James Grant (1743)

Born 13 Apr 1743 in Urquhart, Inverness, Scotland

Descendants

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Biography

James Grant, seventh of Corrimony, was born at his grand-aunt's house of Rothiemurchis, on 13th, and was baptised 17th April 1743, at Urquhart Church, the Earl of Seafield being one of the witnesses. On the approach of the Hanoverian troops after Culloden, he and his sister were hidden in panniers, and carried off to Culbockie, by William Cameron, farmer at Carnoch, and kept there till matters were settled. He was educated at the parish school of Petty, and afterwards at the University of Edinburgh. With the intention of becoming a writer to the signet, he was apprenticed on 24th June 1761, to John Syme, W.S., but preferring the bar, he was admitted advocate on 21st February 1767. At the bar, he had a considerable practice, but being always opposed to the government of the day, he never received any official position. He was the author of " Essays on the Origin of Society, Language, Property, Government, Jurisdiction, Contract and Marriage, interspersed with illustrations from the Gaelic and Greek Languages," published in London 1785, quarto; "Thoughts on the Origin and Descent of the Gael, with an account of the Picts, Caledonians, and Scots, and Observations relative to the authenticity of the Poems of Ossian," published at London, 1813, and Edinburgh, 1814, octavo; and an Account of the Parish of Urquhart and Glenmorriston, in Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland, 1798. His remains were interred in the burying-ground of Claodh Churidan, Corrimony, and an obelisk, which was erected over the spot by public subscription, bears this inscription, composed by Lord Cockburn: " Here lies what was mortal of James Grant, Esquire, the last of the Grants of Corrimony, born 13th April 1743; died 12th September 1835. Literary, amiable, and independent, he was one of the very few of his class who, in his day, promoted these principles of political liberty which have since triumphed. He lived to be the oldest member of the Scottish Bar. He died the last of a race that for more than 350 years had inheri ted this glen."

Then I've paraphrased a little and put the Wikitree urls in brackets: James Grant married (first) in 1779 Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Robertson a merchant from Perth and his wife Hannah Swan, a daughter of George Swan, an illegitimate son of King Charles II and Dorothea Helena, Countess of Derby. James Grant and Elizabeth had four children, the eldest a daughter Jane, 1870-1839

Records

This profile is part of the Grant Name Study.

James Grant is a member of Clan Grant.

Scotland Births and Baptisms:

• Name James Grant
• Gender Male
• Christening Date 17 Apr 1743
• Christening Place URQUHART, INVERNESS, SCOTLAND
• Birth Date 13 Apr 1743
• Father's Name Alex. Grant
• Mother's Name Jean Ogilvy

Sources

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XBSH-ZJ3 : 2 January 2015), James Grant, 13 Apr 1743; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 990,716, 990,717.

• Scotland Births and Baptisms from findmypast.co.uk

• The Grants of Corrimony by (Sir) Francis J. Grant -- pages 25-