regent of Scotland on behalf of James VI under a Privy Council bond, of which John Grant was a signatory.
In 1571 John returned the lands in the West Highlands to Glengarry and Mackenzie; these were the lands his father had been granted as compensation for the raids on Lochness-side. Thus John rid himself of a troublesome and unprofitable estate, and allowed the rightful owners to re-possess. He then espoused his daughter, Barbara, to Colin Mackenzie, the Younger of Kintail, and in the following year he espoused another daughter, Helen, to Donald the Younger of Glengarry. No doubt these were both very good political moves. In both cases, John caused matrimonal contracts of behaviour to be entered.
In 1582 John's eldest son, Duncan Grant of Abernethy and Younger of Freuchie, died. John had made over the lands of Abernethy to Duncan, who had married Margaret Mackintosh of Mackintosh. They had five sons and two daughters. The eldest son not only succeeded his father in lands at [19] Corriemony, but he also succeeded his grandfather, John, as Fifth of Freuchie in 1585. John Grant's second grandson, James of Logie, was ancestor of the Grants of Moyness, in the parish of Auldean, Nairnshire. He was bequeathed Arndilly, now a castle mansion near Rothes, which has been under a number of different ownerships. The third grandson, Patrick, not only received a charter of the lands of Strome from King James VI, but also lands of Easter Elchies, and thus he was the ancestor of the Easter Elchies sept of Grants. The fourth grandson, Robert, became the ancestor of the Grants of Lurg; his brother, John, gave him a lease of lands at Abernethy. The fifth grandson, Duncan Grant of Dandaleith, in the parish of Rothes, died in 1620, leaving two sons who succeeded him in Dandaleith. The elder grand-daughter, Elizabeth, married Alexander Cumming, Younger of Altyre. Nothing is known about his second grand-daughter.
In 1584, John was in poor health. He made over much of his properties to his grandson, John, because he said that he was no longer fit to attend to business, nor to serve the king properly. When he died in 1585, he left large landed estates and much personal wealth, including ready cash in gold and silver, and rents owing totalling some £47,806 Scots. There was also much jewellery. His memorial stone was later found in the vault of Duthil, and was taken to Castle Grant. His second son, Patrick, received the lands of Rothiemurchus and is the ancestor of the Grants of Rothiemurchus. He had seven daughters; the two youngest we have already read about (above).
John Grant, Fifth of Freuchie (1585-1622)
John Grant, Fifth of Freuchie, married Lady Lilias Murray of Tullibardine. During his long Chiefship the hitherto cordial relations with the Earls of Huntley were not maintained. The Chief of the Gordons was known then, as he is today, as 'the Cock of the North', because for many reigns Huntleys had been the King's Lieutenants of the North.
John, as we saw above (p. 18), was infeft with the lands of Corriemony by James VI at the age of 14, but he was not infeft by the king with all his grand- father's lands until 1589. He was soon drawn into public affairs, and notably the struggle between the Earls of Sutherland and Caithness, which lasted from 1587 to 1591.
Up to now The Mackintosh had claimed proprietorship of Rothiemurchus, which was occupied by the Grants, but an arbitration award was obtained whereby The Mackintosh formally resigned his rights to the Grants, and bound himself to guard Glens Urquart and Morriston against raids from Camerons and Clan Ranald. In return John infeft The Mackintosh with certain lands in the west, including Strome Castle with the office of Constable. These had been Cameron lands, which they had forfeited to James Grant the Third of Freuchie. Thus by this clever manoeuvre, John secured some of his Marches, [20] rid himself of a lot of trouble, and also secured a powerful friendly neighbour in The Mackintosh. A bond was executed at Ballachastell in 1589 with Cameron of Lochiel for mutual assistance, but this failed to ensure more friendly relations, as a year later Cameron was again raiding Grant lands.
The Earl of Huntley, a Roman Catholic, was intriguing with Spain, together with other Catholic Scottish noblemen. Scotland, now ruled by King James VI (James I) was Protestant, and thus against Spain and Roman Catholicism. Huntley led a rebellion which failed, and he was taken prisoner by the king. Our chief, John, was among those who subscribed their names to a bond of faithful subjects, John being a Protestant.
In about 1590 John was ordered to assist Campbell of Glenorchy, in executing a Commission against the Clan Gregor, and to raise the Grants against them. This caused a serious problem, because John had become especially obnoxious to the government at that time. It was alleged that he was harbouring outlaws in Strathspey. He had to find surety of £10,000 that he would keep good rule. All this arose mainly because Grant of Ballindalloch's widow, Margaret Gordon, took offence over some money matters, and called in some Gordon friends to maintain her rights. The Grants objected to these Gordons in Speyside, and one of them was killed. Huntley then besieged Ballindalloch Castle, but John Grant of Ballindalloch escaped. Our Chief was highly incensed by Gordon's action, but happily matters were settled by a mutual agreement. Nevertheless, both the Mackintoshes and the Grants main- tained a quarrel with Huntley for some years, and they secured other lairds to band against him as well. These were Campbell of Calder, the Bonnie Earl of Murray (Darnaway Castle), The Mackintosh, and the Earl of Atholl. There were a number of armed forays, as well as legal battles in the courts. Peace seems to have been restored-on paper-by 1591. This, unfortunately, left Huntley free to give his unwelcome attentions to his chief enemy, the Earl of Murray, which ended in Murray's tragic death at Donibristle, Fife, in 1592. Because of this bad behaviour, Huntley was imprisoned in Blackness Castle on the south shore of the Firth of Forth (the ruined castle can still be seen today). He shortly afterwards returned north, having apparently been freed. The Grants and the Mackintoshes were burning to avenge the 'Bonnie Earl's' death. The Camerons and Clan Ranald opposed them, and a number of Grants were slain at Ballendalloch. The Earl of Atholl despatched his army to Darnaway Castle. One can visualise the fearful warlike conditions in much. of the North, from glen to glen, and mountain to strath.
Our Chief, John, entered a bond of mutual assistance with the proscribed Clan Macgregor, who had also been allied to the 'Bonnie Earl'. Meantime James VI had ordered the Earl of Angus to proceed north to try and regulate matters, and this he seems to have done by the end of 1592.
Now we return to the Roman Catholic conspiracy mentioned above. The estates of the Earls of Huntley, Errol (whose successor today is Lord High [21] Constable of Scotland), and Angus were forfeited, and they were declared traitors. James VI commissioned the young Earl of Argyll to march against Huntley. He gathered a considerable army from all quarters, and when he arrived in Badenoch he was joined by Mackintoshes and Grants, giving him an army of around 12,000 men. Firstly he besieged Ruthven Castle (still to be seen today), just south of Kingussie. It was so stoutly defended for Huntley by the Macphearsons (first mention of this famous fighting clan, who neighbour Strathspey to the south-west) that the attempt to reduce it was abandoned. Drummin Castle on the Avon (pronounced ‘arn') was next on the list. On 2 October 1594 Argyll met a small well-disciplined Huntley force of 2,000 troops at Glenlivet, under the 'Cock' himself. A factual account of this engagement is worth quoting, so that we can see how this type of battle was organised: 'Near Glenlivet the large and somewhat motley army of Argyll met a small well disciplined Huntley force of 2,000 men under the leadership of Huntley. The Earl of Argyll held a council of war, at which his most experienced officers advised delay, but this advice was overruled, and he resolved to fight. He disposed part of his forces on the declivity of a hill between Glenlivet and Glenrinnes, the right wing consisting of the Macleans and Mackintoshes; the left wing of Grants, Macneils, and Macgregors, the centre being occupied by Campbells. This vanguard, it is said, numbered 4,000 men. Argyll commanded the rest of the Army in the rear. The smaller Army commanded by Huntley was composed chiefly of horsemen well mounted and armed, and he also had with him six pieces of artillery. These were dragged forward unperceived by Argyll's troops, and the battle began with a shot from one of the cannon which killed Campbell of Lochnell, a chief officer in Argyll's Army who were thrown into great confusion by the discharge. Taking advantage of this, Huntley encouraged his men to attack, and the result of the battle was that after an obstinate contest Argyll was obliged to retreat, leaving Huntley and Errol masters of the field'. (The Chiefs of Grant, by William Fraser [Edinburgh 1883], p. 174.) It does not appear that the Laird of Freuchie was present at this engagement. His contingent of Grants were commanded by John Grant of Gartenbeg (see pp. 67-75 below). King James VI, no doubt fed up by this ineffective army of Argylls, then joined the field in person and demolished Huntley's and Errol's castles, presumably Drummin and Slains. Both earls escaped abroad.
In 1597 there was a reconciliation; the Catholic earls had their estates res- tored to them, and they returned to Scotland. In 1599 Huntley was elevated to the Marquisate of Huntley, which title the present Chief holds today. After this, a number of mutual bonds to keep peace and good order were executed between various chiefs, and in 1600 John Grant of Freuchie conveyed the disputed lands of Strome to Macdonell of Glengarry. This seems to have ended the raids on Grant property by that clan, which still had a feud with the Mackenzies. John con- tinued to adopt this pacific policy of friendly bonds with his neighbours.
[22] In 1602 John was given a commission to put down witchcraft in the High- lands. Readers will be interested to know that beside the main road in Forres, there is a commemorative stone which states that formerly witches were put into barrels studded with nails and rolled down the hill at this point. Few must have survived this terrible ordeal, and presumably if any did, they were adjudged 'not guilty' of witchcraft. There is no evidence to record that the Grants ever acted on this horrible witch-hunt commission.
A further non-aggression bond was signed by Lochiel, Glengarry and John Grant at the latter's Glenurquart residence of Balmacaan. This house, which was regarded as second to Castle Grant, will be referred to again. below.
Now we return to the proscribed and outlawed Clan Macgregor, a number of whom had taken refuge in Speyside, and by 1606, adopted the surname Grant. John was then accused of harbouring Macgregors. In 1613 the Earl of Argyll charged that John had harboured the Macgregor Clan since 1610, and that the only remaining outlaws of the clan were those harboured on the Grant estates. John, in an effort to remove suspicion from himself, succeeded in apprehending one Alistair Macgregor, who was recorded as a 'notorious and rebellious Hieland man'. This secured the Grants a temporary remission of the fines and penalties which were to have been imposed on them; but these were renewed, and heavy fines had to be paid by a number of Grants, who then recouped themselves from kirk revenues.
In 1617 James VI, now King James I of England, visited Scotland, and John, as Laird of Freuchie, was asked to provide caperciallsies and ptarmigan-forest and hill game birds-for the king's entertainment. They had to be sent down to Newcastle to greet the king.
John Grant was interred at Duthil. His wife survived him by 21 years. It is interesting to note that the king and queen had attended his wedding in 1591. In 1610 the king had wished to elevate the Laird of Freuchie to Lord Strathspey, but John refused this title with the words 'wha'll be Laird of Grant?'.
Lady Lilias is recorded as active in all family affairs, and was much respected She and her husband had one son and four daughters. They were: Sir John Grant of Mulben, who was knighted during his father's life, and who succeeded him as Chief of the Clan; Agnes, the eldest daughter, who married Lachlan Mackintosh and lived at Moy, still the Mackintoshes's residence; Jean, who married Sutherland of Duffus; Lilias, who married Sir Walter Innes; and Katherine, who married Alexander Ogilvie.
John also had a natural son, Duncan Grant, who was legitimised in 1615. He married Muriel Ross, the widow of Duncan Grant of Rothiemurchus, and became the ancestor of the Grants of Clurie. Clurie House still stands on a hill between Aviemore and Carrbridge, and for many years has been leased to a tenant.
[23] Sir John Grant of Mulben, Sixth of Freuchie (1622-1637)
Sir John married Mary Ogilvie of Deskford (a family which has already been mentioned). He is supposed to have lived extravagantly during his relatively short life. Born in 1596, he mainly resided in Edinburgh, frequently attending the court.
There is an interesting description of one of his journeys to Edinburgh from Speyside. The journey took 10 days; he was attended by nine gillies, one led horse and six gentlemen on horseback. It was necessary, as it still is today, to go to Edinburgh to attend to law and estate business. A subsequent journey was done in seven days. On these trips 'backsheesh' was liberally dispensed to the poor, minstrels, waiting-maids, and others en route, 'Aill' and sweet wines and tobacco pipes had to be provided at meals for Sir John. A morning drink was sometimes 'wormwood aill'.
It appears that each new Grant heir on succeeding had to apply for title to the lands his father had left him. This occupied a lot of time and effort. John had to sell the estate of Lethen to Alexander Brodie, in order to help pay his travelling expenses. In 1622, however, he purchased the patronages of a number of Speyside churches. He also succeeded in acquiring the estate of Pitcroy in the parish of Knockando.
There was a shortage of funds largely due to the heavy fine exacted from his father for the harbouring of outlaws. John's mother, Lady Lilias, who resided at Ballachastell with him, helped him out with funds to make the estate solvent. John bought animal carvings and decorative paintings to embellish the castle. For the first time we hear of sales of Highland timber for the market in the south-Lord Tullibardine was one of the purchasers. John was kept very busy with all these affairs.
Like his father, John tried to bring Lochiel into a state of orderly and peaceful behaviour. He appears to have had a proprietary interest over the Cameron lands of Locharkaig, Spean and Glen Roy. He was ward to the young Chief of Mackintosh.
When King Charles I was investing La Rochelle in France for the relief of the Protestant inhabitants, he wrote to John, as to many other gentlemen, asking him to send soldiers to reinforce his Scottish regiment. John put this in train, but as it took time to get them to Leith Harbour Charles's army was repulsed in the meantime, and the Grant contingent did not go to La Rochelle. John's soldiers were, however, recruited into a force to go to Sweden. What full and important lives our Chiefs seem to have had!
At home John had trouble in Strathspey from some of his clansfolk. One of the worst was James Grant of Carron, called 'an Tuim' (of the hill), a freebooter. We have seen how these cadet Grants originated from John More, a natural son of the second Laird of Freuchie (see p. 13 above). For years the Grants of Carron were at odds with the Grants of Ballindalloch, and several murders had been committed. Our Chief received complaints from high [24] quarters. He made efforts to reconcile the Carrons and the Ballindallochs, but in 1628 there was a fight between the two parties at Abernethy, in which one Carron was killed and several friends of the Ballindallochs, including Thomas Grant of Dalvey. So the feud worsened. The Council in Edinburgh looked to Sir John, quite naturally, to settle the affair. In 1631 John visited King Charles I in London to discuss it. At last 'an Tuim' was caught, and incarcerated in the Edinburgh Tolbooth, after a fight in which several of his men were killed. There were also several other Grants apprehended for murder, arson, and rafferie. Some were hung. Meantime James 'an Tuim' escaped, and returned to Speyside, which again relapsed into lawlessness, as there were still a number of other ill-behaved characters there, some being Macgregors. John had again to attend a Privy Council meeting in Edinburgh, and he returned with a Commission to capture these disturbers of the peace. He hired four thief-takers, but they apparently had no success, nor did Grant of Ballindalloch, who also had men hunting for ‘an Tuim'. All this was expensive for John; once he sent out three dozen of his men, who returned with only two of 'an Tuim's' gang.
Although the penalties for crimes may seem severe in those days, one can see the difficulty and losses caused by these people; even the king became involved.
In 1637 John became ill and died; he was buried in Holyrood Abbey. He left seven sons and three daughters, and was succeeded by James, his eldest son.
James Grant, Seventh of Freuchie (1637-1663)
James Grant was born in 1616 and he married Lady Mary Stewart, a daughter of the second Earl of Murray on 25 April 1640. He lived through the troubled reign of Charles I, the Interregnum, and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and saw Charles II return. In addition, the estates were encumbered by a large debt, owing from his father's days.
In the late 1630s the Covenanting religious struggle began, and James signed a bond to adhere to the Covenant. The Covenanters under the Earl of Montrose, wore blue ribbons round their necks, while the king's supporters, under the Marquis of Huntley, wore a red ribbon on their hats. James spent £7 12s. 6d. on blue ribbons for his own contingent of soldiers.
In 1641 when the English Civil War broke out, Montrose changed sides, and began to raise forces for King Charles I. He was made his Scottish Lieutenant Governor. The war affected Grant country, as, like many other Scottish estates, the Grants were for the Covenantors. After Montrose had taken Aberdeen in 1639, his army was opposed by the men of Morayshire at various crossings of the river Spey. Montrose's forces soon returned to the south, but Speyside did not escape plundering by his army and also by that of the Earl of Argyll.
In 1645 Montrose's forces were gaining ascendancy, and James, together with other Highland lairds, submitted to him. Elgin was badly pillaged by [25] Montrose's forces, which then included 300 men supplied by James; these were, in fact, some of the worst offenders. James was then living at Elchies, which was looted by Covenantors from Inverness after Montrose had gone south. In 1646, after the defeat of the royalists at the battle of Naseby, King Charles ordered Montrose to disband his forces and flee abroad. James then obtained a remission for his part against the Covenanters.
In 1650 Charles II landed at the mouth of the Spey from Holland at the request of the Scottish leaders, who by then had fallen out with Cromwell and the other English leaders. Shortly afterwards James Grant was made a colonel of a troop of infantry, to be raised on his estates, as were other Scottish lairds, to oppose Cromwell's advance into Scotland. James sent a regiment of Grants with Charles II to the Battle of Worcester, where the royalists were defeated by Cromwell. Subsequently, Scotland was occupied by English troops under General Monck, and enjoyed some measure of peace during this period. Ballachastell was garrisoned. James used this period of time to put his estates and finances into better order, and make financial provision for his brothers.
When Charles II became king in 1660 there was much apprehension in Scotland generally, from fear of being indited for treason, because there was delay in passing a Treaty of Indemnity. In fact, James was indited by the Lord Advocate. It appears that George, his brother, was behind this. James and his wife and children went to Edinburgh where it would seem he was successful in having the charge dropped. They then returned home in easy stages, as Lady Grant was far from well and had to travel in a sedan chair, with a doctor in attendance. She died the next year (1662).
It is said that Lady Grant lost several of her children at the beginning of her married life. She thought they were bewitched, and sent for an Italian 'pricker' who pretended that he could distinguish witches by pricking the body with pointed iron sticks. Of course, it did no good, and he caused a number of patients to die, probably from blood poisoning.
In 1663 Charles II decided to elevate James as Earl of Strathspey and Lord Grant of Freuchie and Urquart, in return for his services to the crown. Unfortunately (especially from your author's point of view) James died before the patent could be completed, and it was not passed on to his son and heir, was a minor. This may have been because minors are not permitted a seat in Parliament. James died in Edinburgh in 1663, and was buried in Holyrood Abbey. His elder son, Ludovick, succeeded his father; his younger son, Patrick, founded the family of Grants of Wester Elchies.
Ludovick Grant, Eighth of Freuchie (1663-1716)
He was called the 'Highland King'. Ludovick was a minor when he inherited, and his mother had died the year before. He and the estates were under the care of 'curators', chosen by his father. The principal 'curator' was Colonel [26] Patrick Grant, his uncle, who sent Ludovick to school in Elgin, and then to St Andrew's University. Careful accounts were kept. The 'curators' tried to pay off estate debts before Ludovick came of age and entitled to manage his own affairs. In 1671, Ludovick married Janet Brodie of Leithen. (Sir John Grant, Sixth of Freuchie, had sold the estate of Leithen to the Brodies.)
In 1678, Ludovick was ordered by the Privy Council to provide Highlanders for the Marquis of Athole's army, called the 'Highland Host'. This force of 8,000 men gathered at Stirling to control Covenanters in the Lowlands. No one appears to have been killed, and after a few months the men returned home, taking with them much loot in the form of clothing and furnishings. In 1681 the Duke of York (the king's brother) opened the Scottish parliament, and Ludovick attended as a member of parliament. Acts concerning the Royal Succession, and religion were passed. Four years later the Earl of Argyll brought a fleet from Holland to promote rebellion in Scotland. He landed in Kintyre. Among others, Ludovick Grant was ordered to aid the government with well-armed men, and to assemble at Lochness to protect that part of the country. Before they could march, however, it was heard that Argyll had been captured, thus closing the campaign. Ludovick's prompt response to this command helped to relieve him and his wife from a heavy fine. It had been alleged, in court, that they had not been strictly conforming to the rules of the established church, which at that time, owing to the influence of James II, was Roman Catholic. The Grants were charged with resorting to unlicensed chaplains. Other local lairds were also charged and fined-one of whom was Brodie of Leithen. He was short of funds, and had been fined £30,000 Scots. Ludovick paid this fine, so that his father-in-law could be discharged from court.
In 1689 William, Prince of Orange (who had been called in by parliament to replace James II, and ruled Britain jointly with his wife, Mary), called a Convention of the Estates to meet in Edinburgh, which Ludovick attended. The purpose of the Estates meeting was to secure the Protestant religion, and the laws, liberties, and government of the kingdom. There was also a resolution to recognise William and Mary as king and queen of Scotland. They then took the Oath, having agreed to right a number of grievances. Ludovick was one of those who initiated this important agreement.
Ludovick then hastened back to Strathspey, as he had been ordered to raise and equip 600 men to join General Mackay to defend the Spey against an army raised to aid the exiled James II under Viscount Dundee (John Graham). Ludovick was colonel of a regiment of Grant Fencible Highlanders, for which he had had to acquire and import the weapons. As may be imagined, these men were inexperienced and ill-disciplined. Consequently, Dundee crossed the Spey to march towards Inverness unopposed. Ludovick hastened after him, and subsequently gave good help to Mackay, who was gathering his regiments at Inverness. A number of military marches and manoeuvres [27] followed. Mackay continued to raise further regiments of infantry and cavalry. A number of Grants were used as reliable scouts with local knowledge. Dundee, meantime, had reduced Ruthven Castle to a ruin. The outcome of these manoeuvres was the battle of Killiecrankie, at which Dundee was killed. This was, in fact, a great loss to Scotland, even though he was fighting on the rebel or Jacobite side, as he was a particularly good and experienced commander. The Grant regiment remained to protect Speyside under Ludovick's command; they captured some Camerons from Dundee's army who were looting and stealing, and hanged them. This naturally caused a breach with Clan Cameron, a number of whom decided to redress the matter by descending on Glen Urquart. A Grant force was waiting for them at the castle there, however, and as far as is known the Camerons retired.
Major-General Buchan took command of the Jacobite army after Dundee had been killed, and in 1690 he was encamped with about 800 troops on the Haughs of Cromdale, which was on Ludovick's estate, a little east of Grantown- on-Spey. Ballachastell was garrisoned by government troops under General Sir Thomas Livingstone, who was eight miles away with 300 men of his own regiment, and 300 of Ludovick's own Grant Regiment. He also had a troop of cavalry, and other infantry totalling 1,200 men in all. Livingstone marched towards Ballachastell, and precautions were taken to prevent news of these troop movements getting to Buchan, who was with his own forces at Cromdale. Livingstone arrived at Ballachastell at 2 a.m. on 1 May, and Captain Grant of Easter Elchies, who was O.C. Troops at Ballachastell, pointed out Buchan's camp fires from the top of Babett's Tower, and advised that he should immediately attack, even though his men were pretty exhausted having had little or no rest after their march. Livingstone agreed to this, and after only a short rest, Captain Grant guided the troops across an unguarded Spey ford, and Buchan's army was taken by surprise in the early hours. As many as 400 Jacobites were slain or captured; the rest escaped over the misty hills. This little battle really terminated the Scottish struggle for King James.
Ludovick was not present at the battle of the Haughs of Cromdale (pronounced 'Hocs') because he had returned to Edinburgh on his parliamentary duties. There is in existence a large silver bowl which one tradition says General Livingstone and his officers drank punch from after the battle. This seems more likely than another story, which states that it was presented to Ludovick as a commemorative piece.
Mackay received permission to build a fort at Fort William, and it was garrisoned by part of Ludovick's regiment, who received much praise for their good conduct.
Ludovick continued his parliamentary duties as member for Inverness-shire, and in 1690 he was made a University and School Commissioner, as well as sitting on a number of other committees. In 1694 William and Mary erected his lands of Freuchie into the 'Regality of Grant', and directed that his castle [28] should henceforth be known as 'Castle Grant'. From then on Ludovick and his successors were known as Lairds of Grant.
In 1695 the Estates Parliament took up the question of compensation to Ludovick for all his losses sustained from the rebels, and the quartering of troops, etc. It was estimated that he and his people had lost £76,000 Scots on Speyside, and in Urquart £44,000 Scots. In addition, a further £30,000 Scots was claimed for rent losses over five years. Parliament agreed to give him £12,000 sterling, but, sad to relate, these large sums of money were never repaid, even though succeeding Lairds continued to press their claim.
In 1710 Ludovick formally resigned his leadership of the Clan to his son, Colonel Alexander Grant of Grant. He did this before a gathering of the gentlemen and others of the Clan at Ballintome. He had them all dressed in plaids and tartans of red and green, and all wearing whiskers. (This is I believe, the first recorded instance of a Highland Clan wearing a standard tartan, instead of what- ever colour the wearer happened to own.) Ludovick died in Edinburgh in 1716, and was buried in Holyrood Abbey. His wife, Janet, had died in 1697, and Ludovick married Jean Houston in 1701. He and Janet had had five sons and four daughters. Their eldest son, John, died young, and Ludovick was therefore succeeded by Alexander, his second son. His third son, James, succeeded Alexander. His fourth son, George, became Major General Grant of Culbin. His youngest son, Lewis, became a regular army colonel, who bought the estate of Dunphail, which passed on his death (in Jamaica) to his nephew, Sir Ludovick Grant of Grant. His eldest daughter, Elizabeth, married Hugh Rose of Kilravock. His second daughter married Grant of Ballindalloch, and she was the ancestress of the Macpherson Grants of Ballindalloch. His third daughter married Sir Robert Mackenzie, and his youngest daughter married Lord Lovat.
Brigadier-General Alexander Grant of Grant (1716-1719)
Alexander married firstly Elizabeth Stewart in 1699, and, secondly, Anne Smith, in 1709. In spite of the fact that Alexander was officially the Chief for only three years, his life was very active and important. In fact, he was one of the most hard-working Chiefs so far. In his early life, he was not only a Commissioner of Supplies, but a Justicia, a Sheriff-Principal and a member of parliament. In 1706, we find him appointed a Commissioner to negotiate the union with England. He was one of the signatories of the Act of Union, together with that of the Earl of Seafield, whose family was to be united with the Grants, as readers will see below. Also in 1706, Alexander was commissioned into the army of Queen Anne, as Colonel of the Foot Regiment raised by the Earl of Mar in 1702. Alexander petitioned parliament to pay the award of £12,000 sterling owing to his father, but without success.
He was re-elected to the new parliament in 1706, as member for Inverness- shire. There were fears of a French invasion, and of a Jacobite rising. Additional men were recruited to Alexander's regiment, to increase it to 12 companies, [29] each of 59 rank and file. They then marched to Newcastle to take passage to London, and on to the Continent to augment the Duke of Marlborough's army. They appear to have stayed abroad until 1711. There is no evidence, however, that Alexander accompanied his regiment. Early in 1709 he married for the second time-Anne Smith, daughter of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and maid of honour to the queen. He became ill with fever and rheumatism, but on his recovery he went to Flanders to join his regiment, and took part in the siege of Mons. In 1710 Alexander was captured by a French ship whilst proceeding home on leave. He was, however, soon released on parole, and returned home as part of a general exchange of prisoners from both sides. Shortly after he took over the Chiefship of the Clan from his father, as described above (p. 28).
In 1711 Alexander was promoted to Brigadier-General, and his regiment returned home from Flanders. When it landed at Portsmouth, however, it received orders to go to Canada to help capture Quebec. In fact, only a part sailed away with Colonel Disney's regiment; the remainder were disbanded, leaving Alexander free to return home to his duties as an M.P., Chief of the Clan, and Sheriff of Inverness.
Early in 1715, after the accession to the throne of King George I, Alexander was made Governor of Sheerness Castle. In the same year he was ordered to assist the Duke of Argyll, who the king had appointed to put down the 1715 Jacobite Rising, led by the Earl of Mar, who was nicknamed 'Bobbing John'. Alexander was made Lord Lieutenant for Banff and Inverness, and in September Argyll ordered him to take command of Edinburgh Castle with his regiment.
In 1716 Alexander proceeded north via the east coast with Argyll's army. They received the surrender of numbers of Jacobites, and occupied their houses and castles. By midsummer he was back in Sheerness. He had to ensure that his deputy lieutenants enforced the Disarming Act-which deprived Jacobites of their arms-and see that all weapons handed in were properly safeguarded. In the meantime his own regiment, which he still commanded, was stationed at Fort William.
There is an interesting description of how clansmen were dressed in those days for an armed foray. They wore short stockings, a belted plaid, a gun on their shoulder, a 'targe', with a sharp spike screwed into the centre, carried on the left arm, a claymore and one or two pistols, a dirk and a knife on the belt. It is surprising they were able to scamper over the peat bogs and hills carrying that lot of weighty military hardware!
In 1717 Alexander retired from the army and was able to retire to his estates. Unfortunately, his wife Anne died; and Alexander went to stay with his father-in-law for some time in Tidworth. On his way home, he became [30] ill and died at Leith. He was buried at Holyrood chapel. Alexander had no children, and so he was succeeded by his brother, James.
Sir James Grant of Grant, bt. (1719-1747)
James married Anne Colquhoun, who was the heiress of the Colquhoun of Luss. This is interesting, because it explains how the Baronetcy of Nova Scotia, granted by Charles I in 1625 to Colquhoun of Luss, came to the Chiefs of Grant. James was first known as 'of Pluscardine' because he inherited that estate through Janet Brodie of Leithen, his mother. Pluscardine Abbey is well known. It was in Grant hands for only a few years. On his marriage, James assumed the name Colquhoun (pronounced 'cahoon'), because in 1706 the Luss estates and titles were entailed on his wife and himself. Queen Anne granted a new patent to the baronetcy, allowing it to pass to heirs male through Sir Humphrey Colquhoun's daughter, Anne. Sir Humphrey died in 1718, and accordingly the baronetcy passed to James, as Sir James Colquhoun of Luss.
James inherited the Chiefship of Grant in 1719, and in the following year he was returned proprietor to the Grant estates and honours, when he rightly re-assumed the Grant surname, and, in accordance with Sir Humphrey's entail, James's second son, Ludovick, was infeft with the Barony of Luss. James retained the baronetcy title, however. For many years he was a member of parliament, representing Inverness, and later Elgin. Although James, being an M.P. had of necessity to live mostly in London, he did succeed in improving his Scottish estates, and promoting forestry thereon, even to the extent of planting trees unusual to Speyside, such as cypress, stonepine, cedar, laburnum, elm, beech and willow. Rather an adventurous change from the ubiquitous Scots pine and birch!
James was at Castle Grant when the news of Bonnie Prince Charlie's landing arrived in 1745, and he, like many others, soon received a letter from the prince, which read as follows:
Kinlochiel, August the 22, 1745.
You cannot be ignorant of my being arrived in this country, and of my having set up the Royal Standard, and of my firm resolution to stand by those who will stand by me. I refer you to my printed declaration for the rest. On such an occasion, I cannot but expect the concurrence of all those who have the true interest of their country at heart. And I have heard such a character of you as makes me hope to see you among the most forward. By answering these expecta- tions, you will entitle yourself to that favour and friendship of which I shall be ever ready to give you proofs.
CHARLES, P.R.
For Sir James Grant, Baronet.
[31] As he had already returned to London, this letter was forwarded to James by post. He did not reply to the prince, but handed the letter unopened to the Marquis of Tweeddale, then Secretary of State. He remained quietly in London, while Ludovick, his eldest son, resided at Castle Grant and managed the estates. James decided not to take up the Jacobite cause, but to await government orders before taking any military action or other steps.
James was caught, like so many others, on that ill-fated enterprise known as the 'South Sea Bubble' with substantial financial loss.
He died in London in 1747 and was survived by four sons and five daughters. Ludovick, his eldest son, was born on 13 January 1707. He succeeded to the estates of Luss, and afterwards to the Grant estates. His second son, James, was born on 22 February 1714, and was successor to the Luss estate from his brother, Ludovick, and carried on the family of Colquhoun of Luss. His third son, Francis, was born on 10 August 1717. He became a lieutenant- general, and obtained the estate of Dunphail in Elginshire, still a well-known and important estate. He was a member of parliament for Elgin, and he also owned an estate in Hampshire, called Windmill Hill. He married, secondly, a daughter of the Duke of Buckingham. He died in 1781. The fourth son, Charles, was born on 3 April 1723, and became a captain in the Royal Navy. James's daughters were: Jean, born on 28 September 1705, who married William Duff, later Baron Braco of Kilbryde, Viscount Macduff, and Earl Fife in the peerage of Ireland; Anne, born on 2 May 1711, who married Sir Henry Innes, ancestor of the Dukes of Roxburgh; and Penuel, born on 12 August 1719, who married Captain Alexander Grant of Ballindalloch.