Family and Ancestry of Father James Andrew Grant in Scotland |
The recorded History of the Grants in Scotland goes back to the 13th century. Research resources are innumerable. For a history of the Grants, see: The Highland Clans of Scotland: Their History and Traditions (1923), by George Eyre-Todd, pages 153–165, a free eBook on Internet Archive. A short history of Clan Grant is on the website of Scotweb. Clan Grant Branch Families by James H. Grant gives a quick review. Two of the branches of the Grants he mentions are of particular relevance: The Grants of Blairfindy, Glenlivet, and The 1st Grants of Ballindalloch, in the parish of Inveravon. I found the Clan Grant—DNA Project especially interesting. Wikipedia includes articles on Clan Grant, Castle Grant, and Ballindalloch Castle.
The History of the Province of Moray by J. F. S. Gordon, , Glasgow 1882, (3 volumes) includes in volume 1 chapters on the parishes of Inveravon (page 190), Kirkmichael (page 215), Cromdale (page 225), Duthill (page 251), and Rothiemurchus (page 260), among others, with many references to the Grants. The book gives a good History of the Family of Grant at pages 89–109 in the section on Knockando Parish.
For more complete histories of the Grants, see: Grant on Electric Scotland and The Chiefs of Grant (volume I) by William Fraser, Edinburgh 1883 (a free eBook). Volume II. Correspondence — Volume III. Charters, part 1and part 2. Volumes II and III are on the Hathi Digital Trust Library. See also: Clan Grant and Clan Grant of Glenmoriston on The Highland Clans of Scotland: Their History and Traditions by George Eyre-Todd.
Doris M. Grant of Ontario (DMG66 on ancestry.com) has made many informative postings on the Internet about the James Grant family of Glenlivet, especially the family of Peter Grant and Helen Gordon. Peter Grant was her husband's great-grandfather. Her husband is Alexander John Grant, born in 1932 in Canada. His father was Alexander James Grant (1904–1973) born in Canada. His father was Alexander Joseph Grant, born in Dufftown, Banffshire Scotland in 1863, son of Peter Grant and Helen Gordon, and an older brother of Father James Andrew Grant. Doris M. Grant's Message Board Posts on ancestry.com offer much historical information on this Grant family. A listing of all her postings on ancestry.com is available by clicking on (View posts) on the date line of each of her postings. Browsing through them is a worthwhile effort.
The Grants in Scotland who were the immediate ancestors of Father James Andrew Grant lived on the Glenlivet Estate, which was owned by the Dukes of Gordon and Richmond.
Blairfindy Castle is known to have been the property of the Grants of Blairfindy in about 1470. The Lairds of Grant Grants held the property from the Earl of Huntly. It was first mentioned in a grant by the 3rd Earl of Huntly to his younger son Alexander, who then granted it to his younger son John Gordon in 1539. It is supposed that the castle was built by John Gordon, whose coat or arms can be seen over the door. However it seems likely that the Grants would have had a dwelling of some sort here, perhaps a simple hall-house, and that the Gordons extended it. Given the Gordon connection, it is likely that the castle housed rebel Gordon troops before the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594. During the Civil War, the Royalist son of Huntly was captured and kept prisoner at Blairfindy before being sent to Edinburgh for execution. After the Jacobite Revolts, it is recorded that Blairfindy was burned by Government troops, and the stump of a burned roof timber survives to this day.
Johne Grant of Blairfindie was one of several grants who signed the Bond of Combination between the Laird of Grant, his friends, and the men of Badenoch, Rothiemurchus, Strathawine, and Glenlivat of March 30, 1645. Document #212, page 238, volume 3 of Chiefs of Grant by William Fraser.
Blairfindy Castle — The Future? from a report by Simon Forder for Glenlivet and Ineravon Community Association:
I don't know how much of the history of Blairfindy the members of the community association are aware of, so forgive me if I go over old ground for some of you here. The commonly available information is that Blairfindy is a modest L-plan tower house of the Gordons, built in the sixteenth century and used as a hunting lodge.
The truth is that the castles history is a lot more confusing than this simple account would have us believe. Blairfindy was originally part of the Lordship of Strathavon, part of the lands which were sold to the Earl of Huntly by the grandson of the Wolf of Badenoch in 1490. It seems likely that the actual occupants of Strathavon at this time were Grants, who held lands in Strathavon from the Earl. The Grants of Blairfindy can be traced from a younger son of the Laird of Grant of this time. It seems probable that it was the Grants who first built a castle at Blairfindy, perhaps replacing the earlier fortification at Deskie, which was also held by Grants. In 1568 the Gordon Lord of Strathavon died, resulting in a bitter dispute between the Laird of Grant and the Earl of Huntly. It seems that the Grants lost out here as in 1586 John Gordon of Cluny, younger son of the Lord of Strathavon recorded his marriage to Margaret Gordon with a heraldic datestone over Blairfindy's door. In 1590 John Gordon’s younger son married the widow of the Laird of Ballindalloch in an attempt to gain the estates. The Grants caught up with him and killed him at Darnaway Castle, which involved the Gordons who lived at Blairfindy in the feud between the Earl of Huntly and the Bonnie Earl of Moray. In 1592, Huntly arranged for Morays murder, and ended up being outlawed, which resulted in the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, when the Grants fought against the victorious Huntly. In 1604 John Gordon of Cluny started building a new castle at Cluny, leaving Blairfindy for good, in 1606, the Laird of Grant gave up his lands in Strathavon to the Earl of Huntly, later 1st Marquis, which included Blairfindy as the Earl insisted Grant supply him with wood for its upkeep. In 1647, the 2nd Marquis of Huntly was captured at Delnabo as a fugitive and was kept prisoner at Blairfindy, where messages were sent by Grant of Carron to say that he would be rescued or his men would all die in the attempt; but he replied he was worn out and tired of living in hills and dens, so he was not rescued. It seems that the Grants had re-inhabited Blairfindy after the civil war period, as tenants of the Gordons again as Grants of Blairfindy continue to be mentioned from 1649 until the Jacobite rebellions. The Grants of Blairfindy were prominent Catholics and Jacobites; Colonel David Grant was Bonnie Prince Charlie’s close advisor and was his mapmaker in the 1745 campaign, in 1746, however, after the Battle of Culloden, Hanoverian troops burned his "House of Blairfindy," since which time it has been abandoned. Ownership of the Blairfindy Estate passed to the Duke of Richmond and Gordon in 1836, and was given to the Crown in lieu of death duties in 1937, at which point it was renamed the Glenlivet Estate.
So, we have a castle which can be linked directly with the feud which caused the death of the Bonnie Earl of Moray, with the Battle of Glenlivet, and Bonnie Prince Charlie; these events and the causes of them are amongst the most important historical events in northern Scotland.
Grants were the custodians of the land upon which Blairfindy Castle was later built in about 1470. They held the land from the Earl of Huntly. Family tradition is that the Grants of Blairfindy descended from William Grant who was born about 1527.
"According to tradition, the Blairfindies descended from William Grant, circa 1527. Situated in remote Glenlivet, a number of the sons of this family were educated at the Roman Catholic school there and supported the Jacobite cause in the 1745 rebellion. The Blairfindy Grants were known more for their achievements in foreign lands than in their native country. Abbe’ Robert Grant was Principal of the Scots College at Douay in the 18th century; his brother, Abbe’ Peter Grant lived in Rome." Clan Grant Branch Families.
William Grant, traditional ancestor of the Grants of Blairfindy, was the son son of John Grant, the second son of Sir Duncan Grant, Laird of Freuchie in 1442. The History of the Province of Moray by Lachlan Shaw, Elgin 1827, pages 27–28 (a free Google eBook).
John Grant of Blairfindy, who was born about 1655, married Helen Forbes. William Grant of Blairfindy, who died in 1762, married Jean Tyrie. Their son, also William Grant of Blairfindy, who became apolitical figure in lower Canada, was born on June 25, 1744, and died on October 5, 1805.
A description of the life of the inhabitants of Strathavon and Glenlivet (Glenlivat) from 1800 to 1860 will be found in Lectures on the Mountains; or The Highlands and Highlanders As They Were and As They Are, London 1860, by William Grant Stewart, who "first drew the breath of life" ... "within the sounds of the roaring Avon ... (in) the peaceful mountain mansion of Achnahyle." (page 6). Achnahyle was "at one time a mortgage of James Grant, brother to Easter Elchies" and later possessed by a family named Grant. (page 93)
The districts of Strathavon and Glenlivat form the south-western extremity of the county of Banff, including two angles of the counties of Inverness and Moray, called Glenbroun and Glenlochy, being parts of the parish of Abernethy, but locally situated in the country of Strathavon. The districts of Strathavon and Glenlivat wholly belong in property to his grace the Duke of Richmond,* forming part of the Gordon Richmond domains, with the exception of the lands of Lynchork and Delnabo, Glenbroun and Glenlochy, belonging in property to the right honorable the Earl of Seafield.† (page 19)
*Chief of the Gordons
†Chief of the Grants.
The book contains these comments, at pages 102 and 103, about Auchorachan, and Tombeckachie to the immediate north, and Blairfindy, immediately to the west across the River Livet:
Auchorachan.—Formerly the residence of a family of the name of Gordon, represented by William Gordon, Esq., of Tomnavoulin.
Blairfundy.—The residence of a family of the name of Grant, descendants of the Clan Allan, in Strathspey. Alexander Grant of Blairfundy had three sons—
Robert, for some time an officer in the 27th regiment, afterwards tenant of Castleton and Blairfundy, who died about 1822.
William, an officer in the army, who died in Barbadoes, many years ago.
Charles, for some time an officer in the army, who died in 1826.
Tombreckachie.—Long the residence of a family of the name of Grant. Mr. Grant, who died about forty years ago, left two sons—
Charles, a captain in the army, who lost his leg, under the Duke of Wellington, and died at Elgin, some years ago.
William, an officer in the army, the last occupant of Tombreckachie, of that family, now living in Dufftown. [This Captain William Grant was to play in important part in the life of Peter Grant, father of Father James Andrew Grant. See below.]
On May 8, 1546,
"the Laird of Freuchie (James Grant, Third of Freuchie) and his son, John Grant the younger, had renewed to the Earl (of Gordon) their engagements of service. They did this as holders in liferent of certain of the Earl's lands in Strathavon, and as his bailies and keepers of the then strong castle of Drummin. In return the Earl, according to the fashion of the day, bound himself to defend, assist, and uphold the Laird and his son in every way in all their lawful affairs." The Chiefs of Grant by William Fraser, Edinburgh 1883, volume 1, Memoirs, page 119 (under the page heading of Friendly Relations with the Earl of Huntly). See also page 124.
In a document dated March 12, 1612, John Grant of Freuchie, assigned his interest in certain lands in Strathavon (Strathowne) to "Alexander Gordoun, elder of Strathowne, proprietor of the lands and barony of Strauthoune, ... and Dame Agnes Sinclair, Countess of Errol, his spouse." The assignment was in settlement of a long standing dispute, and recited that, on August 24, 1562, and later charter of September 30, 1568, the "deceased George Earl of Huntly, Lord Gordoun, Badzenoche, and Straithowne" had assigned "in liferent for their lifetimes" an interest in the same lands "lying in the lordship of Stratawin and shire of Banff" to "John Grant of Freuchie, grandfather of John Grant, now of Freuchie."
The agreement specifically ratified a decree obtained "before the Lords of Council and Session" of January 22, 1603, ordering that John Grant of Freuchie remove himself and his tenants from Auchorachan and other properties. John Grant's assignment included:
"all rights and tacks of teinds which he or his predecessors had acquired of the parishes of Inveravin and Kirkmichael, in so far as they extended to the teinds, both parsonage and vicarage, of the lands and barony of Strathowne, lying within the said two parishes, for payment of 200 merks to Mr. William Clogye and his successors chancellors of Moray, for the relief of the said John Grant of Freuehy, who paid 400 merks yearly, and to pay the taxation upon remaining teinds† pro rata. Reserving the teindsheaves and vicarage of the lands of Tombrakachie, Navie, and some other lands which were wadset* to various persons, during the time they remained in wadset, but whenever they should be redeemed by the said Alexander Gordon, he was to have right to the said teinds." The Chiefs of Grant by William Fraser, Edinburgh 1883, volume 3, Charters, part 2, document 337, pages 419–421.
†Tiends — "Another peculiar custom observed and noted by Mr. Lorimer was, that in Sir Ludovick Grant's leases to his tenants, he always let 'the teinds.' By this clause in their leases every removing tenant was required to leave to his successor the tenth part of his corn, which tenth part belonged to the Laird." Chiefs of Grant, by William Fraser, Volume 1, Memoirs, Edinburgh, 1883, Introduction, page xcviii.
*Wadset — "The wadset was of the nature of a mortgage, but it provided that the lands disponed should be possessed by the holder of the wadset and his descendants, until the Laird or his successors repaid the sums advanced, and thereby redeemed the territory." Fraser, ibid, page xciii.
(reference to Patrick Grant, brother of John Grant)
The 4th Duke of Gordon planned and built the local village of Tomintoul in the 1770s.
The local minister of Tomintoul in 1797 wrote that “Tomintoul is inhabited by 37 families, without any industry. All of them sell whisky and all of them drink it. When disengaged from this business, the women spin yarn, kiss their inamoratos or dance to the discordant sounds of an old fiddle”. Around Tomintoul.
In the 1930s, the estate of Glenlivet became part of The Crown Estate owned by the Queen of the United kingdom. See this walking map: The Crown Estate ©2007 Wendy Price Cartographic Services. For an introduction to this and other maps, go to: Glenlivet Estate. See also: Gordon Castle and Glenlivet Estate—Tomintoul and Glenlivet Estate—Things to See and Do. For a short history of the Dukes of Gordon, go to Electric Scotland—Gordon and Marquess of Huntly on Wikipedia.
James Grant, grandfather of father James Alexander Grant, lived and worked at Auchorachan on the Glenlivet Estate. Auchorachan is about a mile north by northeast of where the Burn of Nevie flows from the east into the River Livet — and to the immediate east of Highway B9008, about half way between Auchbreck to the north and Tomnavoulin to the south, which are about 3 miles apart. The Glenlivet Distillery is about 1 1/2 miles west by northwest of Auchorachan — across the River Livet and just beyond Blairfindy Castle. Dufftown is about 14 miles to the northeast of Auchorachan on Highway B9009. The Braes of Glenlivet are about 9 miles to the southeast of Auchorachan. Here is a satellite map of the Burn of Nevie.
Here is an excerpt from Parish of Inveraven in The New Statistical Account of Scotland: Banff. Elgin, Nairn, Edinburgh and London 1845, volume XIII, page 137–8 (written in August, 1836):
Manufactures. — Instead of the smuggling houses, formerly to be found on almost every streamlet, besides one in progress of erection, there are two legal distilleries in Glenlivet, where whisky is produced of the very best quality, and always commanding a great demand and high price: — one at Aucherachan, about the centre of the glen, as lately enlarged, gives employment to four men, consumes weekly about 160 bushels of malt made from bear, which yields 300 gallons of spirits, and about £. 45 of duties. The other is at upper Drumin, nearer the Aven. The proprietor of the former has also a distillery in Buchan; but he finds, after the most careful and repeated trials, that, with the same hands and materials, he can not produce a spirit equal to what he obtains in Glenlivet. For the latter, of which he never knows what it is to have a stock, there is a demand to all quarters of the world — its fame as well as quality being equal to that of any smuggled whisky. The chief market, however, is among private families, though even spirit-dealers readily allow 6d. per gallon more than for the whisky distilled in Buchan.
Older maps spell Auchorachan without a u — Achorachan. For example, see Map of the Parish of Inveravon in the Historical County of Banff and go to Historical Maps. Achorachan, Bridge of Nevie, and Nevie, are listed in the county of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869 on the same page of Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire (volume 17, page 188; 36.09 on a 25-inch map, and 036 on a 6-inch map).
Auchorachan — Council - Moray; parish - Inveravon; Former Region - Grampian; Former District - Moray. See Canmore on exploring Scotland's places — published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, and enter Auchorachan in the search box.
From The Lost Distilleries of Scotland:
Auchorachan
Other Name: Glenlivat, Acherachan
Address: Auchorachan, Glenlivet, Moray
Established: Before 1790
Closed: 1852A commentary
If you drive up to the north on A95 for about 10 miles from Craigellachie, a town by the middle reaches of Speyside, you'll find a village called Bridge of Avon. Auchorachan is about 6 miles to Tomintoul on B9008.
It stands in the hill where you can have a great view of The Glenlivet. The distillery was ran by William Gordon in 1790.
After that the owner changed several times and they closed it in 1852. The part of the buildings from those days still remains and now they are used for barns.
Here is part of a part of an 1822 Topographical and military map of the counties of Aberdeen, Banff and Incardinate. ... North West section that includes Part of Inveraven that shows Achorachan, Achbriack, Tombreakachie, and Deskie on the east side of the Water of Livat as it flows into the Aven River near the Ruins of Castle Drummin, and Blairfindy, Castleton, and Minmore on the west side. The same area is shown in the 1875 publication of sheet 75 - Tomintoul (near the top edge of the map at 3°19' west longitude and 57°20" longitude, with spellings of Achorachan, Achbreck, Tombreckachie, Castletown of Blairfindy. The Glenlivet Distillery is shown between the Castleton of Blairfindy and Minmore. Deskie and the place what the River Liver flows into the River Avon (at Castle Drumin) is on the adjoining chart (to the north), sheet 85 - Rothes.
Here is a c. 1636–1652 Gordon24 Map of River Avon that shows Achoracon, and Blairfindie, and Glen-Liffet. Here is part of a part of an 1822 Topographical and military map of the counties of Aberdeen, Banff and Kincardine.... North West section that includes Part of Inveraven that shows Achoracan, Achbriack, Tombreakachie, and Deskie on the east side of the Water of Livat as it flows into the Aven River near the Ruins of Castle Drummin, and Blairfindy, Castleton, and Minmore on the west side. The same area is shown in the 1875 publication of sheet 75 - Tomintoul, with spellings of Achorachan, Achbreck, Tombreckachie, Castletown of Blairfindy. The Glenlivet Distillery is shown between the Castleton of Blarifindy and Minmore. Deskie and the place what the River Liver flows into the River Avon (at Castle Drumin) is on the adjoining chart (to the north), sheet 85 - Rothes.
Sheet 21 - Inverness & Spey (1903) on Bartholomew's "Half Inch to the Mile Maps" of Scotland, 1899-1905 on Map Images of the National Library of Scotland is especially useful. (Achorachan is spelled Ichorachan on this map, and is to the northeast of the intersection of the line of 20° west longitude and 57° north latitude). On the same website, the Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–55, is helpful in locating older names of places. For example, the place where the Water Dulnan flows into the Burn of Fiddich (later marked the River Fiddich) from the southwest, just south of the Old Castle Balveny, where Dufftown was formed more than 50 years later, are the words Kirk of Mortlach. To the southwest, this map shows the Burn of Nevie flowing into the River Livet from the east, with Achorachan to the north and Tombreckachie to the immediate northeast just south of where the Water of Tarvie flows into the River Livet from the east, just before the River Livet flows into the River Avon.
For places in Scotland, I have often inserted a link to Canmore on exploring Scotland's places — published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. If you go there and enter the name of the place in the search box, you will find that show the location of the places listed. The maps are expandable, changeable in format, and may be moved on the screen to provide a search of nearby areas.
The Catholic Highlands of Scotland, by Dom. Odo Blundell, O.S.B., London 1909, Volume 1—The Central Highlands, Strathavon, page 55–56, makes this statement:.
The whole of Strathavon was long known for its fidelity to the ancient Faith, the Laird of Ballindalloch in 1671 being prosecuted, along with Gordon of Carmellie and Gordon of Littlemill, for harbouring priests, and being present at Mass. By degrees, however, the lower portions of the glen gave way and conformed to the new religion, but the more remote have ever remained true to their former tenets, and have, along with the sister glen, Glenlivet, been a secure shelter for the persecuted clergy and a constant source of supply from which to refill its ranks, as will indeed be seen from the following pages. (pages 55–56) ...
At the close of the seventeenth century we have the authority of two Protestant writers that Strathavon and Glenlivet were generally or almost wholly Catholic. Sir Robert Sibbald, of Kippis, describing Speyside in 1680 says : "The people here (Strathavon) are more rude than in any other place or waterside that runneth into the Spey; generally both in this country and in Glenlivet they have fallen to Popery." A little later (1689) Major-General Mackay states that he had three ways of retreat, either towards Inverness, or down Speyside, or through Strathdown and Glenlivet. The latter he would have preferred to the other two, but says "he durst not resolve to march through an enemy's country, all Papists, with an enemy four times his number in his rear."
The Grants of Ballindalloch, in the parish of Inveravon, Banffshire - commonly called the Criag-Achrochean Grants - as already stated, descend from Patrick, twin brother of John, ninth laird of Freuchie. Patrick's grandson, John Grant, was killed by his kinsman, John Roy Grant of Carron, as afterwards mentioned, and his son, also John Grant, was father of another Patrick, whose son, John Roy Grant, by his extravagant living and unhappy differences with his lady, a daughter of Leslie of Balquhain, entirely ruined his estate, and was obliged to consent to placing it under the management and trust of three of his kinsmen, Brigadier Grant, Captain Grant of Elchies, and Walter Grant of Arndilly, which gave occasion to W. Elchies' verses of "What meant the man?".
General James Grant of Ballindalloch succeeded to the estates on the death of his nephew, Major William Grant, in 1770. He died at Ballindalloch, on 13th April 1806, at the age of 86. Having no children, he was succeeded by his maternal grand-nephew, George Macpherson, Esq of Invershire, who assumed in consequence the additional name of Grant, and was created a baronet in 1838.
Glenlivet is 6.1 road miles south of Ballindalloch Castle and 13.3 road miles west by southwest of Dufftown. See: Map of Attractions near Ballindalloch Castle.
The land upon which Ballindalloch Castle is located was bestowed upon Patrick Grant in 1532 by his father, James Grant, the 3rd Laird of Freuchie. The castle was begun in 1546 by Patrick's son, John Grant, born about 1515, who died on September 11, 1559 — murdered by John Roy Grant of Carron.* John's first wife was Isabella, daughter of John Grant of Culcabock. His second wife, whom he married in 1841, was Barbara Gordon. Barbara Gordon was the daughter of William Gordon, of Schiva and 1st of Gight, and Janet Ogilvy. See: The House of Gordon, edited by John Malcolm Buloloch, Edinburgh 1903, pages 19–20, and Ballindalloch Castle on Undiscovered Scotland. .
Patrick's Grandson, Patrick Grant, 3rd of Ballindalloch, who died on September 8, 1586, married as his second wife Margaret Gordon. Margaret Gordon was the daughter of George Gordon, 3rd of Lesmoir, born about 1516, and Katherine Forbes. Their daughter, Margaret Grant of Ballindalloch (c. 1589–1633) married Alexander Gordon of Dunkintie (c.1589–1633). After Patrick Grant's death, his wife, Barbara Gordon Grant married John Gordon, son of Thomas Gordon of Cluny. John Gordon was slain outside Dunaway Castle on November 24, 1590.
*See: The Cocks of the North, at page 89–102 of The Ancestor: A Quarterly Review of County and Family History, Heraldry and Antiquitees, Number IX, April 1904, edited by Oswald Barron.
Family home since 1546 to Macpherson-Grants, who founded the famous Aberdeen Angus cattle. Outstanding example of Scottish baronial architecture, with 19th century wings added to the main 16th century fabric. Collection of 17th century Spanish paintings. —Ballindalloch Castle
The lands originally belonged to Ballindallochs of that ilk but were in the hands of John and Barbara Gordon by the time the 16th century Z plan tower house was built - a stone with their names and date of 1546 were found behind paneling in 1818. Conversely, the castle was besieged and captured in 1590 by James Gordon, a kinsman of the Earl of Huntly. This was a result of a quarrel between John Grant, tutor of the young laird Patrick Grant, and the latter’s mother. Castles of Clan Gordon Wiki — Ballindalloch.
Ballindalloch Castle was originally a Z plan tower house, but it has been much altered and enlarged over the centuries. The main tower dates from the 16th century, the date 1546 is carved on a stone lintel in one of the bedrooms.
The castle had to be substantially repaired after it was plundered and burned by the Marquis of Montrose after the Battle of Inverlochy in 1645.
General James Grant added two new wings in 1770, one to the south and another to the north. General Grant was succeeded by his grand-nephew, George Macpherson of Invereshie. In 1838, he was created Sir George Macpherson-Grant, 1st Baronet of Ballindalloch.
Sir John Macpherson-Grant, 2nd Baronet, carried out extensive renovations in 1850. He added the courtyard and surrounding wings and moved the entrance to the east tower.
In 1878, Sir George Macpherson-Grant, 3rd Baronet, added a further nine bedrooms to the Castle, but this wing was demolished during restoration work in 1965. His other major addition to the estate has faired better. The herd of Aberdeen Angus he founded is still going strong and is now the oldest herd in the world.
The same family has lived in the castle since its construction and Ballindalloch remains the home of the Macpherson-Grants. —About Ballindalloch Castle on Aberseenshire on Castles of Moray (A Moriebh).
See also: The Rulers of Strathspey: A History of the Lairds of Grant and Earls of Seafield by the Earl of Cassillis, Inverness 1911, especially Appendix I (page 175), The first Grants of Ballindalloch, and Appendix V (page 204), Grants of Rothiemurchus and the Second Grants of Ballindalloch.
Drumin Castle — King Robert II granted the lands of Strathavon (including Drumin) to his son Alexander Stewart on the 17th July 1372. Alexander Stewart, referred to as the "Wolf of Badenoch" was noted for his temper and harsh justice. He is mostly remembered for the sacking and burning of Elgin Cathedral (1390) as part of a long term feud with the Bishop of Moray. It is unlikely that he was ever in permanent residence at Drumin, the castle being held by one of his sons. He also owned the strongholds of Lochindorb and Loch-an-Eilean and would more likely be resident there. It is thought that Sir Walter Stewart, the Wolf's Grandson, built the current castle in the late 1400's, replacing an earlier fortification. The same Sir Walter Stewart, however, disposed of the castle and lands pertaining to Drumin in 1490, when they passed to Alexander, 3rd Earl of Huntly.
On August 6, 1514, Alexander, Earl of Huntly, in exchange for a loan of money, gave to John Grant of Freuchie an option to demand repayment of the loan or to accept Alexander's rights in the lands of Auchinesse within the shiredome of Banff upon by payment of an additional sum by Grant. If repayment was the loan was elected, and payments was not made, Alexander was to to convey "ten merkis worth of his lands of Straithowin" where it please John "except his place of Drummyn." On October 16, 1514, Alexander Grant, Earl of Huntly, granted the lands of Auchanyse to John Grant of Freuchie. Documents 67 and 68, pages 59 and 60, in volume 3, part 1, of Chiefs of Grant by William Fraser.
On May 8, 1546, George, Earl of Huntly, acknowledged that he had, by charters and letters made to them, infeft in liferent James the Grant of Freuchie, and John the Grant, his son, certain land in the lordship of Strathoune (Strathavon) and the keeping of the house of Drummyn (Drumin). Document #100, page 97, in volume 3, part 1, of Chiefs of Grant by William Fraser.
Here is an excerpt from the Balbithan MS of 1644 as published, under Buckie, in The House of Gordon, edited by John Malcolm Bulloch, Aberdeen University 1903, volume 1, pages 58–59:
The Cadents of the House and Family of Buckie.
Alexander Gordon of Drumin married the Laird of Lochstericks daughter [Christan 1] Logan with whom he begat four Sons and daughters; his eldest Son Alx'r Gordon of Proney, David Gordon of Incharny [Lincharne 1] and Braikleys, William Gordon of Tombreachly, and Mr James a religious man ...
In his time [1490] John Stuart son to Sir Walter Stuart who disponed Strathawn to Alexander third Earl of Huntly made a great uproar assisted by the Grants and Clanallan, moved the Country to shake off Huntly's Authoritie; upon which the said Alexander Gordon of Drumyn came out of Badenoch with two hundred men in Arms upon Saturdays night to the Wood of Fegan anent Kirkmichaell and understanding that the said John Stuart with his principall Associats the Grants and Clanallan were within the Kirk on the Sabbath day, he caused every man of his Party cutt a faggott and carry along with him, and coming quietly to the Kirk he filled the Doors and Windows with the said Faggotts, and then called for fire to burn them, whereupon all within were glad to give out pledges to the said Alexander Gordon for their Obedience and good Behaviour in all time coming, which were sent to Strathbogie to the Earl Alexander. The forsd. Alexander Gordon of Drumin dyed in the Castle of Drumyn and was interred in the Kirk of Inverawn
See: Kirkmichael and Cnoc Fergan for photographs of Kirkmichael Church and this text:.
One fine Sunday in 1490 Alexander Gordon of Drumin, acting on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, who had recently purchased the lands of Strath Avon, came upon the local Grants and Clanallan, who objected to his ownership, at worship. Drumin's men piled up wood, from the trees handily growing on Cnoc Fergan, all round the church. Because this is the civilised East Highlands, not the West, they didn't actually set light to it, but merely threatened to do so unless the Grants and Clanallan gave security for their future good behaviour!
See also: Kirkmichael Paish Church on Canmore.
The Caterans of Inveraven by John Malcolm Bulloch, published in The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 1, March 14, 1927, pages 210–222, gives a history of the Gordons in Strathavon.
Catholicism was outlawed in Scotland in 1560 and replaced by Presbyterianism. The change was to have a dramatic effect on the Grants of Glenlivet.
In the 1560's, Catholicism was replaced by Presbyterianism as the Established Church in Scotland. Catholic properties were seized and Catholic Church records and materials were destroyed. This was the Scottish Reformation, led by Calvinist John Knox. After James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, an Episcopalian form of government of church and state was established in Scotland. But later attempts to bring the Scottish churches more into line with the Church of England were resisted and the National Covenant (a declaration of independence from England and the Crown and of loyalty to the Presbyterian religion) was signed in 1638. However, in 1661 Episcopalism was again forced upon the Scottish Kirk, and the Covenanters were greatly persecuted, tortured, and even put to death if they dared to worship by the Presbyterian form. In 1687, James the II’s Declarations of Indulgence, securing toleration for the Catholics, also brought persecution of Presbyterians to an end. When James II fled and William of Orange was established king of England in 1689, William allowed Episcopacy to be abolished in Scotland and the following year Presbyterianism was firmly established as the Church of Scotland, with church and state united under that form. These events are known as the ‘Scottish Revolution Settlement.' ...
In 1560, Roman Catholicism was abolished in Scotland by Act of Parliament. However, it survived in the Highlands and islands and in some areas in the South. Throughout the 17th century there were periods of great persecution and many priests fled abroad. After the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, all Catholics were declared rebels and outlaws and many were killed or banished. Some fled to Canada. The Catholic Relief Act was finally passed in 1793, and the last of the Penal laws were abolished in 1829. The 19th century saw extensive immigration of Irish Catholics into Scotland. Few pre-1793 records survive. —Scotland Church Records Union Lists on FamilySearch.
The Laird of Grant (then known as the Laird of Freuchie) was a member of the parliament that in 1560 outlawed Catholicism and enacted the Confession of Faith. Fraser I, page 132.
Religious conflicts also took place in Banffshire. The Reformation brought forward the simmering hostility between the Catholics, ruled by an earl of Huntley, that succeeded in defeating the Protestants, led in battle by an earl of Argyll. It was the battle of Glenlivet, taking place in 1594, that established the victory of the first over the latter.
Even so, area clans continued to fight for years, with no end in sight. Towards the end of the 17th century, Banffshire was considered to be Jacobite. Uprisings took place, against the Jacobite ruling, in 1715, and later, in 1745, but the shire suffered little from the religious conflicts. Later, Banffshire became a strong supporter of Catholics, and it remained so from that point on. The War of the Three Kingdoms found Banffshire as a stronghold for the Royalist party. —Banffshire — The Royalist supporters
For a general history of the Reformation in Scotland, see: Chapter VI. The Reformation in Scotland by James MacCaffrey on historion.net. 20 pages).
After the reformation, religious conflicts continued in Banff in which the Gordons (Marquesses of Huntly, Duke of Gordon) were supporters of the Catholics, and the Lairds of Grant were supporters of the government. The Glenlivet Grants were tenants of the Gordons. The Battle of Glenlivet on October 3, 1595 involved both the Gordons and the Grants. The battle was fought on a hillside near Ben Rinnes. Historic Scotland—Battlefields includes maps and a select bibliography, makes this statement:
The Battle of Glenlivet is significant as an example of the ongoing struggles within Scotland between Presbyterians and Catholics, which colours much of Scotland's history after the Reformation, and the relentless efforts of the kirk to eliminate the Catholic faith from the country.
The Catholic Highlands of Scotland by Dom Odo Blundell, O.S.B. London 1809 makes these statements:
Besides being the earliest seat of the Gordons in the north, Strathbogie, or Huntly Castle, as it was later called, was long their chief residence, and one historian of the district claims with considerable truth that "the whole of the North of Scotland was for centuries ruled from this parish." At the change of religion, the Earl of Huntly became at once the head of the Catholic party. He commanded them at the battle of Glenlivet, in which the victory was chiefly due to his exertions ; but King James was so enraged at this resistance of his authority, that he himself marched against the Earl, who was forced to flee to France. His proud Castle of Strathbogie was burnt and dismantled, and the beautiful tapestry and costly hangings the like of which existed nowhere else in Scotland were carried to Edinburgh. After three years exile the Earl of Huntly returned to Strathbogie, was received into favour by King James, who created him the first Marquis of Scotland. ... (page 2).
In the history of the last three hundred years the quiet little valley of the river Livet has figured very prominently. In 1594 there was fought at Alltacoileachan the battle which has become known as the battle of Glenlivet, and which was little else than a combat between the Catholic Lords with their followers on the one side, and the Protestant Lords on the other. The facts are as follows. James VI., being undecided which party to support, that of the Catholics who were still numerous, especially amongst the nobility of the north, or the Protestants, sent in 1593 a secret mission to the Pope to treat of the return of Scotland to the allegiance of Rome; but in 1594, finding that popular agitation was increasing, he once more changed his mind, and resolved that the laws against Catholics should be enforced. With this view he determined to send an army to the Gordon country, ever the stronghold of the Catholic side. The Earl of Argyle, having been appointed his Lieutenant in the north, marched at the head of over 10,000 men against his old enemy the Earl of Huntly. The Catholic Earls of Huntly and Errol "thought it would be more to their honour in so just a cause to die sword in hand than to be murdered in their own houses. They quickly collected 1,500 horsemen from amongst their friends and retainers, with a few foot-soldiers, and invoked the Divine assistance with confession and communion." Both sides fought with great valour, but six pieces of artillery with which Huntly was provided seem to have had a large share in securing him the victory. ... (pages 23–24).
See also St. Margaret's Church, Huntly—History of Strathbogie and Priest George Gordon.
Fraser I, states:
The Laird (of Freuchie/Grant) continued to maintain a steady adherence to the covenanting cause, although, in doing so, he acted against the wishes of several of his relatives, including his own mother, who was at that time living on her liferent lands of Urquhart. In the month of July 1640, the Earl of Argyll had written to the Laird, requesting him to come to Edinburgh in the following month, as the Council meditated taking action within "the Braes," and would value his advice and assistance. It does not appear that the Laird complied with the Earl's request, as there is no reference to such a journey in the Chamberlain's Accounts of expenditure for that period; but he was none the less zealous to have the Covenant subscribed in every part of his estates. He approached his mother to have the cause furthered in Urquhart, but she put him off with a mere verbal permission, and refused to give her written authority. ... (pages 252–253).
An important meeting of the covenanting leaders was held at Turriff on the 16th of May 1644, at which the Laird of Freuchie was present. The Estates were at this time supreme, and as at this meeting it was resolved to take order with those who were still recusant to the Covenant, the Marquis of Huntly betook himself for safety to Caithness. (page 259).
A number of Grants of Glenlivet, almost certainly Catholics, appear in the List of the Heretors of Strathavon, Glenlivet, Glenrinnes and Cabrach who have given Bond for their peaceable Behaviour, of their men, tennants, as also of the men given up by them. (1699) (pages 8–18) in Historical Papers Relating to the Jacobite Period, 1699–1750, edited by Colonel James Allardyce (1895), volume 1 (a free Google eBook), part of Records of Old Aberdeen, 1498–1903, edited by Alexander MacDonald Munro, Aberdeen University. (Volume 2 is also separately available on the Internet.) The lists is helpful in determining where in Glenlivet Grants were living in 1699. I include the Grants who are listed in Section C which in includes the valley of the River Avon:
LIST OF HERETORS of Strathavon, Glenlivet, Glenrinnes and Cabrach who have given Bond for their peaceable Behavior, of their men, tenants, as also of the men given up by them. (page 16)
James Steuart of Achorachan his men (page 16)
Alexr. Grant in Achorachan
James Steuart th r
Wm. Grant th r
Patrick McBain Achbrack ...
John Grant of Blairfindie his men
John Roy in Logan
John Gordon in Blairfindy
Wm. Gordon in Clashdue
Wm. Turner in Blairfindie
Alexr. Grant of Nevie his men
John & Lodvick Grant his brother
Thomas Steuart in Clossan
James Grant Nevie
Patrick Steuart th r
John Mkessach th r
John Allenach th r ...
John Grant of Carran his men (page 17) ... (Carron, Moray, UK, a small village on the north side of the River Spey about 4.4 miles southwest of Aberlour — near Fruggle Wood — on Section 4 - Craigellachie to Ballindaloch - on the Speyside Way, between Aberlour and Ballindalloch. Carron to Ballindalloch is 6.9 road miles according to Google maps. See: Carron, Bridge of Carron, on Canmore and on ScotlandsPlaces.)
John Grant in Culquich (Culquoich near Glenbuchat Castle?)
Alexr. Shaw his servant
John Grant his son
James Grant th r
Wm. Royolus servant
Wm. Gordon in Bellintman
Arthur Grant th r
John Mkrobie Carrans mother serv t
John Grant in Tomachlogan ... (Tomachlaggan).
Thomas Gordon th r
Alexr. Riach th r
Wm. Riach th r
JohnGordon th r
John Bain in Glenconglass
Donald Bain th r
Mackaulay th r
John Riach in Elleg
Patrick Masckildery in Ardgnier
Alexr. Grant in Achlachan
Allan Bain there
Angus Robertson in Deloniden
William Robertson his son
Donald Grant in
Wm. Grant in Inverlochie
Pat. Grant th r
John Grant th r
Lachlan Grant of Delnabo his men
Grigor ffarqrson in Delnabo
Alaster & James ffarqrson his sons
Wm. Grant in Belleg
Donald Grant in Lyn
Wm. Grant in Kerachom
Grigor Grant of Dallaverrer his men
John Grant his father
Alexr. Grant his Broth r & John & James Grant his sons & Donald Meldrum his servant
James Grant of Achnahyle his men ... (I list only the Grants)
John Grant
John Grant of Achriacan his men ... (page 18) (I list only the entries that include a Grant.)
Duncan Grant Delnaboyn
John Gald Donald Grant & Paul Steuart all Achriacans servants
Alexr. Grant in Delnaboyn & Wm. ffleeming th r ...
John Steuart of Drummin his tenants (I list only the Grants)
Alaster Grant in Dalvat
John Grant in Mains of Inveraune elder
John Grant y r (younger?) th r
John Grant in Ballivellan
A Black Watch Episode of the Year 1731 by H. D. MacWilliam, W. & A. K. Johnston, Limited, Edinburgh and London 1908, a free Google eBook, tells the story of the raising in the Highlands in 1725 of an independent company by Colonel William Grant of Ballindalloch and the fatal shooting of their adjutant, Ensign James Grant, son of Colonel William Grant, while James he was on duty at the old Castle of Ruthven in August, 1731. The Black Watch were militia organized to keep peace in the unruly Highlands.
In the 1800s and before, many Grants lived in the Braes of Glenlivet. Many, if not most, of them were ancestors of Father James Andrew Grant. Here is a Map of Braes of Glenlivet.
Find the mouth of the River Spey, for that is where your journey begins. Now trace the river upstream. You pass the towns of Fochabers and Rothes and for nearly thirty miles you follow the wide green Strath Spey, until you come to a place where another river joins it. This is the Avon which the people here pronounce 'Aah-n' - and you follow it awhile. If you were to trace it to its source you would be up among some of the highest mountains in Scotland. But soon you must leave it, and turn again, eastwards now, into the Glen of Livet. Always upstream, always higher. Close by the distillery ofTomnavoulin the Livet is met by the Crombie river, and this is the road you now take. You pass on your left the round-domed hill of Bochel - well named, for the word means 'shepherd', and it seems to stand sentinel guarding the narrow throat between high ground through which you pass, until the land opens out before you into a wide green saucer among the hills. You have entered the Braes of Glenlivet, close to 400 metres above the sea, but still good land, you notice, with ploughed fields here and there.
You have been keeping the Crombie close at your side and it has become little more than a burn. And now the road comes to an end, and beyond it all you have is a muddy path and, looming ever closer, the black heathery hills. You walk on, over a ridge, and ahead, where the Crombie runs like a silver ribbon over the grassy meadow, you come upon a building quite unexpectedly. The last homely house! It looks like a house, at least. It is tidy, and seems well cared for. Yet you can see that it is deserted. No peat smoke rises from its chimneys. There are ruined mills nearby, long since abandoned. Evening is coming on, with a shiver of wind. Misty clouds brush across the hills. You are alone, hesitating whether to go or stay. There is no-one, no habitation to be seen in any direction; no sound for company. But there is a sign before the door, and it is newly painted. It reads simply, 'Scalan College 1716-1799'. A college? Here in this lonely place? Whose might it have been all those years ago? What was it for? And what could have become of it?
It has a story, and to find it out we must turn the clock back three hundred years, to the beginning of the eighteenth century. —Story of Scalan.
See the Story of Scalan by John Watts for a Map showing the main areas of Catholic population in Scotland in 1700 and extracts from the Act for Preventing the Growth of Popery enacted by the Parliament of Scotland in 1700. For more maps and information, go to The Braes of Glenlivet, The Scalan in the Braes, and Religion in the Braes on BBC's Domesday Reloaded. See Scalan, Roman Catholic Seminary, and Braes of Glenlivet, Scalan, Cottage, on Canmore.
Braes of Glenlivet — After the Reformation of 1560 the Catholic Church almost died out in Scotland. For a short time in the early 1600's there was not a single Catholic priest in the whole country, and for much of the century there were so few that the Mass was often little more than a memory even to those who had remained Catholic. For much of the 18th century, the college at Scalan in the Braes of Glenlivet was the only place in Scotland where young men were trained to be priests. From 1717 to 1799, over a hundred were trained despite numerous attacks by Hanoverian soldiers.
The history of the Province of Moray: comprising the counties of Elgin and Nairn, the greater part of the County of Inverness and a portion of the County of Banff, all called the Province of Moray before there was a division into counties (1882) by Lachlan Shaw, James Gordon, and Frederick Skinner (3 volumes) Glasgow, Hamilton, Adams & Co., London, and Thomas D. Morison, Glasgow, 1882, contains, at page 206, contains a description of the Roman Catholic Establishment at Scalan:
In Glenlivet, also, there has been a Roman Catholic establishment for almost 100 years, on the banks of the Crombie, in a very sequestered situation among the mountains which separate this district from the parishes of Cabrach, Glenbucket, and Strathdon. It was chosen on the account of its being so much removed from public view, in those times when the Christians of the Church of Rome were, by the civil law of Britain, and both its reformed churches, exposed to persecution. Its Gaelic appellation SCALAN, implies an obscure or shadowy place. It may be translated, the dark or gloomy land ; and it denotes also the place where, in the days of other years, the hunter stalked in ambuscade for the bounding roe of the hill.
The school is properly the Bishop's seminary for educating a few of the Catholic youth in the principles of grammar and morality, and training them to a regularity of discipline, in preparation for the colleges on the continent; where they are, in general, entered into holy orders : although, on some occasions, the sacrament of ordination has been administered in the Scalan. The school at present contains from 8 to 12 students, under the care of a clergyman, who conducts their education, and superintends the management of the farm and the house. It is now proposed to remove this seminary to the vicinity of Aberdeen, where it is to be established on a more respectable foundation, and conducted on a more enlarged and comprehensive scale.
See: Scalan, Introduction: A Brief Historical Account of the Seminary of Scalan by Bishop John Geddes for discussion of contributions of Gordons and Grants.
The first priest stationed in Glenlivet after the Reformation seems to have been Rev. James Devoir, who came from Ireland in August 1681 and remained till about 1698. He was followed by Mr James Kennedy, who came from Paris in June 1699, and later by Mr John Gordon, who came in 1708.
This Mr John Gordon, of the family of Cairnbarrow, was missionary in Glenlivet in 1715, and had his residence somewhere about Minmore or Castleton; but in the next summer, when General Cadogan and other officers of the Hanoverian party came north with their troops, he thought it safest for him to make his ordinary abode in the most retired part of the country, and stayed commonly in a barn which was on the south-west corner of the " town of " Scalan. It was about this time that he resolved to make himself a habitation on the banks of the Crombie, near to an excellent fountain which he saw there, and in fact before winter, with the permission of Mr Grant of Tomnavoulin, he had all that place in tack from the Duke of Gordon, the juniper bushes with which hitherto the ground had been covered cleared away and somewhat of a yard formed. This was the very beginning of Scalan being a dwelling-place of our clergymen.
This spot was looked upon by Bishop Gordon as very proper for the purpose of reviving the Catholic School. Scalan was not only on the Duke of Gordon s estate, who was then a Catholic, but it was also retired, and there were many Catholics in the district. It is un certain whether Mr Gordon had charge of the college ; in any case he left it very soon, and Mr George Innes was appointed. Mr John Tyrie succeeded him ; but he had the school only for a short time, when he was succeeded by Mr Alex. Grant, brother of Bishop Grant. Mr Grant continued Superior from 1720-1726. (pages 26–27). ...
The house was built at the foot of the hill on the very brink of the Crombie Burn, and for about twenty years it was almost entirely of turf. For the maintenance of some milch cows Mr Grant of Tomnavoulin gave them in subtack a piece of land extending up the hill from the house ; and another Mr Grant, who was the Duke s factor in some of those parts, granted a piece of ground on the east side of Crombie, which put it in the power of the college Superior to form an enclosure, through which Crombie runs ; and this con tributes to the agreeableness of the place and much more to its usefulness. It is on a part of this ground thus added to Scalan that the house built in 1767 was situated. ...
Mr James Grant, bishop in 1774, was two years at Scalan about the year 1720. Bishop Gordon took a pleasure in staying some months in each year in the summer at Scalan, and was very desirous that learning and virtue should nourish there. (page 28). ...
The other young priest, Mr George Gordon, had charge of the Glenlivet mission for a year, and then succeeded Mr Grant as Superior at Scalan. (page 29) ...
In the same year, 1763, a renewal of the subtack of the small farm was obtained from Mr Grant of Kothmaes, and indeed this gentleman and his father, Mr Grant of Tomvullin, had been all along friendly to Scalan, and though they were often solicited, especially by the Presbyterian parsons, not to allow such a popish school to be on their property, yet they never yielded in the least to threats or importunities, but always continued to give what assistance and protection they could to the Seminary, and even gloried in doing so. The father had the happiness to be converted to the Catholic Faith in his last illness, and was assisted at his death by Mr George Gordon, of Scalan, as he was wont to be called. The Catholic Highlands of Scotland, by Dom. Odo Blundell, O.S.B., London 1909,Volume 1—The Central Highlands, Glenlivet, page 34.
The Duke of Gordon contributed part of his land in the Braes of Glenlivet for construction of a Catholic seminary at Scalan, Glenlivet. Here is a poem by J. Sharp that tells the story:
The Old College of Scalan, Glenlivet
Through the Braes of Glenlivet there flows a clear stream,
With many a long winding, the Crombie by name -
In green Cairn Dhulac takes its rise, I've heard say,
And falls into the Livet at romantic Tombae.
On a wide spreading haugh near its source may be seen
A long ancient building embowered in green,
'Midst a park of rich land where the rowan trees grow
That surround it, and shield it from all winds that blow.
In the dark penal days of that dread bygone time,
When our Catholic faith was condemned as a crime.
The great Duke of Gordon, so generous and brave,
To the Bishops, a site for a College he gave.
And Scalan, remote in a wild Highland glen,
Surrounded by mountains, morasses and fen,
Was adjudged most secure, while possessing some charms,
Where students might work and pray, safe from all harms.
There esteemed Bishop Gordon the foundation stone laid,
And on west bank of Crombie he raised, it is said,
A College that soon spread its fame far and wide,
But in time 'twas transferred to the opposite side.
At this College of Scalan a church was erected,
And to every Braes Catholic a blessing effected;
As the one being nearest stood some miles away
At fair Caen-na-Choile 'mong the birks of Tombae.
Many Priests and good Bishops their learning received
At the College of Scalan, it may be believed,
And one, Rev. George Gordon, that name being so rife,
Was dubbed 'Scalanensis' the rest of his life.
Here the great Bishop Hay, that famed saintly divine,
Received Consecration in days of langsyne;
In his much beloved Scalan passed long happy years,
And on quitting his loved home he left it in tears.
For almost a century the college remained
As teacher of youth. Many priests were ordained
Within its grey walls. Bishops also, we're told,
Held Councils therein in the dark days of old.
But the State soon refused - for our Faith had its foes
To allow men to worship their God as they chose,
And soldiers were sent in the silence of night
And they burned down the College, put its inmates to flight.
That kind, gentle Bishop, John Geddes by name,
The College of Scalan esteemed as his 'hame';
He rebuilt the old house as it stands to this day,
But increasing afflictions soon pressed him away.
The Abbe Macpherson, that prince of good men,
And esteemed benefactor of his dear native glen,
Near this famed seat of learning first opened his eyes,
Studied under its roof for the Priesthood likewise.
Here he built a fine church, gave a sweet sounding bell,
Erected two schools, and endowed them as well;
A graveyard enclosed, trenched a park of good ground,
A clergyman's house built with everything found.
But at length the old College was found rather small
To accommodate students, professors and all-
So its Bishop Superior, and the students each one,
Removed to Aquhorties, near the banks of the Don.
And the College which nigh on a century was spared,
And men for the Priesthood in Scotland had reared,
Is abandoned at last to the snow and the rain,
And the fierce winds that blow in that upward domain.
Now a century of time in its course has run on,
And those Bishops, and Clergy, and students are gone.
Still as year follows year, many people come round
To view the old College, and its once hallowed ground.
Chapeltown (The Chapeltown of Glenlivet) Moray:
The Chapeltown of Glenlivet lies nearly 3 miles (5 km) east of Knockandhu in the uplands of Moray. Now a distillery village, it was once a remote refuge for persecuted Catholics and whisky smugglers at the heart of the Braes of Glenlivet. The old School was closed in 1960 after 100 years in use and in the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour is a memorial to Abbe Paul Macpherson (1756 - 1846), a pupil of the nearby Scalan Seminary who was engaged in 1812 by the British Government to warn Pope Pius VII of his imminent rescue from the fortress of Savona where he had been held by Napoleon.
Mineral water is also produced commercially here. —Tales of the Braes of Glenlivet by Isobel Grant, compiled by Alasdair Roberts (Birlinn Ltd 2000)
Here are excerpts from A Brief Historical Account of the Seminary of Scalan by John Geddes, 1777, which mentions several Grants and Gordons:
7. At the very first foundation of the school of Scalan or very soon after it was founded the charge of it was committed, in as far as I can remember to have heard, to the same Mr. George Innes who, we said, was Superior in that of the Isle of Morar. He was, however, soon succeeded in this Office by Mr. John Tyrie,* nor was it long before Mr. Tyrie got the care given him of the Mission of Strathbogy. and Mr. Alexander Grant,† Brother to Bishop Grant now living, was entrusted with the government of this house which continued in his hands for five or six years from the year 1720 or near that time until 1726 when he returned to Italy.
23. Soon after the death of the good Bishop, Scalan was laid in ashes, for as soon as the Duke of Cumberland saw that his victory at Culloden was entirely decisive and that his Adversaries were so scattered that they could scarcely unite again to make head against him, he sent out parties on all hands to extinguish (as was the language then) the remains of the Rebellion. One of these parties entered Glenlivet and soon directed their course to Scalan as to a place particularly obnoxious to the Presbyterian Clergy who had now great influence. This visit had been expected. Mr. Duthie had dismissed all the Students to their parents or friends. He had also got the sacred vestments and Chalices, the books and even the other moveables carried to the most secret and safe places and this was done with so much prudence that of these things very little was lost. I think it was on the Morning of the 16th of May that the detachment of the Troops surrounded Scalan and orders were immediately given for setting the house ón fire nor was it long before these orders were executed. Mr. Duthie with a sorrowful heart from one of the neighbouring hills was looking down on the affeëting Scene. He saw his habitation surrounded with armed men whom he knew to be then full of barbarous fury; in a short time the smoaky flames began to ascend; he could soon perceive the Roof fall in and after a little there was nothing left but Ruins. This was to him and to many others a dismal sight but the worst was that it seemed to be only the beginning of evils; they knew not what was to follow nor where nor when these barbarities were to end; the entire extirpation of the Catholicks out of Scotland was loudly threatened and was justly to have been feared without the interposition of Divine providence in their favour.
*Father John Tyrie, who was a combatant, was wounded at Culloden. He was the regimental priest of Major-General Glenbucket's Regiment that fought with the Jacobites at Culloden.
†Father James Grant, a secular priest, was later imprisoned.
The seminary at Scalan was destroyed by the attack of the troops of King George I of England after the battle of Culloden. The Sixth Scottish University — The Scots Colleges Abroad: 1755 to 1799, by Tom McInally (Brill 2011), page 200, footnote 125.
Another member of the regiment mentioned in some books is the regimental priest, Father John Tyrie. In Strathavon when recruiting was taking place, Fathers Grant and Tyrie cast lots to see who would have the honour of going to war with their communicants. Father Tyrie won and went off to march to Derby, armed with prayers and pistols. He is also mentioned at Culloden as "standing in line next to old Glenbucket with sword and targe, when it all ended at Culloden". —Major-General Glenbucket's Regiment on ScotsWars.
Here is a note from Origin of the Tyree Surname — Tyrie, Tiri, Tyree, etc. in Scotland:
John (did not inherit*) Tyrie born 1694 was a great-nephew of the James "the noted". John went to Rome in 1711 at the age of 17. Like his uncle, he too became a Jesuit. He joined Prince Charles, "the Young Pretender", as soon as he heard of his landing in Scotland in 1745, followed him to England and left him only after the Battle of Culloden, where Father John Tyree fought and was wounded. This lost battle ended the risings of the Jacobites, though Prince Charles escaped and went into hiding for several months before leaving Scotland. John Tyrie also went into hiding while his house and books were burned at Buochlie in Glenlivet. He died in exile c. 1755. ...
*who did not inherit Dunnideer, a 550 acre estate near the town on Insch, about 30 miles from Aberdeen.
After 1745, the English banned the Scottish Clan system, the kilt, many of the loved Scottish traditions and were particularly harsh in the punishment of holdouts. People were stripped naked and turned out into the streets while their houses were burned, holdouts were incarcerated and held without food and water; many died.
Here is a quotation from Scottish Notes and Queries (Second Series, volume III, July, 1901, to June, 1902) edited by John Bulloch, D. Wyllie and Son, 1902, page 166 (a free Google eBook):
THE TYRIES OF DRUMKILBO AND DUNNIDEER.
In the December number of S. N. &* Q., Mr. J. F. George has established, I think, clearly the Perthshire origin of the Dunnideer Tyries. I am not, however, convinced that James Tyrie, the Jesuit scholar, was of the Drumkilbo family. Jervise says he was one of the Tyries of Dunnideer, and, on looking into the history of John Tyrie, the Jacobite, I find there is some confirmation of this. Mr. George has alluded to this John Tyrie as being in the " List of Rebels." Dr. Gordon, in his " Ecclesiastical Chronicle for Scotland," states that John Tyrie, born in 1694, was the son of David Tyrie of Dunnideer, and a great-grand-nephew of the celebrated James, the opponent of John Knox. According to Gordon's narrative, John Tyrie went to Rome, and joined the Scots College in 171 1 and left it priest in 1719, and his subsequent career is rather eventful, and conforms with Mr. George's interesting notes.
It appears that while John Tyrie was in Rome he made the acquaintance of Colin Campbell, a brother of Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochnell. Campbell had been an officer in Argyle's Army, but he espoused Catholicism and finally became a Jesuit priest. Tyrie and Campbell were in Moidart in 1728, and went to Rome in 1735. They were afterwards in Paris in 1 738, where they remained together for some time, and subsequently returned to Scotland, though not in company, about 1740.
These movements indicate the activity of Jacobite agents, for when Prince Charlie landed in Moidart in 1745, Tyrie and Campbell instantly repaired to the rendezvous. John Tyrie accompanied the Highland Army through the whole campaign — in what capacity it is not stated — but he was severely wounded at Culloden, receiving two cuts on the head from a trooper's sword, and escaped with difficulty. He lay concealed for some months, and his house and books at Buochlie in Glenlivet were burned by the soldiery. Campbell is believed to have been killed at Culloden.
It was a John Tyrie who attempted to slay the Rev. Mr. Mearns of Insch with a dirk about the '45 times, and it seems likely enough that he was identical with this intriguing and fighting Jesuit.
See also: The Tyries of Drumkilbo (Perthshire), Dunnideer (Aberdeenshire); and Lunan (Forfarshire) by Andrew Tyrie, Glasgow, 189, pages 43 and 44 (a free Google eBook).
See Scalan, Roman Catholic Seminary on Canmore on exploring Scotland's places — published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.
Braes of Glenlivet on Undiscovered Speyside:
After the Reformation of 1560 the Catholic Church almost died out in Scotland. For a short time in the early 1600's there was not a single Catholic priest in the whole country, and for much of the century there were so few that the Mass was often little more than a memory even to those who had remained Catholic. For much of the 18th century, the college at Scalan in the Braes of Glenlivet was the only place in Scotland where Braes of Glenlivet young men were trained to be priests. From 1717 to 1799, over a hundred were trained despite numerous attacks by Hanoverian soldiers.
Historic Glenlivet — The Forbidden College at Scalan:
In 1716 Catholic Bishops established a college for priests at Scalan. They chose this remote spot at the foot of the Ladder Hills to avoid persecution by Hanoverian soldiers. It was this little seminary that ensured the survival of Catholicism in Scotland during the eighteenth century. About one hundred priests were trained at Scalan up until 1799, a fantastic achievement for those troubled times.
See: Faith of Our Fathers — The 'Heather Priests' who kept the Church alive and A Brief Historical Account of the Seminary of Scalan. The seminary was founded in 1717 and closed in 1799.
From Tomintoul and Glenlivet:
The turbulent history of Glenlivet reflects religious upheavals from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The Battle of Glenlivet in 1594 was the last stand of the Roman Catholic party, whose leaders were forced to flee the country after their defeat. However Glenlivet remained an enclave of the Roman Catholic faith, and for most of the eighteenth century priests were trained at the remote seminary of Scalan. During the Disruption of the Church of Scotland until 1843, the dissenters held their services in the open air until they were able to build a new church of their own.
Most of the Grants in Scotland turned protestant around the time that Presbyterianism became the only legal religion in Scotland in 1560. The Glenlivet area was one of the few small islands of Catholic Grants in Scotland in 1745 when the Jacobite rebellion in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the House of Stuart broke out. The Catholic Grants resided on land owned by the Duke of Gordon, the most powerful Catholic in Scotland. The rebellion ended in disasterfor the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746.
Many of the Catholic Grants in the Glenlivet area joined the rebellion under the command of John Gordon of Glenbucket. Most of these Grants were related to Father James Andrew Grant. After the defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden, the names and residences of these rebels were carefully recorded by the troops of George II, the second Hanoverian King of England. These records are an invaluable aid in determining where these Catholic Grants lived.
John Gordon of Glenbucket (Glenbuchat) was born in 1673 and christened on May 22, 1675, in Old Machar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His father was John Gordon of Knockespock, who had been born about 1640. The father purchased Glenbuchat Castle for his son John in 1701 from another branch of the Gordon family. Glenbuchat is situated 40 miles west of Aberdeen, just inside the Cairngorm National Park. The son sold the small castle in 1737.
In 1737 Glenbucket sold his tiny property for £700, and by 1738 he was with the Pretender in Rome with a demand for the Royal Presence in Scotland. He failed in Paris, on the way, to sell the idea of a Franco-Jacobite invasion of Britain to Cardinal Fleury. Though scarcely even a laird, Glenbucket was an impressive personality. His three daughters were married to significant highland chiefs: Forbes of Skellater, Macdonald of Glengarry, and Macdonnel of Lochgarry. John Gordon of Glenbucket.
John Gordon of Glenbucket was the first man in the counties of Aberdeen and Banff that joined the rising. He met Prince Charles on August 18, 1745, shortly after his landing. He was commissioned a Major General, and given money to raise men in Strathavon, Glenbucket, Strathbogie and the Cabrach. With a regiment of about 400 men, he joined Prince Charles in Edinburgh on October 4, 1745, and was made a member of the Prince's Council. The Glenbucket Regiment took part in the advance to England. He survived the battle of Culloden, embarked to Norway aboard a Swedish sloop on the coast of Buchan on November 5, 1846; moved on to Gothenburg, Sweden; and then, in late 1847, to France, where he and his second wife, Jean Forbes of Byondlie, settled in Boulogne-sur-la-mer, "where he was the recipient, for a few years, of a small pension from the Prince he had served so bravely," and where he died at age 77 on June 16, 1750. Livingstone, page 122. He was expressly excluded from the Act of Indemnity of June, 1747. See: Major-General Glenbucket's Regiment and Major General John Gordon of Glenbucket and The Scottish Jacobite Army 1745–46 by Stuart Reid (2006) at page 19. Here is part of Reid's short book:
John Gordon of Glenbuchat's Regiment '... [He] soon got together about 300 men mostly from Strathdawn and Glenlivit and some too from Strathboggy, all part of the Duke of Gordon's estate.* His son-in-law, Mr. Forbes of Skeleter [Lieutenant Colonel George Forbes of Skellater], also brought him some of his corps from Strathdon, a country belonging mostly to gentlemen of that name, formerly vassals of the Earl of Mar, now of the Lord Braco.' Although taking part in the march to Derby the regiment was not present at Falkirk, being assigned instead to blockade Stirling Castle, but it was at Culloden and afterwards probably disbanded at Ruthven Barracks on 18 April 1746. On its arrival at Edinburgh it was equipped with arms taken from Cope's army. A white colour bearing the ducal arms survives and is illustrated. (page 19)
*See: Gordon book; published for the Bazaar of the Fochabers Reading Room, Sept. 1902, by John Malcolm Bulloch; Gordon Castle; and A History of the Clann Gordon; and Clan Gordon; and Clan Gordon Information.
The order of battle of the Jacobite army at Culloden on April 16, 1746, lists Glenbuchet's Regiment of 200 men, commanded by John Gordon of Glenbuchat, as part of John Roy Stuart's Division (reserve). For more details see: 5 John Gordon Laird of Glenbucket, and 40 Glenbucket Regiment, and 39 Attempted Murder of Glenbucket 1724, and 49 The Clan Gordon / Glenbuchat Connection, on Glenbuchat Heritage Archive. See: Gordons under Arms, by Constance Oliver Skelton and John Malcolm Bulloch, Aberdeen 1912, #2110 under Gordons as Jacobites, pages 521–523.
The free Google eBook, The Gay Gordons: some strange adventures of a famous Scots family (1908) by John Malcolm Bulloch, at pages 77–90, includes a chapter on The Great Glenbucket. As a boy of 16, Glenbucket had fought at Killiecrankie in 1689, and as a man of 42, he had fought at Sheriffmuir in 1715. See: John Gordon of Glenbucket and Glenbucket's various roles before the '45.
From: Gordons Under Arms, page 527:
2127- John. 1745, raised men for the rebels; Lord Lewis Gordon stayed with him at St. Bridget's, Tomintoul ; "took the name of Colonel, but was not above a week with them" ... 1746, Apr. 14, wrote from Gordonhall to the Laird of Grant that he had surrendered to Gen. Cadogan at Presmuckral, after which he went to the Highlands and advised the people to give up their arms; Jun., imprisoned at Inverness; Jul., taken in the transport "Pamela," to Woolwich (Aug. 7), and thence to Gravesend ...Nov. 1, taken to the house in London of Mr. Dick, messenger ... petitioned the King for his release, being "utterly blind for several years past" ... Elcho (Affairs of Scotland, 319)) says he drank himself blind. 1747, Jun. 20, discharged with ten guineas to carry him home ... Eldest son of John, of Glenbucket, 2110; b. 1717 ; height 5 ft. 8 in., fair complexion ... resided at Achriachan; m. Ann (1700–54) dau. of Sir Alexander Lindsay, of Evelack, in the Carse; and had William, 2152-
From: The Gordons and Smiths at Minmore, Auchorachan, and Upper Drumin in Glenlivet by John Malcolm Bulloch, 1910, page 45:
The continuity of the Minmore Gordons in the lands of Min more has probably been maintained by the Gordons in Auchorachan, who married into the family of Smith in Drumin.
Auchorachan, which is in the parish of Inveravon, was apparently held by Harry Gordon, son of William Gordon I in Minmore, for he is described in 1652 as "in Auchorachan." A gap occurs in the history of the farm, but on February 23, 1745, John Gordon (died before 1767), son and heir of the famous Jacobite, John Gordon of Glenbucket (died 1750) had sasine* on the lands of "Auchroachan" (Banff Sasines). This seems to have been the origin of the belief that the Gordon-Smith family is descended from the Glenbucket line. John's son, William, had sasine on December 8, 1867, on an annual rent of £400 Scots, "to be taken partly of all and haill the half daugh lands of Auchroachan."
*See: The Register of Sasines in The National Archives of Scotland.
The following list of names is from Historical Notes or Essays on the '15 and '45 by D. Murray Rose (W. Brown 1897). Another free Google eBook is A List of Persons Concerned in the Rebellion, preface by the Earl of Rosebery, Edinburgh 1890, which is volume 8 of the Publications of the Scottish History Society. See also: No Quarter Given; The Muster Roll of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Army, 1745–46. Alistair Livingstone, editor, Aberdeen University Press, 1984 (especially Gordon of Glenbucket's, page 123, and MacDonell of Glengarry's (including Grants of Glenmoriston) at page 155. The reference RPC in Livingstone's work means: Roseberry, Earl of, List of Persons concerned in the Rebellion, Scottish History Society (Edinburgh 1890). All the men with Livingstone-RPC at the end of their entry below were from Gordon of Glenbucket's Regiment.
See the section on Lists of Rebels in Scalan in the18th Century: A Postscript—the 'Forty five by Stuart Mitchell in Scalan News No. 14, June 1997.
Confirmation of the early settlement of Scalan (aside from the seminary) and some of the other 'New' Lands comes from an unexpected source - the Lists of Rebels compiled for the Government after Culloden (and published by Alistair and Henrietta Tayler in their Jacobites of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire in the Forty-five, 1928). Here we not only find three more Badiglashan residents, in addition to Peter Dow of the 1738 OPR entry, but also two from the Glen of Suie and one each at Demickmore and the Bochel, plus a father and son from Cordregny and two men from the lands of Scalan. ...
Badiglashan men were Allan McLea (a Stuart), Robert Cruickshank (listed as a subtenant in the 1761 Summary), and Peter Roy Grant (Peter Roy in 1761). William McLea and James Bowie (a Grant) were both from the Suie, while John Roy Grant, Demickmore, appears as John Grant alias Roy, a subtenant of Demick in 1761. From Cordregny came John Gordon and his son Patrick, the latter serving as a major in Glenbucket's Regiment. ...
In all, the Taylers list some 90 men from Glenlivet, 130 from Stratha'an and ten from Glenrinnes. These names were drawn primarily from Lord Rosebery's List of Rebels for Banff (much of it compiled by John Stuart, Supervisor of Excise at Banff) and from a list of over 300 men from 'the highlands of Banff' submitted by the Supervisor of Excise in Elgin. Despite his forceful recruiting methods, it is generally reckoned that Old Glenbucket (the 72-yearold Major General John Gordon) ultimately 'persuaded' only about 500 men from Glenlivet and the Kirkmichael parish to join Prince Charlie's army although 1500 men from the area were 'out' in the 'Fifteen. ...
The fact that only about half of them appear in the Tayler list testifies to the elusiveness of the men of Glenlivet and Stratha' an — no doubt well practised through cattle-raiding and illicit whisky trade. Unfortunately Livingstone, Aikman and Hart's Muster Roll of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Army (1984) virtually ignores the Upper Banffshire men who formed the bulk of Glenbucket's Regiment. It only identifies officers, NCOs and a couple of other ranks from Glenbucket's and from John Roy Stuart's Edinburgh Regiment about twenty from Glenlivet, fifteen from Stratha' an and two from Glenrinnes.
If I have located the residence of a person on this list on the Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747-55, I have indicated the location on that map. An easy way to open the appropriate part of the map is to type Glenlivet in the Gazeteer and click on the entry that appears: Glenlivet, Moray AB37, UK. In the lower-right of the map, the location of your mouse position is shown as as a British National Grid Eastings and Northings, and as longitude and latitude. For example, Auchorachan is at NJ234277. The first three numbers (234) get smaller when the cursor is moved to the west (to the left), and larger to the east (to the right). The second three numbers get larger when the cursor is moved to the north (up), and smaller to the south (down). For use of the map with a Gazetteer, county/parish search, as well as the British National Grid Reference, see: Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747-55. For the history of the Roy Military Survey, go to Roads of Scotland — Military Survey of Scotland. On the same website, Old Roads of Scotland, maps and other information on the development of roads will be found at Banff-shire, Old and New Statistical Accounts.
Here is a map that shows the boundaries of the parishes of Mortlach, Inveravon, Kirkmichael, and the other parishes in the county of Banffshire, in the nineteenth century. Here is a list of Farms etc in Invera'an in 1876 with identification of farms that existed before 1700 (°), and from 1700 to 1800 (*). I use those markings in the list below.
The principal residences of the persons listed below can often be quickly found on the walking trail map of The Crown Estate, Glenlivet.
Tomnavoulin. For additional maps, see A Vision of Britain Through Time — Historical Maps — Ordnance Survey of Scotland, sheet 39—Dufftown and Huntly (1925). See also Carn Daimh from Tomnavoulin Hill Walk — Glenlivet Estate Waymarked Walk 5 — and Corriehabbie Hill & Cook's Cairn Hill Walk — and The Steplar (Cabrach to Glenlivet) Hill Path — on MorayWays. See also The Livet Circuit, Near Tomnavoulin on walkhighlands.
The old bridge across the Livet at Tomnavoulin was built in the late 18th Century (1794) by the Duke of Gordon as part of a road from Glenlivet through to Tomintoul, where it linked up with the existing military road (now the A939). The bridge is a single span hump-backed stone arch, carrying a narrow roadway.
On the form used to compile the names, the first two columns after a person's name are marked Designations and Abode. The first column has often been left blank, in which case I have entered a — after the name.
On the list of names below, I have marked in bold the rank of the many of the Gordons and Grants who were Lieutenants/Ensigns or Sergeants in Glenbucket's Regiment. The names are in the order they appear in Rose's Historical Notes, which are in a rough alphabetical order, but the same order as in the original lists and as used in several other sources.
1. John Gordon of Cordgregny, Cordregny. Carried arms in rebel army, submitted himself. (Rose, page 129, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home). Cordregnie (°). There are two Cordregnie Farmsteads on the east side of Back Burn less than a mile north of Whitefolds, and west of Cordregnie Wood and Cairn Dregnie, in the Brae of Glenlivet. There is 1774 Plan of infield-outfield lands of Cordregnie, Whitefords, Achdregnie and Glack coloured to show boundaries of townships in the Records of the Crown Estate Commissioners of Scotland. See: ScotlandsPlaces—Cordregnie.
2. Patrick Gordon, son to Cordgregny, Cordregny. Carried arms in rebel army, submitted himself. (Rose, page 129, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home)
From Cordregny came John Gordon and his son Patrick, the latter serving as a major in Glenbucket's Regiment. Scalan News No. 14, June 1997.
3. Lewis Gordon, — Miln of Logan. Carried arms, and collected the cess for the rebels. (Rose, page 129, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home)
4. Alexander Grant, — Nether Clunie. Carried arms in the rebel army in the character of an officer. (Rose, page 129, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery. page 108, at home). [Nether Clunie—NJ347368. Nether Cluny is about 2 kilometers south of Dufftown on the Dullan Water.] Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, Netherclunie, at home, page 125. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Nether Cluny in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Mortlach, in 1869, Volume 23, page 157, 25-inch map 025.13, 6-inch map 025.
5. John Gordon, of Glenbucket, St. Bridget. Major-General in the rebel army, and was very active in prisoners and recruiting men. (Rose, page 129, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, in the hills) [St. Bridget is about 1/2 a mile southwest of Tomintoul on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the east side of the River Avon.]
6. David Gordon, of Kirkhill, Delavoir. A lieutenant in the rebel army. (Rose, page 129, Morayshire Jacobites) Dalavoier (Rosebery, page 108, Dead). [Delivorar is about 3 miles south of Tomintoul on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Avon.] Probably a son of Glenbucket.
7. John Gordon, son to Glenbucket, Auchracan. Raised men for the rebels, took the name of Col : but was not above a week with them. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) Achreachan. (Rosebery, page 108, at Achreacan) [Auchorachan is a about 1 1/4 miles east of Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.] [On the List of Rebels transmitted to the Supervisor of Excise at Banff is John Gordon, of Glenbucket, with an abode of Glenbucket, with no county indicated, a Lieutenant Colonel.On the same list is John Gordon, Popish Priest, Press home, Banff, with a note: Went to Perth with recruits and afterwards followed the Rebels. A List of Persons Concerned in the Rebellion, with preface by the Earl of Roseberry, Edinburgh 1890 (pages 28–31).
8. Thomas Gordon, of Foderliter, Fodderliter. Was a captain in rebel army under influence of Glenbucket, said to be in Badenoch. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, in Badenoch) [Fodderletter (Easter, Mid, and Wester) is about 3 1/2 miles northwest of Tomintoul on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Avon.]
9. William Gordon, grandson to Glenbucket, Auchreachan. Was a captain in rebel army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) Achreacan (Rosebery, page 108, at home). [Auchriacan (Millton) is a about 1 1/4 miles east of Tomintoul on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the Conglass Water.]
10. John Grant, of Inverlochy, Inverlochy. Was adjutant in said army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, Inverlochy) [Inverlochie — NJ166248] There is an Inverlochy farmhouse on the River Avon about half way between Glenlivet and Tomintoul. On the Map of River Avon by Robert and James Gordon, ca. 1636–1652, there is an InverLochy on the west side of the River Avon, across from Kirk Michael on the east side, where Lochy fl. flows into the Avon from the west, a short distance couth of where the River Livet flows into the River Avon—to the north of Delnabo. ] Livingstone-RPC, at home (page 124). Also a lieutenant. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Inverlochy in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 77, 6-inch map 040. Inverlochy is about 1/2 a mile northwest of the Kirkmichael Church on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, just south of where the Burn of Lochy flows into the River Avon. Jacobites of 1715 and 1745. North East Scotland by Frances McDonnell (available on ancestry.com) lists, at page 25, John Grant of Inverlochy, Glenconglass, among the Jacobites of North East Scotland 1745, with the note: His house was burnt. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Glenconglass in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 722, 6-inch map 040.
11. James Gordon, — Auchluanie. An officer in said army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, killed) (Auchlichnie ?)
12. John Gordon, of Minmore, Minmore (*). A rebel captain and behaved discreetly, and protected houses of Sir H. Innes and several ministers. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, no residence) [Minmore House is abut a mile northwest of the Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
13. Alexander Gordon, — Refrish. Was a lieutenant in rebel army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 108, at home). Refriesh (*) was a farmstead in the Braes of Glenlivet before 1650. Scalan News of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell).
14. William Grant, of Blairfinde, Blairfinde. Carried arms, and was lieutenant in rebel army, has submitted to the King's mercy. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home) [Blairfindy (*)—NJ223282] [Blairfindy is on the Glenlivet Estate Map, and is across the River Livet from Auchorachan — to the west. Blairfindy Castle is at the south end of the town of Glenlivet.] Livingstone-RPC, listed under volunteers, of Blairfindy, submitted, at home, page 125. Blairfindy Moor is on the high ground between the Rivers Avon and Livet, at Glenlivet. [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy is 1 1/2 miles south of the Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Livet and a mile southwest of Auchorachan, which is on the east side of the River Livet.]
An old ditty runs: "Glenlivet it has castles three / Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskee." —Worth a visit: Banffshire castles, page 13. A later version added a line "And also one Distillery." See: Scalan News, No. 17, December 1998.
Here is a note from a website describing the Glenfarclas Distillery: "A William Grant of Blairfindy 'carried arms in Prince Charles' army, but in 1746 'submitted to the King's mercy'. His sons, John, a lieutenant, and David, an officer, were also out with Charlie as were two kinsman Alexander and James Grant, both of Logan of Blairfindy."
15. John Grant, son to Blairfinde, Blairfinde. Lieutenent in said army, but deserted. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, not known). Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, deserted, page 125. [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy is 1 1/2 miles south of the Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Livet and a mile southwest of Auchorachan, which is on the east side of the River Livet.]
16. Alexander Grant, — Logan of Blairfinde. Lieutenant in said army, but deserted. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home) Livingstone-RPC, at home, page 124. [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy is 1 1/2 miles south of the Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Livet and a mile southwest of Auchorachan, which is on the east side of the River Livet.]
17. James Grant, — Logan of Blairfinde. Ensign in rebel army, submitted himself. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home). Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, submitted, at home, page 125. [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy is 1 1/2 miles south of the Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Livet and a mile southwest of Auchorachan, which is on the east side of the River Livet.]
18. David Grant, son to Blairfinde, Blairfinde. Was an officer of the rebels. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home). RPC, son of Blairfindy, at home, page 125.Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, son of Blairfindy, at home, page 125. [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy—NJ223282] [Blairfindy is 1 1/2 miles south of the Glenlivet Distillery on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Livet and a mile southwest of Auchorachan, which is on the east side of the River Livet.]
19. John Grant, — Loanbeg. Was ensign in said army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) Lynebeg (*) [Lynebeg—NJ229256] Possibly Lynebeg Burn, about a kilometer west of Tomnavoulin.] Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, killed, page 125. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Lynebeg in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Ineravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 16, 25-inch map Clash035.12, 6-inch map 035. [Lynebeg is 1 1/2 miles west of Tomnavoulin on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
20. John Gordon, — Clashmore. Was ensign in said army, but submitted himself. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 108, at home). Clashnoir (*). Clashnoir and Clashenyor are names applied to a farmstead in the Braes of Glenlivet before 1650, and Upper Clashnoir was a shealing area. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell). The settlement was called Clashnore in the registration of John Gordon's will on August 16, 1790. The Commissariot of Moray, Register of Testaments, 1684–1800, edited by Francis J. Grant, Edinburgh 1904, page 12. See also: Clashnoir Farm. According to Gooogle maps, Clashnoir, Moray, Uk is 3.2 road miles northwest of the Hidden College of Scalan, Ballindalloch, Moray.Clashnoir is probably the same place referred to as Clashnaver or Clashnever in these records. See 53. Alexander Gordon, and 71. Mr. John Tyrie, a popish piest, below on this list.21. Alexander Grant, brother to Neive, —. Ensign in rebel army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) Nevie (*). (Rosebery, page 108, brother to Nevie, killed) [Nevie—NJ236272]Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, brother of Nevie, killed, page 125. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Nevie in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 188, 25-inch map 036.09, 6-inch map 036.
22. John Grant of Deskie, Deskie (*). Carried arms as a private man, submitted to King's mercy. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 108, at home) [W. Deskie NJ226297] [Possibly the farmstead of Deskie, east of the bridge (north) end of Glenlivet.] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Deskie in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 159, 25-inch map 035.04, 6-inch map 035.
23. Alexander Grant, son to Deskie, Deskie. Was an ensign in the rebel army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant, son of Deskie, at home, page 125. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Deskie in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 159, 25-inch map 035.04, 6-inch map 035.
24. John Grant, son to Deskie, Deskie. Was a private man in said army. (Rose, page 130, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 110, at home). [W. Deskie NJ226297] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Deskie in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 159, 25-inch map 035.04, 6-inch map 035.
25. John Gordon, son to Foderliter, Fodderliter. Was an officer in the rebel army. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Dead. Foderletter. (Rosebery, page 110, dead).
26. George Gordon, son to Foderliter, Fodderliter. Carried arms in the rebel army, submitted to the King's mercy. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Foderleter. (Rosebery, page 110, at home).
27. Charles Grant, a deserter, Tomdonach. Lieutenant in the rebel army. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 110, in the hills). Livingstone-RPC, lieutenant (deserter), page 125.
28. William Gordon, — Dell, a Serjeant in said army, forced out and submitted himself. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 110, at home).
29. John Grant, weaver, Tombreck. Carried arms in said army, but deserted and submitted himself. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Tombreck in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 81, 25-inch map 029.08, 6-inch map 029.
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30. Patrick Grant, — Inchnakep. Forced out with the rebels, has submitted himself. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Inshnakap. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). [Inchnacape] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Inchnacape in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 75, 6-inch map 040. Inchnacape is about 3 miles northeast of Tomintoul on B9008.
31. John Gordon, — Inchnakap. Carried arms in the rebel army, has submitted. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Inshnakap. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). (Rosebery, page 110, at home). (Rosebery, page 110, at home).
32. George Gordon, — Newton. Was a private man in said army, has submitted. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Newtoun. (Rosebery, page 110, not known). Newton is listed under Boharm Keith under Farms on Parish Borders in Banff—Upper.
33. John Gordon, — Lovnavore. Carried arms in said army. (page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Loynavere. (Rosebery, page 110, prisoner). Lynavoir ?
34. William Grant, — Findran. Carried arms in said army, has submitted. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Findron. There is a Findron on the Glenlivet Estate Map about a mile southeast of Tomintoul on A939. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Findron in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 76, 6-inch map 040.
35. Mr. William Grant, a popish priest, Baliwater. Directing the rebels. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Balivaler. (Rosebery, page 110, Balivaler). Sometimes spelled Balivalier.
36. William Grant, — Tomintoul. A private man in rebel service, forced out, but has submitted. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites). Tomintowle. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Tomintoul in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 37, 6-inch map 040.
37. George Gordon, — Tomintoul. A private man in rebel service, submitted to King's mercy. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Tomintowle. (Rosebery, page 110, killed).
38. William Roy Grant, — Balnakull. A private man in said service, submitted to King's mercy. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Balnakeill. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Balnakyle. [Balnakiel ?] Balnacoul. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Balnacoul in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 205, 25-inch map 036.14, 6-inch map 036.
39. Donald Grant, Easter Galarg. Carried arms in rebel arm, forced out, has submitted. (Rose, page 131, Morayshire Jacobites) Easter Galurg. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Easter Gaulrig. [Probably Easter Gaulrig, which is on the River Avon a short distance south of Tomintoul] [Easter Gaulrig] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Easter Gaulrig in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 92, 6-inch map 043. Easter Gaulrig is about 3 miles south of Tomintoul. Delnabo and Delavorar are between Easter Gaulrig and Tomintoul, and Easter Gaulrig is on the west side of the River Avon opposite Auchnahyle.
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40. Peter Grant, — Delavoir. Was a private in rebel army, forced out, has submitted. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Delavoiar. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Delavorar. [Delavorar. On the Map of River Avon by Robert and James Gordon, ca. 1636–1652, there is a Dalvorar on the east side of the Avon River, immediately south of Achnahyll, to the west of The Mountains of The Ledder, and to the north of Loch Awin.] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Delavorar in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 89, 6-inch map 036.
41. Grigor Grant, — Delavoir. Was a private man in rebel army, forced out, has submitted. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Delavoiar. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). [Delavorar] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Delavorar in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 89, 6-inch map 036.
42. Donald Gordon, — Delavoir. Carried arms in said army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Delavoiar. (Rosebery, page 110, killed).
43. James Grant, — Dalnabo. Carried arms in said army, forced out. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 110, Carried Arms in said Army being forced thereto, has submitted, at home). Delnabo. [Delnabo] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Delavorar in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 100, 6-inch map 043.
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44. William Grant, — Foderliter. Carried arms in said army, submitted. (page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Foderleter. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Fodderletter and Wester Fodderletter in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 69 for Easter, page 48 for Wester, 6-inch map 040. [Fodderletter (Easter, Mid, and Wester) is about 3 1/2 miles northwest of Tomintoul on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Avon.]
45. Peter Grant, — Wester Foderliter. Was a serjeant in rebel army and a resetter ( receiver?) of plunder, has submitted himself. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Wester Foderleter. (Rosebery, page 110, at home). Livingstone-RPC, sergeant, Wester Fodderletter, submitted, at home, page 125. [Wester Fodderletter] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Wester Fodderletter in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 48 for Wester, 6-inch map 040. [Fodderletter (Easter, Mid, and Wester) is about 3 1/2 miles northwest of Tomintoul on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map, on the west side of the River Avon.]
46. John Grant, merchant, Tomintoul. Carried arms in rebel army, has submitted. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 112, at home). [Tomintoul] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Tomintoul in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 37, 6-inch map 040.
47. Lewis Grant, son to William Grant, Little Neive. Carried arms in rebel army, was at spoiling Culloden house, has submitted. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 112, at spoiling of Cullen house, not known). Nevie (*). [Nevie. On the Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–1755, Little Nevie is on the east side of the River Livet, just to the southeast of Nevie, where the Burn of Nevie (not named) flows into the River Livet. Achorachan and Tombreach are to the immediate north of the Burn of Nevie.] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Nevie in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 188, 25-inch map 036.09, 6-inch map 036.
48. William Grant, servant, Clagan. Was a private man in rebel army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 112, not known). Claggan (Easter, Wester) (*). [Claggan. On the Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–1755, Clagans (NJ244262) is on the east side of the River Livet, just south of Little Nevie and Achorachan (NJ234277), across the river from Lynebeg and Tomunlan, and Croftbane, to the north of where the Burn of Crombie flows into the River Livet from the south at Tombea (NJ244262) on the east side of the Livet and Croftbane on the west side of the Livet. Lynebeg is 1 1/2 miles west of Tomnavoulin on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.] [Lynebeg is 1 1/2 miles west of Tomnavoulin on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
49. John Grant, — Tomavelan. Was a private man in rebel army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites). Tamavelan. (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Tomnavoulin (*). Tomnavillan was a farmstead in the Braes of Glenlivet before 1650. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell). [Tomnavoulin ?] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Tomnavoulin in the County of Banffshire, and Drumine, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 192, 25-inch map 036.09, 6-inch map 036; and Tomachlaven in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 142, 25-inch map 30.14, 6-inch map 030. A distillery in Tomnavoulin uses the name Tamnavulin Distillery.
50. John Grant, — Upper Drumin. Carried arms as a private man in rebel army, or as a sergeant, submitted. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 112, at home).Livingstone-RPC, sergeant, submitted, at home, page 125. Drumin (*). [Drumin. On the Map of River Avon by Robert and James Gordon, ca. 1636–1652, there is a Drummyn on the west side of the Avon River immediately below the point at which the River Liffett flows in to the River Avin, and to the west of Blairfindie on the River Liffett.] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Drumin in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 156, 25-inch map 035.04, 6-inch map 035.
51. James Gordon, — Cross of Minmore. Carried arms as a private man in rebel army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Croft of Minmore. (Rosebery, page 112, at home).
52. William Gordon, — Glenrines. Carried arms as a private man in rebel army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 112, at home). I. Glenrinnes—4.4 miles southwest of Dufftown on B9009.
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53. Alexander Gordon, — Backside of Clashnever. Carried arms as a private man in rebel army, active in plundering Culloden House, said to be forced out. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Backside of Clashnaver. (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Clashnaver is probably the village now known as Clashnoir, Inveravon, Banff, Scotland. The settlement was called Clashnore in the registration of John Gordon's will on August 16, 1790. See 20. John Gordon, above on this list.
54. Robert Gordon, — Nether Clashnever. Was a sergeant in rebel army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites) Nether Clashnaver. (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Clashnoir (*) or Clash (°) at Scalan (°).
55. Alexander Grant, — Culier. Carried arms as a private man in rebel army. (Rose, page 132, Morayshire Jacobites). Calier. (Rosebery, page 112, at home). I (*). There is a Calier on the Glenlivet Estate Map across a burn from Tomalienan. which is to the east, and immediately north of Braeval. The burn, unnamed on the map, is the next burn to the west from the Burn of Crombie and Scalan. [Calier is 1 1/2 miles west of Chapeltown in the Braes of Glenlivet on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
56. Neil Grant, — Tomahanan. Carried arms as a private man in rebel army, but forced out. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites), (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Tomachlaggan. Tomnalinan was a farmstead in the Braes of Glenlivet before 1650. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell). [On the Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–1755, there is a Tomlinan on he west side of the Burn of Crombie just north of Scalen (with Callier to the immediate west), and there is a Tomunlan on the west side of the River Livet, just north of where the Burn of Bly flows into the River Livet.] [Tomalienan ?] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Tomalienan in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 241, 25-inch map 041.09, 6-inch map 041.
Jacobites of 1715 and 1745. North East Scotland by Frances McDonnell (available onancestry.com) lists, at page 25, lists Neil Grant among the Jacobites of North East Scotland 1745: Grant, Neil, Tomaclagan, Glenconglass. [Tomaclagan was spelled Tomachlaggan in 1629, and is so spelled on modern maps, and also Tomnachlaggan in the early 18th century. It is just east of where the Conglass Water flows into the River Avon. Here is a photograph of Tomachlaggan with a view down to the Avon and a map. The map also shows Glenconglass, about 1/2 a mile east of Tomachlaggan.]
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57. Peter Grant, — Galurg. Was forced into rebellion, and twice deserted. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites) Gaulurg. (Rosebery, page 112, at home). [Easter Gaulrig or Wester Gaulrig]Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Easter Gaulrig and Wester Gaulrig in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 92, 6-inch map 043. Easter Gaulrig is about 3 miles south of Tomintoul. Delnabo and Delavorar are between Easter Gaulrig and Tomintoul, and Easter Gaulrig is on the west side of the River Avon opposite Auchnahyle.
58. William Grant, son to Angus Grant, sometime in Tomavelan. Served as a soldier in rebel army, was active in plundering country. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites). Tamvilan. (Rosebery, page 112, not known). (Tomnalinan or Tomnalianan or Tomnalianan or Tomnalienan was a farmstead in the Braes of Glenlivet before 1650. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell). Mitchell's article uses all four of these spellings.) Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Tomnavoulin in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 192, 25-inch map 036.09, 6-inch map 036; and Tomachlaven in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 142, 25-inch map 30.14, 6-inch map 030.
59. William Grant, — Galurg. Carried arms in rebel army. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites) Gaulurg. (Rosebery, page 112, at home).[Easter Gaulrig or Wester Gaulrig] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Easter Gaulrig and Wester Gaulrig in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Kirkmichael, in 1869, Volume 18, page 92, 6-inch map 043. Easter Gaulrig is about 3 miles south of Tomintoul. Delnabo and Delavorar are between Easter Gaulrig and Tomintoul, and Easter Gaulrig is on the west side of the River Avon opposite Auchnahyle.
60. Ishmail Gordon, servant, —. Carried arms in rebel army. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites) Ishmael. (Rosebery, page 112, lurking).
61. Ludovic Gordon, merchant. Elgin. Carried arms in rebel horse, was in rebellion 1715. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites) Lodovick, Elgine. (Rosebery, page 112, lurking).
62. William Grant, wright, Windyhills. Was a lieutenant in rebel army and enlisted men. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites) (Rosebery, page 112, lurking). Livingstone-RPC, page 125. Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Windy Hills in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Grange, in 1869, Volume 16, page 132, 25-inch map 0008.16, 6-inch map 008.
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63. Alexander Grant, writer, Inverness. Was a captain in said army. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 112, not known).
64. James Gordon, messenger-at-arms, Kinglanis Boat. Prompted out people into the rebellion, and discharged the minister from praying for His Majesty. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites) Kingussie Boat. (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Near Ruthven Barracks, the town of Kingussie is on the west side of the River Spey in Cairngorns National Park. Founded in the late 18th century by the Duke of Gordon, Kingussie was a small hamlet surrounded by a vast pine forest at that time. On the opposite side of the River Spey is Ruthven Barracks, the site of an earlier settlement with connections to the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite risings. Ruthven barracks were built in 1718, and burned in 1746 by 2500 fugitives from Culloden, who rallied here till a message from Prince Charles Edward asked them them to disperse —Parish of Kingussie and Insh.
65. Alexander Grant, farmer, Croftbain. Carried arms, and was very active, but said to be forced. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Croftbain (*). [Croftbain. On the Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–1755, Croftbane is on the west side of the River Livet, across the River from where the Burn of Crombie enters from the east at Tombea.] Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Croftbain in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 202, 25-inch map 036.13, 6-inch map 036. [Croftbain is 2 miles south of Tomnavoulin and 1 1/2 miles north of Knockandu on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
66. John Grant, farmer, Croftbain. Carried arms, and was very active in his station, but said to be forced. (Rose, page 133, Morayshire Jacobites). (Rosebery, page 112, at home). Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Croftbain in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 202, 25-inch map 036.13, 6-inch map 036. [Croftbain is 2 miles south of Tomnavoulin and 1 1/2 miles north of Knockandu on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
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67. John Rattray, — Balns. Was compelled by rebels to carry arms. (Rose, page 143, Morayshire Jacobites) Balno. (Rosebery, page 126, at home). Belnoe (*). Belnoe was in the Braes of Glenlivet. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell).
68. Peter Roy Grant, — Badiglashan. Carried arms in rebel army. (Rose, page 143, Morayshire Jacobites; mistakenly lists this person as John Roy Grant — see the next entry.) Badiglashean. (Rosebery, page 126, at home). Badeglashan, 1700–1750 has "now disappeared." Badeglashan was a farmstead in the Braes of Glenlivet brought into cultivation shortly after 1715. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell). Spelled Badaglashan on Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–55 where it will be found on the east side of the Burn of Crombie, about 1/2 mile north east of Scalan. [Possibly this should be Peter Roy Grant. See the following list.]
69. John Roy Grant, — Domichmore. Forced to carry arms by rebels, has submitted himself. (Rose, page 143, Morayshire Jacobites) Demickmore. (Rosebery, page 126, at home).Demickmore (°). Demick Muir or Demick Mor was in the Braes of Glenlivet, and was brought into cultivation in 1717 according to Bishop Geddes, at the same time as Cordregny. The Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–55 shows Damuckmor in the Braes of Glenlivet on the west side of the Burn of Bly about 1/2 mile southeast of Balnoe. Scotlands Places—Place Names for Banffshire lists Demickmore in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 239, 25-inch map 041.06, 6-inch map 041. A sketch map of Demick More from the Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell) is set out below. Eskie Muchkak in the sketch is called the farm of Eskymulloch by Bishop John Geddes in A Brief Historical Account of the Seminary of Scalan. A later article calls it Eskiemullach. Scalan News No. 19, December 1999 —New Tacks by John Watts.
70. Hugh Stewart, gardener, Fort-Augustus. Carried arms, threatened to kill John Grant, officer of excise. (Rose, page 143, Morayshire Jacobites, mistakenly lists this person as John Stewart).Hugh Stuart, Gardner. (Rosebery, page 128, not known).
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71. Mr. John Tyrie, a popish priest, Clashnaver. Was very active in raising men to go into the rebellion. (Rose, page 145, Morayshire Jacobites) Universally known. (Rosebery, page 130, at home). Clashnoir (*) (Farm, Upper (*), Nether (*)). Clashnoir was a settlement in the Braes of Glenlivet. Scalan New of June 18, 1999 (Settlement of the Braes by Stuart Mitchell). Also listed by Livingstone in Gordon of Glenbucket's regiment is:
Chaplain. TJB, JWS. Tyrie, Rev. John, R. C. Priest, Clashmore. Wounded. Culloden. Livingstone-RPC, page 125. Scotlands Places—Place Names for Banffshire lists Clashnorein the County of Banffshire, Parish of Inveravon, in 1869, Volume 17, page 233, 25-inch map 041.05, 6-inch map 041. [Clashnoir is two miles northwest of Chapeltown in the Braes of Glenlivet on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
Two other northern Tyries are mentioned in the "List" — David Tyrie, "labouring servant," Ellon (most likely a near relative of the other David), and Mr. John Tyrie, a "Popish priest" at Clashnaver, who is described as having been very active in inciting persons to join the Chevalier. —Scottish Notes and Queries, Second Series, Volume III, John Bulloch, Editor, Aberdeen 1901, No. 6, December 1901, page 81 at 82—James Tyrie, the Jesuit, and His Kin by J. F. George.
Found only in Livingstone, were:
JWS Grant, Killian, priest OSB escaped. (JWS means J. Watts: Scalan, the forbidden college, 1999) Livingstone-JWS, page 126. Probably should be William Grant, listed above as a popish priest, Baliwater.
SGP Grant, William, Banffshire. T. Carlisle. Pardoned on Enlistment. SGP means: Seton, B. Gordon and Arnot, J. Gordon, Prisoners of the '45, Scottish History Society (Edinburgh 1928)Livingstone-JWS, page 126.
Jacobites of 1715 and 1745. North East Scotland by Frances McDonnell (available on ancestry.com), lists these Grants among the Jacobites of North East Scotland 1745, at pages 24–25. Many of their homes listed below were in the Glenlivet - Tomintoul area of Moray:
Grant, Alexander. Nether Cluny. Carried arms in the character of an officer.
Grant, Alexander. Carpenter, Aberdeen. Transported 31 Mar 1747 from London, 5 May 1747 from Liverpool to Leeward Islands in Veteran, but the ship was attacked off Antigua by the French, who released all prisoners in Martinique June 1747.
Grant, Alexander. Brother to Neivie.
Grant, Alexander. Calier, Glenlivet.
Grant, Alexander. Backside of Clashmore.
Grant, Alexander. Deskie, Glenrinnes.
Grant, Alexander. Farmer, Croftbain.
Grant, Alexander, of Netherclunie, Banffshire. A prisoner in the New Gaol, Southward in Oct 1746, and acquitted 15 December.
Grant, Elexander. Logan of Blairfindy.
Grant, Charles. Tomdonach, Glernlivet, Lieutenent and deserted.
Grant, David. Old Meldrum.
Grant, David. Son of Blairfindy, "An officer" who returned to Blairfindy with his father.
Grant, Donald. Easter Gaulrig, Tomintoul.
Grant, Elizabeth. Born 1727, seamstress Banff. Transported 20 Mar 1747.
Grant, Grigor. Delavorar.
Grant, Humphrey. Weaver, Banff. A Lieutenent in the Duke of Perth's Regiment.
Grant, James. Miller in Inchnacape. His house was burnt.
Grant, James. Fiddler, Haddo, Banffshire.
Grant, James. Delnabo, Tomintoul.
Grant, James. Logan of Blairfindy. Said to have gone to Canada.
Grant, John. Servant, Haddo, Banffshire.
Grant, John. Servant to Sir W Gordon of Park. Lurking after Culloden.
Grant, John. Loanbeg, Banffshire.
Grant, John of Croftbain. (end of page 24)
Grant, John. Farmer.
Grant, John, jun. Deskie, Banffshire.
Grant, John, Inverlochy. Glenconglass. His house was burnt.
Grant, John. Merchant, Tomintoul.
Grant, John. Son of John Grant, Merchant, Tomintoul.
Gran,, John. Upper Drumin.
Grant, John. Weaver, Tombreck.
Grant, John, Tailor. Strathbogie, Aberdeen. Lurking after Culloden.
Grant, John. Born 1713, weaver, Banff. Transported 5 May 1747 from Liverpool to Virginia in Johnson, arrived Port Oxford, Maryland, 5 August 1747. [John Grant, who arrived in Oxford, Maryland, in 1713 at the age of 34, is listed in the Directory of Scots Banished to the American Plantations, 1650–1775 by David Dobson. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984, page 65, and Jacobite Prisoners Transported On Board Veteran, 8th May 1847," in Aberdeen & North East Scotland Family History Society Journal (Aberdeen, Scotland), vol. 35 (Summer 1990), page 3. (ancestry.com). Scotlands Places — Place Names for Banffshire lists Banff [town] in the County of Banffshire, Parish of Banff, in 1869, Volume 3, page 1, 25-inch map 004.12, 6-inch map 006. Here is an entry from The Original Scots Colonists of Early America, 1612–1783, page 118:
2439. Grant, John, b. 1713, weaver, Jacobite, res. Banff, tr. 5 May 1747, fr. Liverpool to Va, in Johnson, arr. Port Oxford Md 5 Aug 1747. (P.2.262)(MR206)(PRO.T1.328)]
Grant, John. Tomnavoulin, Glenlivet.
Grant, John. Son of Blairfindy. "A Lieutenent in the Jacobite Army but deserted."
Grant, John Roy. Demickmore, Glenlivet.
Grant, John Roy. Wheelwright, Aberdeen. In the Tolbooth.
Grant, Lewis. Little Nevie. Was at the spoiling of Cullen House.
Grant, Neil. Tomaclagan, Glenconglass.
Grant, Patrick. Inchnacape.
Grant, Peter. Delavorar.
Grant, Peter. Wester Fodderletter.
Grant, Peter. Gaulrig. Was forced out, and twice deserted.
Grant, Peter. The last survivor of those who fought at Culloden. He was born in 1714 at Dubrach, a small farm in Braemar and was a tailor by trade. In 1821 he received an allowance of a guinea a week from George IV, and died 11 Feb 1824. His tombstone reads "To the memory of Peter Grant, sometime farmer in Dunbrach, where he was born in 1714, died at Auchindryne*, aged 110." His wife, Mary Cumming died in 1811. She was 32 years his junior. He had a daughter, Annie, who died in 1860.
*probably Auchendryne.
Grant, Peter Roy. Badiglashean, Ballindalloch.
Grant, Robert. Aberdeenshire. Prisoner at Culloden
Grant, William. Banffshire. Prisoner at Culloden.
Grant, William. Born 1699, linen weaver, Aberdeen. Transported 5 May 1747 from Liverpool to Virginia in Gildart, arriving Port North Potomac, Maryland 5 Aug 1747. (Captured at Carlisle. See: Jacobite Prisoners Transported to the USA – additional information.)
Grant, William. Tomintoul.
Grant, William. Mr. A Popish Priest, Balivalier, Banffshire.
Grant, William, Clagan, Glenlivet.
Grant, William.Tomnavoulin, Glenlivet.
Grant, William. Gaulrig.
Grant, William. Findran, Banffshire.
Grant, William, of Blairfindy. In June 1746, described as being "at home," although his house was burnt by Cumberland's troops.
Grant, William, Fodderletter.
Grant, William Roy, Balnacoull, Craigellachie.
Many of the locations listed above were named in a charter made and granted by his majesty,* under his highness's great seal, to George, now duke of Gordon,† (designated in the said charter George, marquis of Huntly) dated 21 May 1684, of all and whole the marquisate, earldom and lordship of Huntly." The charter included "all and whole the lands and barony of Strathavon ... and barony of Glenlivet." The charter was ratified by Parliament on April 23, 1685. The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K. M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2013), 1685/4/92 (NAs. PA2/32, f. 182–187) (Ratification in favours of the duke of Gordon [and protest]).
*King Charles the Second.
†George Gordon (1649–1716), 1st Duke of Gordon. See: The 1st Duke of Gordon by John Malcolm Bullock 1908, a free eBook.
The Grants at the Battle of Culloden, 1746, another good short history, at The Great Scottish Clans — Grant, makes this statement:
In 1745, three Grant brothers who fought for the Jacobites, fled to Banffshire where they were hidden by relatives. The great-grandson of one of these men herded cattle at the age of seven, was apprenticed to a shoemaker, worked in a limeworks, then became a bookkeeper at a local whisky distillery where he worked for 20 years and eventually became manager.
In 1886 he quit his job and with his own savings opened his own distillery. The Glenfiddich Distillery began production on Christmas Day, 1887. The sole employees were William Grant and his nine children. Grant pioneered single malt whisky. Until Glenfiddich distillery opened, proprietary whisky was blended.
See: Who Fought On What Side At Culloden on Unknown Scottish History and The Highland Clans in the 1745 Rising. See also: Grant History: Monymusk Text and Grant Histories: Overview on Clan Grant. Articles in Wikipedia worth examining are Jacobitism and Jacobite Risings.
The section of the charter that describes the lands granted in Strathavon and Glenlivet, which I have broken into two paragraphs, reads as follows:
"... all and whole the lands and barony of Strathavon, comprehending therein the particular towns, lands, mills, woods, fishings, forests, parks, shielings, grassings and others underwritten, namely the lands of Wester Garnielarg, Easter Gairnlarg, Delavorar, Delnabo, Bailebeg, Auchloon, Easter Fodderletter, Wester Fodderletter, Ballintomb, Dalvrecht, Inverlochy, Easter Inverourie, Wester Inverourie, Achnagoul, Keppoch, Riuntack, Meikle Campdale, Wester Campdale, Tomintoul, Ruthven, mill and mill-lands thereof, Cullmor, Achriachan and mill thereof, Findron, Easter Croughly, Middle Croughly, Wester Croughly, Ellick, Glenconglass, Tomachlaggan, Achlihouse, kirkton of Kirkmichael, with the advocation, donation and right of patronage of the parish kirk and parish of Kirkmichael, Bellintrowan, Easter Innerchebits, Middle Innerchebits, Wester Innerchebits, Argonishdell, Culquoich and woods thereof at the water of Spey, the Forest of Glenavon, with the whole liberties, privileges and casualties thereto belonging, with woods and fishings upon the water of Avon, and castles, towers, fortalices, manor places, houses, biggings, yards, orchards, woods, parks, meadows, grassings, shielings, outsets, insets, tofts, crofts, parts, pendicles and pertinents, with the teinds both parsonage and vicarage of the said lands, tenants, tenantries and service of free tenants, advocation, donation and right of patronage of the chaplainry of Pitchaish, founded at St Peter's altar in the cathedral kirk of Moray, with full and free jurisdiction of bailiary of the said lands and barony and casualties and commodities belonging thereto.
Of all and whole the lands and barony of Glenlivet, comprehending therein the particular towns, lands and others underwritten, namely the lands of Delmore, mill, mill-lands, multures, sucken and sequels thereof, Nether Downan, Over Downan, Easter Deskie, Wester Deskie, Morinsh, Corshelloch, Over Mullochard, Nether Mullochard, Tombreckachie, mill and mill-town thereof, Auchbreck, Achorachan, Chapelchrist, Nevie, Tombain, Achnascraw, Achdregnie, Auchavaich, Tomalienan, Badievochel, Easter Lettoch, Wester Lettoch, Auchnarrow, mill of Refreish, Clash More, Tomnavoulin, mill, mill-lands, multures, sequels and pertinents, Easter Corry, Middle Corry, Wester Corry, the castle of Blairfindy, the mains thereof, Easter Blairfindy, Wester Blairfindy, Minmore, manor place of Drumin and mains thereof, Over and Nether Drumin, Sowie, the Forest of Cammie, and whole privileges and casualties thereto belonging, with all the woods, parks, fishings, grassings, shielings, outsets, insets, tofts, crofts, parts, pendicles and pertinents, with the teinds both parsonage and vicarage of the said lands, all lying in the parishes of Kirkmichael and Inveraven and sheriffdom of Banff.
In the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746, Duke of Perth's Division of the Jacobite Army included MacDonnell of Glengarry's Regiment, 500 men commanded by Donald MacDonnell of Lochgarry. This regiment included a unit of Grants of Glenmoriston and Glen Urquhart. See: Frost's Scottish Anatomy — Culloden. 16th April 1745.
Here are a few quotations from Jacobite Memoirs of The Rebellion of 1745, edited from the manuscripts of the late Right Reverend Robert Forbes, Bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church, by Robert Chambers, Edinburgh, 1834.
The following is a summary of certain desolations made betwixt the rivers of Spey and Dee, in the year 1746. ... The dwellings were burnt of John Grant in Interlochy, James Grant Miller in Inchnacape ... (page 229)
The militia were the worst of all, because they knew the country so well. Donald and Malcolm MacLeod were positive that the red-coats could have done but little, particularly in taking those that were skulking, had it not been for the militia, viz. Campbells, Monroes, Grants, &c. &c. who served to scour the hills and woods, and were as so many guides for the red-coats, to discover to them the several corners of the country, both upon the continent and on the islands. (page 261)
Donald MacLeod said, he had reason to think, that no less than four hundred men died on board three ships opposite to Tilbury Fort, among which were the sixty or seventy Grants of Glenmoriston, who, by the persuasion of the Laird of Grant, had surrendered themselves, and delivered up their arms at Inverness, when Cumberland was there, not long after the battle of Culloden. Donald and Malcolm declared, that finer and stouter men never drew a sword, than what these Glenmoriston men were, and none of them survived the miserable situation, and returned to their own country, but only one or two. They likewise joined in laying great blame to the door of the Laird of Grant, who, they said, could not fail to know what would turn out to be the fate of those men, if they should be prevailed upon to surrender. In a word, they looked upon him as the instrument of the misery of those brave fellows, and spoke no good things of him at all, affirming, that he entertained a hatred at the Grants of Glenmoriston. (pages 263–264)
Publications: Allardyce, James, ed. Historical papers relating to the Jacobite period, 1699–1750. 2 v. 1895–96: Issue 16. (Here is another publication of volume 2 — on Internet Archive.)
Report of Lieut. Ogilvy of Genl. Pulteney's Regiment. At Toinantoul detach'd from Strathbogie. (page 563)
July 26, 1750.
I have received information that one Stewart that is in ye French Service was in this Country listing men about three weeks ago, it is reported he listed some men and march'd with them with an intention to ship them at Leith for France, they tell me he wears a Black Cockade and has a Dutch pass and that when he is in Scotland, he lives mostly at Grants ye priests, but as all the people in the Country are Roman Catholicks it is impossible for me to get almost any intelligence, and on account of my taking up the priest, they tell me that they are so much enraged against me, that they say they want only an opportunity of being revenged. I likewise received information, that one John Grant brother to Grant of Blairfindie in Glenlevitt lists men for the french Service, I am likewise informed that this Grant was in Lord Loudoun's Regiment . and was with General Cope in the North, but deserted and joined the Rebels, but I have no proof of either of his listing men for the french or his being a deserter, as I am inform'd that Grant lives Constantly at his Brother's house, I shall do my best endeavours to get proof against him, so that I may apprehend him. ...
(Sign'd) DAVID OGILVY. (pages 563–564).
—Historical papers relating to the Jacobite period, 1699-1750 (1895) (volume 1)
Here is part of a posting of Doris M. Grant of April 10, 2008:
My husband's Gr-Gr-Grand Father James GRANT (1810-1900) married Jane RATTRAY (c.1795-1884)... James Grant was a distiller with George Gow-Smith at the Minmore Distillery. George Gow-Smith & his wife stood as godparents to Peter GRANT (husband's Gr-GrandFather) at his baptism c.1834. Peter Grant (1834-1900) married Helen GORDON (1828-1903), d/o Alexander GORDON J.P.Mortlach Parish, born 1781 @ Tullochallum farm & died 1863 in Errolbank in Dufftown, a house he built across the river, facing Tullochallum. Though Alexander was the second son, he succeeded to the lease of Tullochallum upon his father's death as his eldest brother, John had entered the priesthood.
If one visits St. Mary's RC Chapel, Dufftown there are 2 stained glass windows there in memory of members of our GORDON/COWIE/GRANT family. (Probably St Mary of the Assumption on Fife Street immediately east of Cowie Avenue.)
James Grant was born at Kirkmichael (Moray), civil parish of Ineravon, county of Banffshire, Scotland, on July 12, 1810, and died at age 89 in Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland, at Glendullan Cottage, Dufftown, on April 2, 1900. The informant of his death was his son, John Grant, of 63 High Street, Elgin, Moray. Libindx NM066745 describes his occupation as "Distillery Manager & Brewer," gives his date of birth as c. 1807, and notes under Biography "Worked at Auchorachan Distillery Glenlivet."
In a posting of December 2, 2007, Doris M. Grant says that she believes James Grant was the son of William Grant (1763– ) and Jean Stuart.
James Grant (1810–1900) married Jane Rattray (1805–1884), who was also born in Inveravon, Banff, Scotland. She was the daughter of Thomas Rattray (1783– ) and Jane Davidson (1783– ). Jane died at age 79 on December 23, 1884, at 22 North Street, Bishopmill, Elgin, Moray, Scotland. Libindx NM070525. See <Strathspey (related or otherwise)> on Public Member Trees on ancestry.com. Rattray was a common name in the Highlands of Scotland and there is a Rattrays Lane in Tomintoul that intersects with A939 near the center of the town.
The 1841 census of Scotland lists James Grant, age 30, born in the civil parish of Inveravon, Banffshire, Scotland, a brewer,* living on the Burn Side of Stable, Auchorachan Loft in the parish of Inveravon, county of Banffshire. In the household were Jean Grant, age 30, born in Banffshire, Scotland; Peter Grant, age 6, born in Banffshire, Scotland; William Grant, age 4, born in Banffshire, Scotland; James Grant, age 2, born in Banffshire, Scotland; Ann Stewart, age 25, F S Lodger; and James Smith, age 1.
*Brewing is a step in the making of whisky — the preparation of malted barley wort for fermentation, a step that follows the malting and grinding of the barley. "The quality of the wort is controlled by the excise men, because it determines the amount of spirit which will finally be produced. This is the base of the taxation of the distillery." See: How is whisky made? and Home Distillation of Alcohol — Preparing Grain Worts or Mashes. The Glossary of Irish Whiskey Terms contains this definition: Brewing — The process of producing alcoholic liquids aided by yeast from the sugars present in a solution of fermented grains.
Here is part of a posting by Doris M. Grant of November 19, 2004, regarding James Grant and Jane Rattray:
James was a brewer with George Gow Smith at Minmore & died in Dufftown. Jane was a housekeeper to a Capt. Grant who at one time owned the Auchorachan Distillery, located near Auchbeck (does anyone know about this distillery?). She died in 1884, Bishophill (Bishopmill), Elgin.
The 1851 census of Scotland lists James Grant, age 39, a distillery manager, at Achorachan, Inveravon, Auchbreck, Banff. In the household were James' wife, Jane Rattise (Jane Rattray), age 45, born in Ineravon, Banffshire; William Grant, age 14, born in Aberdeen, Banffshire, scholar; James Grant, age 11; Ann Grant, age 9, born in Aberdeen, Banffshire, scholar; Janet Grant, age 7, born in Aberdeen, Banffshire, scholar; John Grant, age 4, born in Aberdeen, Banffshire, scholar; Janet Ratteie (Rattray), age 53, sister, born in Ineravon, Banffshire, crofter of 10 acres of land; and Ann Battsie (Rattray), age 51, sister, born in Aberdeen, Banffshire, farmer's wife of 49 acres.
By the time of the 1851 census, Peter Grant was out of school and indentured to George Campbell Smith. Doris M. Grant, in a posting of November 22, 2004, quotes the family history written by Alexander Joseph Grant:
1850
Acting on Mr. Campbells’s advice, Captain Grant, leasee of the adjoining farms of Tombreckachie and Auchorachan & the owner of the Auchorachan distillery drove him (Peter) in his gig to Banff on low Sunday 11 April 1850. They went via Dufftown and Keith & got to Glenbarry at night, where the Capt. had a small estate & distillery. The Captain’s carts made this place their halfway house between Auchorachan & Banff, a distance of 37 miles, with their loads of whiskey & coal. The next day the Captain took him to Banff Castle, the residence & office of Mr. Geo. Campbell-Smith, land surveyor, by reputation a roaring lion, to whence he became indentured and with whom he remained until 27th June 1853.
The 1851 census of the town of Banff in Aberdeenshire lists Peter Grant, age 16, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, an apprentice land surveyor, lodger at 36 High Shore, in the home of William Wood, age 60, born in Marnoch, Banffshire, a merchant (Marchant Shefk ?); his wife, Catherine Wood, age 60; his sister, Margaret Wood, age 48; and one other lodger, James Davidson, age 17, a clerk.
The 1861 census of Scotland lists James Grant, age 49, a baker and spirit dealer, at Shenval, near Glenlivet, in the registration district of Auchbreck, civil parish of Inveravon, county of Banffshire. In the household were James' wife, Jean Rattrie (Rattray), age 54, born in Inveravon, Banffshire; Ann Grant, age 19, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, daughter with the occupation of a house maid; John Grant, age 14 son, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, scholar; and Elspat Murray, a lodger, age 26, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, farm servant.
The 1871 census lists in Shenval, Inveravon, Banffshire, registration district of Glenlivet, James Grant, age 59, born in Kirkmichael, Scotland, farmer of 17 acres; with his wife, Jane Grant, age 64, born in Glenlivet, Banffshire; daughter, Janet Grant, age 45 (probably should read 25), born in Glenlivet, Banffshire; his son-in-law, Gordon Grant, age 25, born in Kirkmichael, Banffshire, master shoemaker; and Ann McPherson, age 12, born in Glenlivet, Banffshire, servant.
[The 1871 census also lists in Bochol, Inveravon, Banffshire, registration district of Glenlivet, James Grant, age 59, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, farmer of 15 acres arable; with his wife, Jean Grant, age 59, born in Inveravon, Banffshire; with son John Grant, age 32, born in Inveravon, drainer; daughter Jannet Grant, age 29, born in Ineravon, Banffshire; and a granddaughter, Jean Shaw, age 1, born in Inveravon, Banffshire.]
The 1881 census of Scotland lists James Grant, age 70, born in Kirkmichael Gaelic, Banffshire, a spirit merchant, at 24 North Street, New Spynie, Elgin, Moray; with his wife, Jean Grant, age 75, born in Inveravon, Banffshire; with a grandchild Bella Stuart [Isabella Charlotte Stuart], age 5; and a domestic servant, Margaret Betty, age 16, born in Inveravon, Banffshire. Jane Rattray Grant died on december 3, 1884, in Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. <Strathspey (related or otherwise)> on Public Member Trees on ancestry.com.
[The 1881 census of Scotland lists, in Mortlach, Banffshire, another James Grant, age 15, born in Dufftown, Banffshire. He was the son of William Grant, age 41, and Elizabeth Grant, age 39. with an address of Hardaugh House. Siblings were: John, age 20; William, 17; Alexander, 13; Charles, 9; Isabella, 7; Margaret, 5; and Edward, 3.]
The 1891 census of Bankhead (3) Inveravon, Banffshire, registration district of Glenlivet, lists James Grant, age 80, born in Kirkmichael, Banffshire, retired grocer, relationship — fireman (? — on ancestry.com, possibly should be father-in-law); in the home of Gordon Grant*, age 44, born in Kirkmichael, Banffshire, a shoemaker; Gordon's wife (and James Grant's daughter), Janet Grant, age 47, born in Inveravon, Banffshire; and children of Gordon and Janet Grant, all born in Inveravon: Jane Ann Grant, age 12, scholar; Alexander Grant, age 10, scholar; James Grant, age 6, scholar; and Helen G. Grant, age 4.
*Gordon Grant was born on September 14, 1845 in Tomintoul, Kirkmichael, Banffshire, Scotland, to Alexander Grant (1805–1862) and Jane Stuart (1809– ). He died in Glenlivet, Banffshire, Scotland, on March 27, 1892. <Webster Family Tree> on ancestry.com. He married Janet "Jessie" Grant on September 29, 1870, at Glenrinnes. He and Janet, both age 35, are listed in the 1881 census of Bankhead, Ineravon, Banffshire, registration district of Glenlivet. Gordon was listed as a master shoemaker who employed 1 man. Their children at home were: Janet, age 7; Gordon, age 7; William, age 5; and Jane Ann and Alexander, both age 2. All the children were born in Glenlivet, Banffshire. <Strathspey (related or otherwise)> and <Kirkwood Family Tree> on ancestry.com. Libindx NMO63233.
The children of James Grant and Jane Rattray, all born in Banffshire, include:
Peter Grant (1834-1900) who married Helen Gordon (1828-1903). Here a posting by Doris M. Grant of November 19, 2004.
I have info re: George (Gow) Smith who operated a distiller at Minmore....one of our ancestors, James Grant was a brewer there and George (Gow) Smith and his wife, stood as godparents/witnesses to the baptism of James first born son, Peter in 1834.
Here is a posting of April 26, 2009, by Doris M. Grant:
Peter Grant b.16 June 1834, Minmore, Glenlivit, Banffshire, Scotland. d. 2 August 1900, Glendullan Cottage, Kirkton, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland. Buried in the Kirkyard, RC church, Dufftown.
He was the son of James Grant & Jane/Jean Rattray. James was a brewer with George Gow Smith, Minmore who became the first licensed distiller in Scotland.
Married 7 May 1862, St. Mary's Church, Dufftown, Scotland Helen Gordon b. 11 January 1828, farm named 'Tullochallum', Banffshire, Scotland. d. 7 May 1903, Montreal, Quebec. She was the daughter of Alexander Gordon & Marjory Cowie of Tullochallum farm, just across the river from Dufftown. Alexander was also a Justice of the Peace, Parish of Mortlach.
They had 4 sons; Alexander Joseph b. 1863; Patrick Gordon b. 1865; Andrew James b. 1867; John Forbes b. 1869 all born in Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland.
Peter came to Canada c.1870 and the family followed in 1872, they settled first in the Matapedia Valley where Peter was working on the Railroad survey.
Jessie Kelman never married, served as a nursemaid to the 4 sons of Peter & Helen, coming to Canada with the family in 1872.
William Grant (1836-1884), a land surveyor, married Charlotte Jones. William died in Azul, Argentina. Their family: Agnes – Seafield – Walter – William
James Grant (1839-1927) also a distiller, one time owner of Highland Park Distillery, Orkney Island. Married 1. Georgie Garden 2, Helen McIntosh. Family: Helen – Louisa – Walter – Jeanie – Jessie – Harry (think family is from 2nd marriage).
At the time of his death at age 88 on December 2, 1927, at Mainland (Highland Park House), Orkney Island, 1927, his employment was listed as having been with Highland Park Distillery, Orkney, Scotland—"Established by James Grant" of The Glenlivet. An earlier occupation was Minmore Distillery, Auchorachan, Glenlivit, Banffshire—"worked with George Gow." Letter from Doris Grant cited on <Glenlivet Project>.
The 1881 census of Scotland lists James Grant, age 41, born at Glenlivet, Scotland, at Farm of Pans, Elgin, county of Moray, farmer of 100 acres, 12 of which are pasture; with his wife, Helen Grant, age 38, born in Elgin, Morayshire; and children, all born at Elgin, Morayshire: Helen C. Grant, age 12, scholar; Jane A. Grant, age 11, scholar; Louisa Grant, age 8, scholar; and Jessie Grant, age 4, scholar; and James Grant, age 14, a nephew, born at Glenlivet; Thomas C. Stuart, age 9, a nephew, born at Elgin; Helen McIntosh, age 28, a domestic servant, born at Elgin; Isabella Jack, age 22, a domestic servant, born at Elgin; George Innes, age 37, a farm servant, born at Knockando, Morayshire; John McPherson, age 25, born at Dufftown, Banffsfhire, a farm servant-horseman; Robert Peterkin, age 21, born in Kellas, Morayshire a farm servant-horseman; and Alexander Harrold, age 21, born in St. Andrews, Morayshire, a farm servant - cattleman.
James Grant, aged 41, farmer of 100 acres, born Glenlivet, is listed as the head of the household at the Farm of Pans, Elgin, in the 1881 census, and according to the Highland Park web site.
I am hoping that SKS will be able to help locate a farm by the name of 'The Pans' I understand that in the late 1860s or early 1870s it was located on the outskirts of Elgin. It was said to be the home of James Grant....he eventually moved to Kirkwall and bought the Highland Park Distillery. Posting by DMG 66, March 14, 2007.
Going thru some of my info re: James Grant & the Farm of Pans....apparently at one time it was leased or belonged to the family of James' second wife, Helen McIntosh. ... Latter Day Saints website: IGI has a Helen McIntosh b.30 Dec 1842 & christened 15 Jan. 1843 Elgin, Moray. Her parents were Robert McIntosh & Helen Clark. Post of DMG on September 9, 2009.
Anne Grant (1841-1880) married William Stewart. Their family: Jean – Peter– Isabella – one other child?
Libindx NM172033 lists Annie Grant Stuart, born November 3, 1841, at Tombae, Inveravon, to James Grant, general labourer & farmer & distiller, and Jane Rattray, Auchorachan, Inveravon, lived at Shenval, Glenlivet; and died at age 38 on August 17, 1880, at Rosemount, Glenlivet. (Headstone reference Tb46—Tombaie, Inveravon).
Libindx NM179071 lists William John Stewart, who was born on July 29, 1843, at Chapeltown, Glenlivet, Inveravon, a tailor and provision merchant; who married Ann Grant of Shenval, Glenlivet, on December 9, 1869, in the Roman Catholic Church, Huntly Street, Aberdeen; and who died at the age of 87 on September 24, 1930, at Rosemount, Chapeltown, Glenlivet. (Headstone reference (Cht103). His father was William Stuart, blacksmith, of Eskemore, Inveravon; and his mother was Isabella Turner of Nether Clashnore, Inveravon. He was the father of Jane Ann Stuart and his biography notes that the lived at 205 Overgate, Dundee.
Libindx NM178555 lists a William Stewart (Stuart), whose wife was Anne Grant, who died on January 6, 1920; headstone reference Tb45 — Tombae, Inveravon. The estimated date of birth of William is c. 1860. The only reference is to miscellaneous newspaper articles.)
Janet Grant (1843–1932); born July 27, 1843, at Auchorachan; father James Grant; mother, Jane Rattray. Libindx NM175470. Janet Grant married an unknown Grant. Their family: Nellie – Jessie – William – James – Jean – Gordon – Alexander.
John Grant (1846– ); born May 2, 1846, at Auchorachan; father James Grant; mother Jane Rattrie. Libindx NM175520. John Grant married Magdalen Molteni on April 17, 1869, at the Roman Catholic Chapel in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. He is listed as age 34, born in Glenlivet, Banffshire, a saddler, at 174 High Street, Elgin, Moray, in the 1881 census of Scotland. <Geo Myrmint1.3> on ancestry.com's public family trees. Listed with John Grant in the 1881 census of Elgin were his wife, Magdalen Grant, age 38, born in Arbroath, Forfarshire; and 4 children, all born in Elgin, Moray: William Joseph Grant, age 11, scholar (born on February 4, 1870); John D. Grant, age 6, scholar (born on November 19, 1874); Jane Ann Grant, age 4; and Peter Grant, age 2. Also in the household was Adam Innes, age 34, born in Duffus, Morayshire, a coachman and domestic servant. The 1891 census of Elgin lists the same family, except for William, at the same address: John Grant, age 44, saddler; Magdalen Grant, age 48; John Grant, age 16, saddler's apprentice; Sarah Jane Grant, age 14, scholar; and Peter Grant, age 12, scholar. The 1891 census of Elgin lists this family at 63 High Street House No. 63: John Grant, age 54, born in Glenlivet, Banffshire, saddler; Magdalen Grant, age 58, born in Arbroath, Forfarshire; and Peter Grant, age 22, born in Elgin, printer compositor. <Geo Myrmint1.3> lists an additional child: Margaret Grant, born on August 22, 1871, in Elgin, who is not listed in the censuses of the family. Apparently she died before 1891. Arbroath is a port on the North Sea (east) coast of Scotland, 50 miles southwest of Aberdeen and 17 miles northeast of Dundee. Google maps shows the driving distance from Abroath to Elgin as 119 miles to the north by northwest.
The oldest son of James Grant (1810–1900) and Jean Rattray (1805–1884) was Peter Grant (1834–1900). Peter Grant was born on June 16, 1834 in Minmore (Glenlivet), Inveravon, Banff, Scotland. Peter married Helen Gordon (1828–1903) on May 7, 1862, in St. Mary's Church, Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. Helen's parents were Alexander Gordon (1781–1863)* and Marjorie Cowie (1800–1844). Helen Gordon was born on January 10 (or 11), 1828, in Tullochallum, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, and was christened on January 13, 1828, in Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. Posting of DMG66 of April 26, 2009, re Jessie Kelman.
By the time of the 1851 census, Peter Grant was out of school and indentured to George Campbell Smith. Doris M. Grant, in a posting of November 22, 2004, quotes the family history written by Alexander Joseph Grant:
1850
Acting on Mr. Campbells’s advice, Captain Grant, leasee of the adjoining farms of Tombreckachie and Auchorachan & the owner of the Auchorachan distillery drove him (Peter) in his gig to Banff on low Sunday 11 April 1850. They went via Dufftown and Keith & got to Glenbarry at night, where the Capt. had a small estate & distillery. The Captain’s carts made this place their halfway house between Auchorachan & Banff, a distance of 37 miles, with their loads of whiskey & coal. The next day the Captain took him to Banff Castle, the residence & office of Mr. Geo. Campbell-Smith, land surveyor, by reputation a roaring lion, to whence he became indentured and with whom he remained until 27th June 1853.
Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland; July 1845–March 1847 (a free Google eBook) lists as a member (at page cxxv):
Smith, George Campbell, Land-Surveyor, Banff Admitted in 1837.
The next entry is:
The 1851 census of Scotland lists George Campbell Smith, age 46, head of a family in the civil parish of Banff, town of Banff, county of Banffshire, with an address of Banff Castle, born at Leith, Midlothian, occupation: I. P. Land Years & Surveyor, Government Inspector, Assistant Commissioner under Drainage Act. In the household was his sister, Elizabeth Smith, age 51, born in Boyndie, Banffshire; a house maid, a cook, and a waiting maid, but no wife or children.
In the same 1851 census of the town of Banff, Peter Grant, age 16, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, an apprentice land surveyor, is listed as a lodger at 36 High Shore, in the home of William Wood, age 60 born in Marnoch, Banffshire, a merchant (Marchant Shefk ?); his wife, Catherine Wood, age 60; his sister, Margaret Wood, age 48; and one other lodger, James Davidson, age 17, a clerk.
Peter Grant may have participated in field work that helped settle a boundary dispute between the estates of Gairloch and Torridon, which included a climb of Beinn Dearg, a difficult and dangerous hill of about 3000 feet above sea level. A decree of arbitration entered on February 22, 1851, gave George Campbell Smith, Esquire, Land Surveyor at Banff, full powers "to settle, ascertain and determine the march between the foresaid Estates of Gairloch and Torridon."
First up Beinn Eighe?, by Ian R. Mitchell, discusses Smith's work and asks the question: "Did Smith climb Beinn Dearg, a difficult and dangerous hill, only a foot or so below 3,000 ft, while actually undertaking surveying work, and carrying heavy equipment while he went?" The article proclaims the climb as "An amazing achievement for a man unused to mountaineering, and carrying out professional duties while climbing."
Beinn Eighe ridge, which lies a little distance to the east, and is Spidean Coire nan Clach now designated the second Munro summit on the mountain - Ruadh-Stac Mhor, which Smith did not climb, being the other. However, only the very churlish and pedantic would deny the land surveyor from Banff the mantle of being the first ascender of Beinn Eighe, a mountain which many visitors including Cockburn the circuit judge - and a mountaineer himself - had looked at, but none had attempted.
The summit of Beinn Eighe reaches a height of 3,314 feet. Smith may have had his young apprentice, Peter Grant, make the climb and associated measurements.
For a description of earlier survey work done by George Campbell Smith on the Gairlock Estate, which had been held by the McKenzies of Gairloch since 1494, see Canmore — Naast:
The 1844 Campbell-Smith plan for Naast was published in 1848 as part of "The Atlas of the Townships of Gairloch" (Gairloch and Conon Archives) and this plan and the first two editions of the Ordnance Survey map (1875 and 1901) allow one to trace the development of the present township. In addition, census records, copies of entries in Gairloch Estate rental books and other papers in Gairloch Heritage Museum give information as to the residents.
George Campbell Smith was declared bankrupt in 1856 — three years after Peter Grant had left. Here is a notice from the London Gazette of December 5, 1856:
The estates of George Campbell Smith, Land Surveyor in Banff, were sequestrated on the 1st day of December, 1856. by the Sheriff of Banff, Elgin, and Nairn.
The first deliverance is dated the 1st day of December, 1856.
The meeting to elect the Trustee and Commissioners is to be held at twelve o'clock noon, on Wednesday, the 17th day of December, 1856, within the Fife Arms Hotel, Banff.
A composition may be offered at this meeting; and to entitle creditors to the first dividend, their oaths and grounds of debt must be lodged on or before the 1st day of April, 1857.
The Sheriff has granted protection to the said George Campbell Smith against Arrest or Imprisonment for Civil Debt, until the meeting for the election of Trustee.
All future Advertisements relating to this sequestration will be published in the Edinburgh Gazette alone.
W. BARCLAY, Solicitor, Banff, Agent.
Banff, December 1, 1856.
The same notice was published in The Edinburgh Gazette of December 5, 1856. Subsequent notices were published in the Edinburgh Gazette of December 30, 1856; and November 27, 1857; and April 26, 1859.
The Great North of Scotland Railway opened a line from Keith to Dufftown in 1861. Black's Morayshire directory, including the upper district of Banffshire (1863), page 8. The 1863 directory for Dufftown lists Peter Grant, C. E., Errolbank. (Scottish Post Office Directories > Counties > Moray (Elgin) and Nairn Shires >1863 - Black's Morayshire directory, including the upper district of Banffshire, page 140)
Peter Grant was employed in Scotland on the construction of both the Caledonian Railway and the Great North of Scotland Railway.
The website of the Great North of Scotland Railway Association includes a Company History, Great North of Scotland Railway. For a brief history of The Great North of Scotland Railway, go to: Railways of Caledonia — The Steel Highway in Beautiful Scotland. Wikipedia has an article on the Caledonian Railway. The website of the Caledonian Railway Association contains a history of the Company.
The Great North of Scotland Railway had a branch that ran from Lossiemouth to Elgin to Rothes to Craigellachie (known as Strathspey Junction until 1864) to Dufftown, and connected Dufftown to Aberdeen. From Carigellachie, the line also ran to the southwest to Ballindalloch and Grantown on Spey. On August 1, 1866, the Strathspey Railway, which ran from Boat of Garden on the River Spey to Dufftown, had become part of The Great North Railway. The Strathspey Railway served the many whisky distilleries that operated in the Spey Valley.
Peter Grant emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1869, temporarily leaving his wife and children in Scotland. He emigrated to Canada in 1869. From 1869 until its completion in 1876, he was employed on the construction of the Intercolonial Railway. He returned to Scotland before his death in 1900.
Peter Grant died at age 65 on August 2, 1900, at Glendullan Cottages, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland. He died 6 months after the death of his father, James Grant, who had died on April 2, 1900, also at Glendullan Cottages. Libindx NM090094 lists Peter Grant, with an occupation of civil engineer, born about 1833, with the note: "Lived in Montreal Canada." Date of Death: August 2, 1900. Place of Death: Glendullan Cottages, Dufftown. [There was a Glendullan Distillery in Dufftown, and today there is a real estate development known as Glendullan Distillery Cottages with 162 houses and flats.]
Here is the entry for Alexander Gordon, the father of Helen Gordon Grant on Libindx:
NM061851 ALEXANDER GORDON FEB 1781 to 18 AUG 1863 |
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Occupation : FARMER Date of Death : 18 AUG 1863 |
The biographical details add: Lived at Tullochallum.
Here is a part of posting of December 22, 2006, by Doris M. Grant:
The GORDON family were staunch Catholics...Helen's father was the first RC justice of the peace in Moray since the Reformation....the cottage (Erollbank) that he moved to in Dufftown from the farm of Tullochallum where he had lived for 80 yrs, has crosses in the center of each pane of glass in the windows.
Erollbank is now owned by Jean Smart & her husband and is run as a B&B, a beautiful limestone building.
Also there are two stained glass memorial windows in St. Mary's Church associated with the family --- one to John Gordon & his wife Mary Dawson; the other to Alexander Gordon & his wife Marjorie Cowie...
In any case, Jessie (Kelman) is surely a part of the Peter & Helen (Gordon) Grant family. From a family history, written by my husband's grandfather, Alexander Joseph Grant (b.1863) we know that Jessie was with the family from before their emigration to Canada in 1872. The other boys were born in 1865, 1867, & 1869 ... there was also a stillborn child ... Helen was also managing a lime works and so would have needed help with her growing family ... Jessie having nursing experience would be a great asset & help.
Alexander Gordon was a son of John Gordon (1738–1820) and Mary Dawson (1752–1824). His oldest sister, Elizabeth Gordon (1775– ), married John Kelman, and they had a daughter named Jessie Ann Kelman (1816–1899). An older brother, John Gordon (1779–1832) became a priest, and died in Edinburgh. John Gordon "succeeded to Tullochallum in 1771 [inscription at Mortlach], from uncle-in-law John Watson ‘cadet and near relative of Gordon of Clastirum in the Enzie’ in Scotts Catholics book'" according to <Gordons of Enzie, Bellie, and Rathven> on ancestry.com's public family trees.
Here is an inscription in the burial ground of the church of Mortlach::
†In pious memory of JOHN GORDON, who succeeded to the farm of Tullochalum 1771, and died there 1820, aged 82. MARY DAWSON, his spouse, died 1824, aged 72. And of their children, WILLIAM, who died in Jamaica, 1802; ANNE, died at Tullochalum, 1811; THOMAS, Capt. 92d Regt., "Gordon Highlanders," died in Jamaica, 1819; JAMES, died at Aberdeen, 1824; Rev. JOHN, died at Edinburgh, 1832; GEORGE, SS. C., died at Paisley, 1838. Also of HELEN CLARK, the beloved wife of Alex. Gordon, who died at Tullochalum, 1822, age 28 years. R. I. P. —Epitaphs & inscriptions from burial grounds & old buildings in the north-east of Scotland (1875), page 332.
Was Helen Gordon one of the Minmore Gordons? See: The Gordons and Smiths at Minmore, Auchorachan, and Upper Drumin in Glenlivet (1910) by John Malcolm Bulloch (privately printed in 1910, available on the Internet).
Patrick Gordon Grant who was born on January 2, 1865, in New Erroll Bank House, Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, and died on September 15, 1947, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gordon, as he was usually known, married Catherine M. McCarthy in Quebec, Canada, in 1906, and died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 82, on September 15, 1947.
James Andrew Grant who was born on July 13, 1867, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, and died at age 59 on August 10, 1926.
John Forbes Grant who was born on April 10, 1869, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, and died on August 14, 1923.
The 1901 Census of Canada lists John F. Grant in Montreal, District No. 175, Saint-Antoine, Sub-district No. A, Polling sub-division No. 15, single, age 31, born in Scotland in 1869, immigrated to Canada in 1873, Roman Catholic, a bank clerk, head of a household composed of himself and one lodger.
Alexander Gordon (1781–1863) and his second wife, Marjory Cowie (1800–1844), married on June 4, 1826, in Bellie, Moray, Scotland. They were the parents of Helen Gordon (1828–1903), who married Peter Grant (1834–1900), and who was the mother of Father James Andrew Grant (1867–1927). <Gordons of Enzie, Bellie and Rathven> and <George Minty 1.4> on ancestry.com's Public Member Family Trees.
Alexander Gordon's parents were John Gordon (1738–1820) and Mary Dawson (1752–1824), who were married on August 12, 1774 (or September 6, 1774) in Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. John Gordon's parents were William Gordon (1670– ) and his second wife, Jean Anderson ( –1759), whom he married on April 18, 1733, in Bellie, Moray, Scotland; and his grandfather was Robert Gordon (c.1650– ). John Gordon's father and grandfather were both born in Achinarrow, Banffshire. Achinarrow is a hamlet in the upper part of Glenlivet in Ineravon parish, 10 3/4 miles SSE of the railway station at Ballindalloch. In The Scalan News of June, 1999. Achinarrow is referred to as a familiar Braes farmstead on the Duke of Gordon's estate:
Because centuries of cattle-grazing progressively improves land fertility, people eventually moved into the Braes to start raising crops. It is not known when these first permanent settlers arrived, but their cultivation of this new arable land was no doubt well established by 1500, if not very much earlier. Yet the first indication of a significant permanent community in the Braes did not come until the later 16th century, as personified by the Gordon cousins, Adam of Achnascra and James of Achdregnie. Although we do not have specific dates for these nephews of John Gordon of Guny (builder of Blairfindy Castle in 1586), they were sons of his natural half brothers, William of Delmore (killed by Clan Chattan on a raid into lnvera'an in the 1580s) and George of Tombae.
The earliest local record of specific place-names in the Catholic Braes is to be found in the lnvera'an Parish Register. This is less surprising than might be expected because from its start in 1630 until the 1770s there are many single baptismal entries for known Catholic families. Familiar Braes farmsteads mentioned before 1650 include:
Achniskra Achdrignie Achinarrow Badivochel Clashenyor Corries Knockandow Lettoch Refriesh Tombey Tomnalinan Tomnavillan
John Gordon and Mary Dawson had nine children:
Elizabeth Gordon (1775– ). Married John Kelman (1775– ) on November 18, 1796, in Mortlach, Banffshire, and was the mother of Jessie Kelman (1816–1899 ). See the section on Jessie Ann Kelman below.
Ann Gordon (1777–1811). Libindx NM063481.
John Gordon (1779–1834). Catholic Priest. Libindx NM067928.
Alexander Gordon (1781–1863). Libindx NM061851. [Alexander Gordon and his second wife, Marjorie Cowie, were the parents of Helen Gordon, who married Peter Grant, and became the mother of Father James Edward Grant.]
William Gordon (1783–1802). Died in Jamaica at age 19. Libindx NM063477.
Thomas Gordon (1785–c.1819) A captain in the Gordon Highlanders. Died in Jamaica at age 34. Libindx NM063484.
Jean (or Jane) Gordon (1787–c.1862). Married Joseph Manticha (c.1782– ) on November 25, 1820*, in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. They had 5 children who are listed in the 1841 census of Greenock, and probably an older son, Joseph, who became a Catholic priest. The priest may have been the result of an earlier marriage of Joseph Manticha, who would have been about 37 years old when he married Jean/Jane Gordon. The father, Joseph Manticha, age 58, born in Lemma, Como, Italy, is listed on Mansion House Street in the 1841 census of the civil parish of Greenock West, Renfrewshire. (ancestry.com may have indexed Jean/Jane Gordon Manticha as Sam Manticha, age 48, listed, probably incorrectly, as born in Renfrewshire, Scotland.) <McLachlan Family Tree> on ancestry.com. The five children listed in the 1841 census, all born in Renfrewshire, are Mary Manticha, age 17; Isabella Manticha, age 14; James Gordon Manticha, age 13; Catherine D. Manticha, age 9; and Georgina Manticha, age 9. Not listed was a probable older son, Joseph Manticha, possibly about age 20, who may have been in a seminary studying to be a Catholic priest. Scottish Record Society [Publications] lists in The Burgesses and Guild Bretheren of Glagow, 1751–1846 (Edinburgh 1935), under the year 1804 (at page 234) Mantichas, Joseph, wright, B. and G. B, by purchase 4 Oct. The first Scottish Post Office directory for Glasgow in which I found him was for 1805: Manticha, G. & Co carvers & gilders, 34, King-str. The Commercial Directory of Scotland, Ireland, and the four Northern Counties for England, for 1820–21 & 22 lists: Joseph Manticha, 46 Cathcart Street, Greenock, Scotland, as a carver and gilder. Later directories list him as a carver, gilder, and looking glass manufacturer. U.K. and U.S. Directories, 1680–1830 on ancestry.com.
*The marriage may have been earlier than 1820; or Joseph Manticha may have had children (Joseph and Josephine) by an earlier marriage. Birth, Marriage & Death Notices, Conwal Co Donegal, 1829 to 1856 reports this marriage:
June 26 1830 — A– Letterkenny, on Thursday, the 17th inst., by the Right Rev. Dr. McGettigan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Raphoe (east Donegal), Mr. Charles Bryson, merchant, Glasgow, to Josephine, eldest daughter of Joseph Manticha, Esq., merchant, Glasgow.
The Penny Catholic Magazine, Volumes 1–2, No. 30, April 4, 1840, reports on page 24:
Temperance in Glasgow.—On the evening of St. Patrick's Day, a soiree of the Catholic Total Abstinence Society of Glasgow was held in the Trade-hall, Charles Bryson, esq., in the chair. The evening was spent in the utmost hilarity. ... The society now numbers upwards of seven thousand members, and is increasing. Its extension has been owing almost entirely to the philanthropic exertions of Mr. Bryson.
The only entry for Charles Bryson in the Scottish Post-Office Directory 1847–48 for Glasgow is at page 68:
Bryson, Charles, wine merchant and commission agent, 5 Exchange place, and 92 Buchanan street, house 2 St. Andrew's square.
The 1830-31 Post Office Directory for Glasgow lists at page 55:
Bryson, Charles, hardwareman, 31 Trongate.
The 1840-41 Post Office Directory for Glasgow lists at page 47:
Bryson, Charles, merchant, 20 Brunswick pl. ho. 24 S. Portland st.
In 1849, there was a Catholic priest in Greenock by the name of Joseph Manticha. He was born in Greenock and may have been the oldest son of Joseph Manticha and Jean Gordon Manticha. In his farewell address to the Catholics of Greenock in 1849, Father Joseph Manticha made these comments:
It does not fall to the lot of many clergymen in this country to enter upon their public ministry there where they have entered upon their earthly existence; to ascend in sacerdotal robes that altar round which they so often knelt in childhood, and to become the spiritual teacher of the former associates and playmates of their boyhood. Such, however, has been my lot. All the associations of infancy, the holiest associations of religion—are blended in my mind with the thought of this town. All the associations of infancy, the holiest associations of religion—are blended in my mind with the thought of this town. When my glance shall fall in after times upon this costly gift, it will recall those scenes of rural loveliness and alpine grandeur among which you live, and I was born—scenes which never left traveller unmoved, ...
The remarks are incorrectly reported in the article as made by the Rev. Joseph Mauna, rather than Joseph Manticha. See: Greenock — Presentation to the Rev. Joseph Manticha. In the 1841–1846 Hutcheson's Greenock Register, under Public Offices on page 78, is this entry: Consul for Naples and the Sicilies, 33, Cathcart Street—Joseph Manticha. The Glasgow Directory of 1809 contains this entry at page 70: Manticha, G. & Co. carvers and gilders, 34, King-str. (The Italian word for Joseph is Giuseppe.)
Joseph Manticha is not listed in the 1850–51 Post Office Directory of Glasgow nor in the 1851 census of Glasgow. He probably had died in the late 1840s. The 1851 census of the civil parish of Gorbals, county of Lanarkshire, Scotland, lists this family at 6 Salisby Street:
Jane Mantichi (head), age 62, born in Banffshire.
Jacobina Mantichi (daughter), age 24, born in Greenock, Renfrew. [May be the James Gordon Manticha, age 13, listed in the 1841 census of Greenock West, Renfrewshire; but that census also lists an older sister, Isabella Manticha, age 14, who, according to <McLachlan Family Tree> married her brother-in-law, Robert Dow after the death of her older sister, Mary.]
Catherine Mantichi (daughter), age 19, born in Greenock, Renfrew. [Married Archibald McLachlan.]
Georgina Mantichi (daughter), age 17, born in Greenock, Renfrew. [Married William McLachlan on November 8, 1860, in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. They had five children, including their first-born, Catherine Manticha McLachlan, who was bon in Blythswood, Glasgow, on June 18, 1862. Died on September 22, 1871, in Kilmadock, Perth. Scotland. The Ancestors of Brian Doig. ]
Rob Dow (son-in-law), age 32, born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, master mariner. [Robert Dow had married Mary Manticha in Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland on September 24, 1844. Mary died in 1849, probably as a result of giving birth to Mary Jane Dow*. After the 1851 census, Robert Dow married his sister-in-law, Isabella Manticha, on March 27, 1853, in Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Robert Dow died on December 18, 1874, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. <Hately Family Tree>]
Rob Dow (grandson), age 4, born in Glasgow, Iksh (ancestry.com's version of Lanarkshire).
*Mary Jane Dow (granddaughter), age 2, born in Glasgow, Iksh.
George Gordon (1791–1838) Solicitor to the Supreme Courts of Scotland in Edinburgh. Married Catherine Dick on May 27, 1818, in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Libindx NM063493.
James Gordon (1794–1824). Libindx NM063487.
The first wife of Alexander Gordon (1781–1863) was Helen Clark (1794–1822). They had one child, Mary Ann Gordon (1822–1893), who became a nun in the order of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart, or Mesdames du Sacre Coeur, which was founded in 1800 with a mother house in Paris, France. The Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864–1958, on ancestry.com, lists the registration of the death of Mary Ann Gordon, age 72, in April-May-June 1893, in Armagh, Ireland. Libindx NM066239 records the year of death of Mary Ann Gordon, the daughter of Alexander Gordon and Helen Clark of Tullochallum, as 1893.
Mary Ann Gordon became Mother Superior of the Sacred Heart Convent in the City of Armagh, Ireland. A report of her death from Ireland indicates that the year of her death may have been 1894 rather than 1893. News from Ireland, March 17, 1894, page 20, contains this article:
The Late Rev. Mother Gordon.—A Requiem High Mass for the repose of the soul of the late highly revered and much lamented Rev. Mother Gordon was celebrated on Saturday, in the Sacred Heart Convent, Armagh. His Eminence Cardinal Logue, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, presided. Besides the clergy present, there was a large attendance of the laity of the city to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of the holy nun who had been for nearly a quarter of a century connected with the religious community of the Sacred Heart in Armagh. The members of the Sodality of the Children of Mary, besides a large number of the children of the Convent school, which is managed by the Sisters, who have done such excellent work in the cause of religion and education in Armagh, were also in attendance. The Requiem Mass was sung by the Rev. Michael Quinn, C.C., Armagh, attended by the Rev. John Quinn, C.C., Armagh, as deacon, and the Rev. Patrick Fegan, C.C., Armagh, as sub-deacon. The Rev. Francis McElvogue, C.C., Armagh, officiated as master of ceremonies. At the conclusion of the Mass his Eminence Cardinal Logue pronounced the Benediction.
An article from The Tablet — The International Catholic News Weekly of June 21, 1879, page 17, refers to Mrs. (?) Gordon, Superior of the convent of the Sacred Heart in Ireland:
On Thursday, June 12, farewell audience was given to the Irish Bishops now in Rome, namely Dr. MacGettigan, Primate of Ireland ; Dr. Kelly, Bishop of Derry, and Dr. Moran, Bishop of Ossory. The Holy Father received them with much affection, and sent his special benediction to the clergy and faithful under their pastoral charge. Primate MacGettigan presented to his Holiness an offering of L'Io sent by Mrs. Gordon, Superior of the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Armagh, in the name of the children in that institution.
The Kirby Collection Catalogue—Irish College Rome (part 4, years 1867–1873), includes these three letters from Mother Gordon:
313. 14 October 1868
Holograph letter from M. A. Gordon, Sacred Heart Convent,
Armagh, to Kirby: Superioress requests renewal of faculties
for community's ordinary Confessor. 4pp.240. 22 August 1869
Holograph letter from M. A. Gordon, Armagh, to Kirby: A
convent seeks renewal of faculties for their ordinary
confessor. 4pp.278. 17 September 1869
Holograph letter from M. A. Gordon, Armagh, to Kirby:
Requesting Dr. Kirby to communicate with the Vicar
General of Armagh [as the Primate has just died] to get a
confessor for his community, as the usual confessor is in
–France on business. 3pp.
See: Saint Catherine's College of Armagh — College History.
Alexander Gordon (1781–1863) and his second wife, Marjory Cowie, had these children:
Henry Gordon (1827– )
Helen Gordon (1828–1903) who was born on January 10, 1828, in Tullochallum, and who married Peter Grant. See the next section of this page. In the 1861 census of Scotland, she is listed as age 33, born in Mortlach, Banffshire, a visitor at the home of her cousin, David Gordon, in the civil parish of Kilmorack, county of Inverness, Scotland. David Gordon is listed as age 41, born in Tullynessie, Aberdeenhire, a land surveyor.
Catherine Gordon (1829–1917). Married Donald Gordon on August 20, 1857 in Dufftown. Died in Wandsworth, London, England, at age 87, in December, 1917.
George Gordon (1832–1906). Married Louisa Gordon in Banffshire on June 25, 1861. In the 1871 census of Tullochallum, is listed with his wife and three children as age 38, a farmer of 250 arable aces employing 8 men and 2 women. In the 1881 census of the town of Elgin, civil parish of Elgin, Moray county, he is listed with his wife and two younger children (twins), as age 48, a land surveyor or civil engineer. He died in Edinburgh on August 5, 1906. Libindx NM061857.
Addenda at the end of The Catholics of Scotland: From 1593, and the Extinction of the Hierarchy in 1603, Till the Death of Bishop Carruthers in 1852 by Aeneas McDonell Dawson (Ottawa 1890) begin (after page 872 of the main text) with this note on Tulloch-Allum:
Tulloch-Allum in the Highlands of Banffshire, alluded to in this work, was a favourite resort of the venerable Bishop Hay. The head of the family that had been resident there for several generations was devoted to the Bishop always served his mass and accompanied him on his missionary journeyings. His eldest son, John Gordon,* who was studying for the priesthood at the College of Douai at the time of the French Revolution, escaped from France, along with other students, and became distinguished as a missionary Priest. He built a church at Dumbarton and another at Greenock, where, afterwards, the late Reverend William Gordon, the last chief of the clan Gordon of Glenbucket, was so long the zealous and popular pastor.
[*John Gordon (1779–1833), uncle of Helen Gordon, the mother of Father James Andrew Grant.]
The following account of the missions of Cabrach, Achendoune (Auchindoune) and Abuline Speyside, from 1770 till 1856, has been kindly furnished by a worthy member of the family so long resident at Tullochallum. The priest or missionary for the time had his home mostly at Shenval, parish of Cabrach, one of the wildest spots in that poor country. A very humble thatched cottage served as a church—long ago leveled to the ground.
The Catholics in Cabrach were few and poor, but, like some of the other missions, were protected by the powerful Duke of Gordon.
At Achendoune in those days they had no church. Mass was said there at intervals at the farm of Tullochallum, then occupied by John Gordon, a cadet and near relative of Gordon of Clastirum in the Enzie, already mentioned in these sketches, and still in the possession of his grandson, George Gordon. No room in the modest house of Tullochallum was large enough for the few Catholics, so that mass was celebrated in the "kiln." A complete set of hangings to cover the temporary altar were kept at Tullochallum; and one of the sons, principally the late Alexander Gordon, had the honour of carrying the altar stone and chalice, with other requisites for mass, from Shenval to Tullochallum and thence to Abuline, his duties further consisting of serving mass, the priest as a rule visiting each place in succession
There were few Catholics in Abuline, but the family, a cadet branch of the Letterfourie Gordons, were firmly attached to the old faith.
In addition to this, Bishop Hay, when on his journeys between Aberdeen and Scalan, invariably spent some time at Tullochallum, resting occasionally a few weeks, his episcopal Palace for the time being what in the language of those days was termed "the guest chamber," a room or rooms apart from the main house. Here in quiet and solitude he used to write part of those works so long famous in Scotland, and forming to this day what his worthy successor, the late Rev. Bishop Kyle, justly styled "The Layman's Theology." When on his journeys, always performed in his later years on horseback, the bishop was accompanied by a man servant. This was necessary as well for assistance as protection, as they carried all the baggage, including the bishop's vestments and everything necessary for celebrating mass, in two immense saddlebags.
The bishop, his man, and horses, were welcome at Tullochallum so long as they chose to remain. It was mainly to the charity and generosity of John Gordon, ably supported by his pious spouse, a near relative of Gordon of Glenbucket, that the mission of Achendoune owed its life and existence.
Both from the fact that it was frequently the temporary home of Bishop Hay, as well as the resting place of every priest traveling that way, the name of Tullochallum was so well known at Rome that some of the students on their return to Scotland as priests, having heard so much of it and the family, were astonished to find it was only a modest farm house.
The late John Gordon was often heard to remark (he was himself a very early riser, never in bed after four o'clock) that on going to visit the bishop—the first thing he did every morning—he never found His Lordship in bed or asleep, but on his knees at prayer.
When times became less intolerant, and it was considered more convenient for priest and people, the headquarters of the mission were removed from Shenval to the farm of Upper Keithock in Achendoune, possibly about 1790. To help the priest to live the Duke of Gordon rented him the small farm; and a little church was built, one story and thatched roof. The priest then was a Mr. Davidson, a native of the Enzie. John Gordon of Tullochallum took upon himself the cost of cultivating the priest's farm, seed and labor—never doing a thing for his own till the priest's crop was laid down.
Rev. Mr. Davidson was removed from there to Greenock and was succeeded early in this century by the Rev. George Gordon, a native of Garioch, Aberdeen-shire, in many ways a remarkable man. Educated at the Scotch College in Valladolid he was a thorough Spaniard to the end of his life; a born musician, as his masses and hymns testify; composed and arranged for the use of small choirs as their title sets forth, they are to this day the standard music in many missions in Scotland, as much as Bishop Hay's works were the theology of the people.
Mr. Gordon, not satisfied with the thatched chapel, set to work and erected a comfortable two story stone building with slated roof. The lower story served as the presbytery, and the upper flat, having a vaulted roof, made a very respectable chapel—a great improvement on the other with the mud floor.
In 1817 the village of Dufftown on the property of the Earl of Fife, a very liberal nobleman, was begun. It is situated about two and a half miles north west of the farm of Upper Keithock, and besides being more central was on the highway to Glenlivat and the upper missions. Mr. Gordon got a grant of a few acres of land from the Earl of Fife, and in 1825 he built thereon a very neat stone church with gothic facade, in dressed sandstone, as well as a compact and comfortable presbytery, also in stone, and enclosed the whole property with a stone and lime wall, all of which remain to this day a standing memorial of his zeal and energy.
With his taste and his musical talent he got an organ for the new church, and trained several members of his choir, male and female, to play and sing. Some years before his death in 1856 he, out of his private means, purchased a magnificent organ, costing about one thousand pounds sterling, and presented it to the mission, the smaller organ going to another place.
This good and pious priest lies buried at the side of the altar in the church his zeal was the means of erecting, and a marble tablet in the hall records a fitting tribute to his memory. How little many now alive, and in this over-busy century, think how much they are indebted to the zeal, piety and self-denial of their ancestors who in sad days of trial kept for them the inestimable gift of the Catholic faith!
Dufftown is one of the oldest Christian settlements in Ireland. Its origins were in 566 A. D. when St. Moulage founded Mortlach Church. See: Historic Dufftown. Dufftown is in the heart of Speyside in northeastern Scotland in the traditional Scottish county of Banffshire and within the unitary council region of Moray. Dufftown is situated on highway A941 on the banks of the River Fiddich and Dullan Water at the foot of the Conval Hills. The Dullan Water flows to Dufftown from the the southeast and into the River Fiddich at the southeastern corner of Dufftown — just west of the intersection of highway A941 (Fife Street) and B9014. The River Fiddich flows into Dufftown from the southwest. From Dufftown, the River Fiddich flows north by northeast into the River Spey at Craigellachie, from where River Spey flows north into Moray Firth. Dufftown is 40 miles (as the crow flies), about 55 road miles west of Inverness and 45 miles (about 52 road miles) east by northeast of Aberdeen.
For maps, go to: How To Find Dufftown and Map of Moray. See also: Map of River Fiddich and Map of Dullan Water, Moray and Dullan Water Map and Way: Dullan Water (72749820) on OpenStreet Map and Dullan Water, Scotland, United Kingdom on CollinsMaps. Here is a map that shows the location of Glenfiddich Distillery in the north part of Dufftown northwest of the intersection of highway A941 (Station Road) and Castle Road on the north edge of Dufftown, near Balvenie Castle.
For a detailed map that includes both Dufftown, where the Dullan Water flows into the River Fiddich, and Glenvlivet, where the River Avon flows into the River Spey, go to Sheet 39 - Dufftown & Huntly(published in 1929, and formally titled Popular Edition Sheet 39 (Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and Morayshire) on Ordnance Survey Maps One-inch "Popular" edition, Scotland, 1921-1930, which is on a superior website: NLS (National Library of Scotland) Map Images. Glenlivet is 13.3 road miles miles southwest of Dufftown on highway B9009, and 18.9 miles by highway A95, which follows the River Livet a short distance to the River Avon and then River Avon to the River Spey near the Ballindalloch Castle, the home of the Macpherson Grants since 1546, and the old Ballindalloch Station, the River Spey to the River Fiddich at Craigellachie, and the River Fiddich to Dufftown.
Dufftown produces more malt whisky than any other town in Scotland.. A signpost on the way into town declares Dufftown to be the Whisky Capital of the World.
Whisky making is the life blood of Dufftown. It involves every one from barley farmers to the Customs officers who ensure there are no irregularities with the duty due on the town's spirits.
See: Welcome to Dufftown and Welcome to Dufftown — the malt whisky capital of Moray.....! and Dufftown — Council - Moray; parish - Mortlach; Former Region - Grampian; Former District - Moray. See Canmoreon exploring Scotland's places — published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and enter Dufftown in the search box.Dufftown — Council - Moray; parish - Mortlach; Former Region - Grampian; Former District - Moray. See Canmore on exploring Scotland's places — published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and enter Dufftown in the search box.
The 1871 census of Scotland on ancestry.com lists this family in Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland, with an address of Erroll Bank (ED 1, Household Schedule 130, line 21, roll CSSCT1871_30) (Family History Library film number 103970):
(1871) Helen Grant, head, age 48, married, lime manufacturer, born in Mortlach, Banffshire. [ancestry.com mistakenly indexes the age as 43.]
Alexander J. Grant, son, age 8, scholar, born in Mortlach, Banffshire.
Patrick G. Grant, son, age 6, scholar, born in Mortlach, Banffshire.
Andrew J. A. Grant, son, age 4, born in Mortlach, Banffshire.
John F. Grant, son, age 2, born in Mortlach, Banffshire,
Catherine Gordon, sister, age 41, born in Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland.
Catherine Gordon, niece, age 8, scholar, born in London, England.
Margaret C. Gordon, niece, age 6, scholar, born in London, England.
Madeline M. Gordon, niece, age 2, born in Mortlach, Banffshire.
Jessie M. Kelman, servant, age 45, born in Skene, nurse, unmarried [misindexed by ancestry.com as Tepie Kelman] [The Parish of Skene lies immediately west of the City of Aberdeen in Aberdeenshire.]
Harriett Peterkin, age 25, general servant, born in Mortlach, Banffshire.
Margaret Mcgaugh, age 21, general servant, born in Armagh, Ireland.
Catherine Gordon, sister of Helen Gordon Grant, is found in the 1881 census of Scotland in Tullochallum, head of a family, age 51, born in Mortlach, Banffshire, age 51. a farmer's sister, in a household with Madeline Mary Gordon, age 12, daughter, a scholar; and William Craig, age 30, and farm servants and a domestic servant. The 1891 census of Prestwich, England, lists Catherine Gordon, age 61, born in Scotland; with two daughters, Margaret C. Gordon, age 26, born in London, England, teacher; and Madeline M. Gordon, age 22, born in Scotland, teacher. The birth of Catherine Gordon's daughter, Margaret Clementina Gordon, in St. Pancras, Middlesex, England, was registereed in January, February, or March, 1865. England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 on ancestry.com (volume 1b, page 169). The 1901 census of England lists this family in the civil parish of Streatham, ecclesiastical parish of St. Mary the Virgin Balhamn, county of London. registration district of Wandsworth:
(1901) Donald Gordon, head, age 70, retired farmer, born in Scotland. (1831–1908)
Catherine Gordon, wife, age 71, born in Scotland. (1829–1917)
Donald Stuart Gordon, son, single, age 42, born in London, Kentish Town. (1858–1919).
Margaret Clementina Gordon, daughter, single, age 36, governess, born in London, Kentish Town. (1865–1949).
Madeline Mary Gordon, age 32, born in Scotland. (1868–1920).
Catherine Gordon, sister of Helen Grant Gordon, was married to Donald Gordon (c. 1831–1908) on August 20, 1857, in Mortlach, Banffshire Gordon.The bride and groom both had the surname of Gordon before marriage. For details on this family tree, going back to William Gordon, who was born in about 1605 in Auchnarrow, Mortlach, Banffshire, go to Gordons of Enzie, Bellie and Rathven in Public Member Trees on ancestry.com.
Here is an explanation by Doris Grant of August 8, 2006, in the Moray-L Archives of the listing of Helen Grant as a lime manufacturer:
>Subject: Re: [MORAY] Tininver Lime Works and Errol Bank, Dufftown
>
Hello William,Thanks for your note & comments re: Tininver LimeWorks..........your family involvement is well after our 'GORDON's sold the business...let me give you some insight into our connection with the Lime Works and Errollbank.
My husband's Gr-grandfather Alexander GORDON leased the farm of Tullochallum (1812–1857) when he assigned it to his son George. He also owned an interest in the Tininver Lime Works with James Findlater of Baloenic, the lands & buildings leased from the Earl of Fife. The firm's name was 'Alexander Gordon & Company' Helen Gordon (his daughter) worked as a clerk in the business, and in 1861 Alexander assigned her all his debts, goods & chattels, and she agreed to keep her father for the balance of his life. He also built the first Errolbank Cottage & moved into this house in 1861 with Helen. Alexander Gordon was also the first Roman Catholic Justice of the Peace in the Parish of Mortlach since the Reformation.
In 1861 Tininver Lime Works included a battery of three kilns..... Helen then added a large, single kiln to the left of the three existing. She also acquired a lease of a lime-stone field in the Parish of Botriphinie where she built the Drummuir Lime Works which she operated until 1872. She also undertook the construction of a second cottage, Erollbank and eventually joined the two sections. (Note: today it is run as a 'Bed & Breakfast'.)
In May of 1862 Helen Gordon married Peter GRANT, he worked for a time with George GORDON and then did land surveying and later become a surveyor for the railway system....this eventually led him to emigrate in 1869 to New Brunswick, Canada where he worked surveying for the Intercolonial Railway. In 1872 his wife, Helen & their four sons joined him & settled in the Matapedia Valley.
Alexander Jos., the eldest son, and my husband's grandfather became a marine engineer, working with his father & others as early as the age of 16/17/18......later in his career he worked at Couteau Landing Que., Peterborough Lift Locks and the last Welland Canal, which celebrates 75 yrs in 2007. The second son, Gordon Patrick also became a well-known engineer; the third son James Andrew became a priest; the youngest son John Forbes had a lengthy career with the Bank of Montreal.
This info comes from a hand-written family history by Alexander Joseph GRANT, which I have transcribed as written and am working on editing, formatting, adding photos etc. for future generations. By-the-way if you 'Google' the name 'Errollbank' you will likely come up with the site promoting the 'Bed & Breakfast' currently in operation......I was astounded at the size and beauty of what GFather described as a 'cottage'..........
doris
Here is a notice from the Edinburgh Gazette of March 31, 1871:
DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP.
INTIMATION is Hereby Given that the Partnership formerly carried on at The Tininver Lime Works, Dufftown, by James Findlater, Balvenie, Dufftown, and Helen Gordon or Grant, Errol Bank, Dufftown, as the sole Partners thereof, under the Firm of ALEXANDER GORDON & CO., commonly designed 'THE TININVER LIME CO.,' ceased at the term of Martinmas 1869, when the Lease of the Lime-rock and Kilns terminated.
JAMES FINDLATER.
JAMES S. FINDLATEB, Balvenie, Witness.
JAMES CRUIOKSHANK, Gardner, Witness.HELEN GORDON GRANT.
WM. GRANT, Solicitor, Dufftown, Witness.
NEIL THOMSON, Clerk, Dufftown, Witness.Balvenie, March 29, 1871.
Noblemen and Gentlemen's Seats, Villages, Etc., Etc. in Scotland by Sutherland and Knox, Edinburgh 1857, lists under Part I, at page 144: Tininver Limeworks, Banff, Alex. Gordon, manager, Mortlach (post town); and under Part II, County Directory, at page 183: Gordon, Alexander, Tininver Lime Works.
John Kelman (1775– ) married Elizabeth Gordon (1775– ), sister of Alexander Gordon (1781–1863). Alexander and Elizabeth were both of whom born in Tullochallum to John Gordon (1738–1820) and Mary Dawson (1782–1824). John Kelman and Elizabeth Gordon were married on November 18, 1796, in Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910, on ancestry.com (FHL film number 99089).
Posting of December 21, 2006, by Doris M. Grant:
Helen's parents were Alexander GORDON (1781–1863) and his 2nd wife, Marjorie COWIE (1800–1844); Helen was b. 11 Jan 1828 on the farm named Tullochallum, near Dufftown, Scotland. Helen & her husband Peter Grant and their 4 sons emigrated to Canada in 1872, Jessie Kelman came as well serving as a nursemaid.
As far as I have discovered, Jessie parents may have been Elizabeth GORDON, eldest sister of Alexander, and John KELMAN....family history indicates Jessie was born in Skeene Parish, Aberdeenshire...thus Helen & Jessie would be first cousins. Note: the families are of the Catholic faith.
Here is my reading of a hand-written notation reported in Acadia, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1670–1946 on ancestry.com:
Religion: Catholic
Place of Worship: Dalhousie
Province: Acadie (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) (New Brunswick)
Baptism of Jessie Ann Kelmon (at the age of 67), November 19, 1883. On this 19th day of November, 1883, I the undersigned baptized Jessie Ann born May 1816 of the lawful marriage of John Kilmon (sic) and Elizabeth Gordon. Sponsor Mrs. Peter Grant. /s/ John L. McDonald, Priest. (John Lawton McDonald).
Doris M. Grant made this posting on Genforum on November 6, 2003:
I am hoping that someone may be able to help me with my proverbial 'brick wall'...it concerns 'Jessie Kelman' who was born in Scotland and emigrated to Canada with the Peter Grant family in 1872. She was nursemaid to the 4 boys in the family.
She died in Iona, Cape Breton 15th November 1889 and is buried there in a Catholic cemetery...which may be St. Columba. The info I would like to find is who her parents &/or husband were, sometimes that info is on the tombstone...
In later postings she gives a date of death of November 15, 1899, but 1889 seems more probable since Jessie Kelman is no longer listed in the household of Peter and Helen Grant in the 1891 census of of Grand Narrows, Victoria County, Nova Scotia, and I have been able to find no trace of her in Canadian records after 1889.
If we assume Jessie Kelman moved with the family Peter Grant to Grand Narrows, Nova Scotia, before 1889, St. Columba's of Iona is he best bet as a place of burial of a Catholic who died in Grand Narrows. Google maps shows the road distance between Grand Narrows, NS, Canada, to be 2.2 km (or 1 1/3 miles), or 3 minutes driving time.
Jay Underwood, author of Fleming's Army among several other book's on Canadian railways, checked the cemeteries in the parish of St. Columba in Iona, and reported on June 21, 2009:
Sad news. We searched both cemeteries at St. Columbine's in Iona, NS and could not find Jessie Kelman's gravestone. She may be there, but there are many damaged and overturned markers, that we did not feel it appropriate to move for the search. I will contact the church directly and see if they have any detailed information .
Jessie Kelman died in Iona, Cape Breton, Victoria County, Nova Scotia, on November 15, 1899, and is buried there at St. Columba Catholic Church. — Posting of December 11, 2006, by Doris M. Grant. The 1861 census of the town of Huntly, county of Arberdeenshire, Scotland, lists a Jessie Kelman, age 42, born in Skene Aberdeenshire, a nurse, living on Gordon Street. She may be the Janet Wilson Kelman who was born on June 10, 1815, at Skene, Aberdeenshire, whose father was John Kelman, and who can be found in Scotlands People. See: History of the Skene Families of Aberdeenshire, Scotland\ for maps.
In Scotland, Jessie was originally a pet name for Janet. However Jessie is also a given name in its own right and these two names have been fully synonymous over two centuries.
Wanderings in the Highlands of Banff and Aberdeen Shires: With Trifles in Verse by J. G. Phillips [Banff. Printed at the Banffshire Journal Office, 1881.]
Ineraven and Lower Glenlivet (page 95) ...
Moving on again, we pass the large farm of Deskie, tenanted by Mr Bennet; and on the opposite side of the stream Tervie, is the farm of Tombreakachie, tenanted by Mr Stables. This fine farm was very much improved and enlarged by the late Captain Grant, Auchorachan. About three quarters of a mile further up the Tervie stands the meal mill of Tembreakachie, a place of considerable antiquity for a mill. After the battle of Altachulichan (Allt a' Choileachain, which flows into the Burn of Tervie), it is said that the mill stream ran red with blood for twenty four hours, and some say for three days. Striking off the main road there, we crossed the Livet to have a look at Minmore, where the far-famed Glenlivet whisky is manufactured. (page 105). ...
Leaving Auchbreck, we moved up the glen, passing Auchorachan on the left hand, a large and beautiful farm, tenanted by Captain Grant, who is also agent for the North of Scotland Bank in Glenlivet. Capt. Grant has a fine herd of Polled cattle. (page 107)
William Alexander Grant was born in about 1784 in Inveravon, Banff, Scotland. His parents were Alexander Grant and Janet Bailie. He married his first wife, Margaret Gault, in Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, on January 28, 1819. They had three children: Isabel Grant, born March 20, 1820, in Mortlach; Margaret Grant, born January 24, 1822, in Mortlach; and Alexander Grant, born February 4, 1825, in Mortlach. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Reid (1815–1899). They had one child: William Grant*, born on December 19, 1839, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. See Libindx N092412. William Grant (senior) died of influenza at age 93 on November 22, 1877, while residing on Conval Street, Dufftown. His second wife, died on October 6, 1899, while residing at Balvenie House, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. <Geo Myrmint1.3> on ancestry.com's public member family trees. (This family tree lists William Grant's military service as a "soldier in the 92nd Highlanders." I believe this should read Captain in 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot.) Elizabeth Grant, William's widow, is listed in the 1891 census of Dufftown, at 64 Castle Street, as age 77, born in Ineravon, Banffshire.
Libindx NMO91386 lists William Grant (January 1784–November 22, 1877), born at Morange, Ineravon, Banffshire, tailor and soldier in 92nd Highlanders, who married Margaret Gauld. Margaret Gauld died in 1837. In about 1839, William Grant married Elizabeth Reid. <Geo Myrmint1.3> on ancestry.com public family trees.
[The younger William Grant married Elizabeth Duncan, and died on January 5, 1923, at Balvenie House, Dufftown. Libindx NMO92412. The 1891 census of Dufftown, Banffshire, lists the son at 23 Castle Street: William Grant, age 51, born in in Dufftown, distiller of whisky; with his wife, Elizabeth Grant, age 49, born in Dufftown; and these children, all born in Dufftown: John Grant, age 30, distiller of whisky; Alexander Grant, age 23, student of medicine; George C. Grant, age 21, student of medicine; Charles Grant, age 19, stillman; Isabella Grant, age 17, scholar; and Margaret Grant, age 15, scholar. Also in the household was Helen Bain, age 18, born in Aberlour Banffshire, domestic servant.]
A Double Scotch: How Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet Became Global Icons by F. Paul Pacult. (John Wiley & Sons, 2011):
Not all smugglers were successful. Gaugers made hundred of smuggling-related arrests, but convictions were harder to come by. Since Scotsmen from all quarters of society took part in smugling, the general populace turned a blind eye to their activities. Impartial juries were hard to assemble. Sympathetic justices of the peace, like the infamous Auchorachan Justice William Grant, who was known as the "Cripple Captain" because of his wooden leg, frequently let off those who were arrested and brought before them by gaugers. For good reason. Local magistrates like the Cripple Captain were often smugglers or good customers. Besides, few Highland smugglers were caught in the act of distilling because word would rapidly spread throughout the glens when gaugers were first spotted by lookouts. Bothies were either moved or shut down in haste. Evidence against smuggler, therefore, was mostly circumstantial and slender.
Lectures on the Mountains; or The Highlands and Highlanders as they were and as they are by William Grant Stewart London, Saunders, Oley, and Co 1860 (page 102)
Tombreckachie. — Long the residence of a family of the name of Grant. Mr. Grant, who died about forty years ago, left two sons —
Charles, a captain in the army, who lost his leg, under the Duke of Wellington, and died at Elgin, some years ago.
William, an officer in the army, the last occupant of Tombreckachie, of that family, now living in Dufftown.
Auchorachan. — Formerly the residence of a family of the name of Gordon, represented by William Gordon, Esq., of Tomnavoulin.
History of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland: With Notices of Anterior Societies for the Promotion of Agriculture in Scotland by Alexander Ramsay William Blackwood & Sons Edinburgh and London 1879 (Appendix, page 585):
Awards for improvement of waste land
51. Ten guineas, in 1813, to William Grant, Tombreckachie, Banffshire, for bringing into arable culture an extensive tract of waste land on his said farm, not hitherto in tillage, since autumn 1811, and under crop in 1813 for the first time. It was certified by two members of the Society (John and Wm. Gordon) that Mr Grant, then (1813) in the 84th year of his age, was the first tenant who introduced the new and improved system of husbandry in its several branches in the Highland district of Banffshire.
In the New Edinburgh Almanac and National Repository, 1853 Scotland > Military Establishments on ancestry.com is this entry:
Part IV, Militia of North Britain, page 509
Inverness, Banff, Elgin, and Nairn — No. 76 — Inverness. (commanded by a Colonel, Earl of Seafield) ... (listed under The Highlanders — Militia Battalions (Historical and 1881 titles as a first line reserve) on The Royal Regiment of Scotland) Captains ...
William Grant
Alexander Grant ...
Hon. J. Grant
There was a Captain William Grant, as well as a Lieutenant William Grant and Ensign Alexander Grant, in the Strathspey Regiment of Fencible Highlanders when it was disbanded at Edinburgh in April, 1799. The Commandant of the unit was Colonel Sir James Grant who had raised the unit in 1793. James Grant had been a Member of Parliament for Banffshire from 1790 to 1795, and Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire from 1794 to 1809. Territorial Soldiering in the North-East of Scotland during 1759–1814, by John Malcolm Bullock, M.A., University of Aberdeen 1914, pages 173 and 184. Of the 600 privates who served in the unit, 60 were Grants. (page 175)
The Ninety-Second, or Gordon Highlanders, raised by the 4th Duke of Gordon, is discussed at length by the book on pages 192–252. A company commanded by Captain Grant in Holland on October 2, 1799, suffered 4 killed and 13 wounded in a battle between Bergen and Egmont-op-Zee, page 225.
William Grant, age 19, 5 ft. 7 in., of Tombreachachy, enlisted in the Northern Fencibles, raised by the 4th Duke of Gordon in 1793, and disbanded in 1799, on April 13, 1793 , page 154.
The U.K., Waterloo Medal Roll, 1815 (on ancestry.com) lists over 39,000 men who fought in Wellington's army at Waterloo and the preccding actions at Ligny and Quatre Bras. Of the 58 Grants on the list, two were captains:
Alex Grant — 1st Battalion , 71st Regiment of Light Infantry.
W. A. Grant — 1st Battalion, 71st Regiment of Light Infantry, who was wounded.
The Waterloo Roll Call. With biographical notes and anecdotes, by Charles Dalton (Eyre and Spottiswood, London, second edition, 1904), page 179, in Part I, includes under Annotated Lists of Regiments engaged at Waterloo, the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot, ten captains, among whom are:
8. William Alexander Grant, wounded, date of commission 12 Oct. 1809, serving in 1817; out of the regiment before 1824.
12. Alexander Grant, date of commission 15 April 1813, serving in 1830; out of the regiment before 1842.
A Full and Circumstantial Account of the Memorable Battle of Waterloo ... by Christopher Kelly, London 1818 (a free Google ebook) at page 106, provides a list of the killed and wounded of the Seventy-first Foot, first battalion in the "Battle of the 18th (Battle of Waterloo)." Among those listed as severely wounded is "Captain William A. Grant." At page 106 is this entry:
Seventy-first Foot, first battalion—Captains William A. Grant and James Henderson, severely.
In the same book is a list of officers killed, wounded and missing in the "Battle of the 16th" (Battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras). At page 102 is this entry:
Ninety-second Foot—Captains George W. Holmes, Dugald Campbell, and William C. Grant, severely.
Territorial Soldiering in the North-East of Scotland during 1759–1814 by John Malcolm Bulloch, University of Aberdeen, 1914, contains a Gordon Highlander Roll of Honor at page 391. The list gives the names of those Gordon Highlanders who fell at Quatre Bras on June 16, 1815, and at Waterloo on June 19, 1815. Under Commissioned Officers is captain W. C. Grant and the note: died of wounds, June 27, at Brussels. (page 392)
The Waterloo Roll Call by Charles Dalton (Second Edition) Eyre and Spottiswood, London 1904 contains this entry under Annotated List of Regiments engaged at Waterloo, 92nd Regiment of Foot (Gordon Highlanders), Captains, at pages 193 and 195:
7. Wm. Charles Grant, k. (killed); 28 July, 1808 (date he joined the regiment) ...
7. Killed at Quatre Bras. A pension of £60 per annum was granted to his widow, Susan Grant. The late Gen. Sir (John) Thornton Grant, who distinguished himself in the Crimea with the 49th Regt. (of foot), was son of the above.
John Thornton Grant was born in 1812. Medals of the British Army, and How They were Won — The Crimean Campaign, page 163, (a free Google eBook) described this recipient of the Sardinian War Medal:
FORTY-NINTH REGIMENT. Lieutenant-Colonel John Thornton Grant, C.B. — Served the Eastern Campaign of 1854 and 1855, including the Alma, Inkermann, sortie of the 26th. of October, 1854, the whole siege of Sebastopol, and rendered important service in command of strong working parties of the second and light divisions at the attack on the Quarries, on the 7th. of June, 1855.
The web page Quatre-Bras — 16th June 1815 contains this entry:
92nd Foot (Gordon Highlanders)
Captain William Charles GRANT - died of wounds
Husband of Susan Grant. Their son was later General Sir Thornton Grant.
The <MacNeil-MacLean-MacIntyre Family Tree> on ancestry.com's public family trees lists William Charles Grant (May 23, 1787–June 18, 1815), who died at the age of 28 in the Battle of Waterloo, son of John Alexander Grant (1744–1830) and Harriet Jane Bruce (1745– ). Captain Grant died in Brussels 9 days after being wounded in the battle, and the correct date of death is June 27, 1815. His wife was Susan Milne, whose father was Colin Milne. John Alexander Grant was born in 1744 in Doors, Inverness, Scotland, and died in Edinburgh. The site lists 10 children of John Alexander Grant and Harriet Jane Bruce. The grandfather of William Charles Grant was William Grant (1710–1756), born in Strathspey, Inverness-shire, Scotland, and died in Doors, Inverness-shire, Scotland. See the posting of March 21, 2002, 1700 Scottish Grant family, on ancestry.com.
The Battle of Waterloo, by a Near Observer (second edition, London, 1815) contains an alphabetical list from the "official returns" of the officers killed and wounded from the 15th to 26th June, 1815, Two Captain Grants are listed on page 32 of the list, both wounded severely; one from the 71st Regiment of Foot, and one at from the 92nd Regiment of Foot. As noted above, the Captain Grant of the 92nd died in Brussels 9 days after the battle.
The same lists are at pages 201 of The Battle of Waterloo by Lieut-General Scott, London 1815, another free Google ebook.
For a brief history of MacLeod's Highlanders, redesignated as the 71st Highlanders, see: 71st Highland Regiment and 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot. See also: Medals of the Regiments: The Highland Light Infantry.
Captain William Alexander Grant was wounded on June 21, 1813, in the fierce Battle of Vittoria (on the heights of La Puebla near Salamanca, Spain) with the French Army. In the same battle, his commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Henry Cadogan, was mortally wounded, and died on the battle field..
"After the fall of the Lieut.-Colonel, the Seventy-first continued advancing, and driving the enemy from the heights, until the force which was opposed to them became so unequal, and the loss of three battalion so severe, that it was obliged to retire upon the remainder of the brigade. In the performance of this arduous duty, the battalion suffered very severely, having had 1 field officer, 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 6 sergeants, 1 bugler, and 78 rank and file killed; 1 field officer, 3 captains, 7 lieutenants, 13 sergeants, 2 buglers, and 255 rank and file were wounded." —Historical Record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry, From its Formation in 1777, under the Title of the 73rd, or McLeod's Highlanders, up to the Year 1876, by Henry J. T. Hilyard, London 1876, page 91.
See: Waterloo Diary — The Campaign Diary of William Gavin of the 71st Highland Regiment, 1806–1815 (and search for Grant). With regard to the battle of Vittoria, Gavin states, I think erroneously:
We had killed in officers: - The Hon. Lieutenent-Colonel Cadogan, ... Captain William A. Grant ...
A note to the article points out that the official list says that Captain Grant was wounded, not killed. Gavin himself reports a later adventure with Captain Grant near Waterloo on June 16, 1815.
Historical Record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry, from its formation in 1777, under the title of the 73rd, or McLeod's Highlanders, up to the year 1876, page 90–91, by Henry John Thoroton Hildyard (London: Harrison and Sons 1876). See: Waterloo Diary — The Campaign Diary of William Gavin of the 71st Highland Regiment 1806–1815 (and search for Grant). Gavin reports, I think mistakenly: "
Both Captains Alexander Grant and William Alexander Grant participated in front-line fighting in the Battle of Waterloo on June 17 and 18, 1815. Captain William Alexander Grant was wounded in the action. Two officers were killed and 15 (including William Alexander Grant) were wounded. (page 106). "The number of serjeants, buglers, and rank and file killed amounted to 29; 166 were wounded, of whom 36 died of their wounds."The officers and men engaged were presented with silver medals by His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and were allowed to reckon two years additional service." (page 108).
The battalion, with the rest of the army, afterwards marched toward Paris and entered that city on the 7th of July. The bridge camped that day on the Champs Elysees, near the Place Louis Quinz, being the only British troops quartered within the barriers, and continued there until the beginning of November, when it proeceded to Versailles, and to Viarmes in December. (page 110)
Meanwhile Louis XVIII had entered Paris and was again reinstated on the throne of his ancestors. Napoleon Bonaparte had surrendered to Captain Maitland, commanding the "Bellerophon," British ship of war, and the island of St. Helena having been fixed for his residence, he was conveyed thither with a few of his devoted followers. (page 111).
Historical Record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry.
On the 21st day of June, 1816, the regiment assembled on the bruyere of Rombly, between the villages of Longhan and Rombly on the one side, and Viterness and Leitre on the other, for the purposes of receiving the medals which had been granted by His Royal Highness the Prince Regent to the officers, non-commissioned officers, buglers, and privates, for their services at the battle of Waterloo. (page 111)
In the same unit was Serjeant Bernard Grant of Captain Archibald Armstong's Company, and a Private George Grant of Captain A. J. McIntyre's Company.
The only General Grant on the list was Sir Colquhounn Grant, K.c.B., Major General, on the list of General and Staff Officers.
William Grant, son of Captain Charles Grant and Mrs. Ann Donaldson, was born at Tombrekachie on August 1, 1820. Libindx NM158379.
The 1841 census of Sandyhillock (spelled by ancestry.com as Sandeyhelock), civil parish of Mortlach, lists a William Grant, age 58, born in Banffshire, Scotland; with James McInnes, age 4, born in Banffshire, an agricultural laborer (?); and Helen McInnes, age 3, born in Banffshire. [Also with an address of Sandeyhellock were: James McInnes, age 25, born in Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland, an agricultural laborer; with his wife, Ann McInnes, age 25, born in Mortlach; and son, John McInnes, age 1, born in Mortlach.]
The 1851 census of the civil parish of Mortlach, town of Dufftown, county Banffshire, lists on Conval Street, William Grant, age 67, born in Ineravon Banffshire, a tailor; with his wife, Elizabeth Grant, age 37, born at Inver Rathnie, Aberdeenshire; and son, William Grant, age 11, born in Mortlach, Banffshire, scholar..
The 1861 census of the same place lists, on Conval Street, William Grant, age 77, born in Ineravon, Banffshire, tailor (pauper); with his wife, Elizabeth Grant, age 48, born in Inverkeithing, Aberdeenshire.
The 1871 census of of the civil parish of Mortlach, county of Banffshire, lists on Conval Street, William Grant, age 87, born in Inveravon, Banffshire, a tailor; with his wife, Elizabeth Grant, age 58, born in Inverkeithing, Aberdeenshire.
Clan Grant Branch Families by James H. Grant.
Glenlivet Estate History.
It was some 160 years ago that the farm of Auchorachan was farmed by a captain Grant, having returned from the Napoleonic wars. As a military officer, he liked to have his own way and was of a stirring and enterprising disposition. On his return from the wars he set about improving the land and started work on a new farm steading. One great complication that arose however, was the lack of suitable building stone which was somewhat deficient in the area and it seemed that the work would be brought to a standstill. But the captain was not a man to be easily put off and with a keen eye for building stones soon spotted the resources of the neighbourhood and one day said to his servant Sandy Gordon "Aye Sandy, this is a fine state of matters isn't it? Glenlivet seems better supplied with water for making whisky than with stones for building houses" "But it behoves us to make good use of the material we have at hand, so today you will yoke the oxen to the sledge and bring over that big stone standing on the brow of the brae there: it will make a capital lintel for a byre door".
Mary Stuart was married to Charles Stuart, Postman, and they lived at Edina Cottage next door to the Pole Inn. She was Registrar for many years and signed the Birth Certificates of all the six Grant Auchorachan children. In fact I think she was the last Registrar for that area of Glenlivet before I took over from Bessie Leslie, Tomintoul, and the Districts had been amalgamated.
My parents were good friends too with Capt. and Mrs. Smith Grant, and my elder sister Gladys and I were often at Minmore House as children. I have happy memories too of the years Mrs Smith Grant took the Glenlivet School children to Delnabo on summer picnics.
Black's Morayshire Directory—1863, under Parishes in Banffshire, lists:
Smith, George & John G., distillers and farmers, Glenlivet Distillery (under Directory for Glenlivet, page 133)
Grant, Lieut. Wm. (late Auchorachan) (under Mortlach—Dufftown, page 140)
Doris M. Grant, in a posting of January 15, 2005, says that George (Gow) Smith operated a distillery at Minmoreand that her ancestor, James Grant, was a brewer there. George (Gow) Smith and his wife stood as godparents/witnesses to the baptism of James Grant's first born son, Peter Grant, in 1834. [The Glenlivet Distillery; Drummin Glenlivet; Minmore]
Here are some excerpts from The Gordons and Smiths at Minmore, Auchorachan, and Upper Drumin in Glenlivet (1910) by John Malcolm Bulloch (Privately printed, 1910)
Minmore Castle is now a ruin, and on the adjoining site stands the famous Glenlivet Distillery, belonging to the family of Smith-Grant, which combines .three of the Glenlivet groups — the Gordons in Minmore, the Gordons in Auchorachan, and the Smiths in Upper Drumin. The Smiths are descended from the Auchorachan Gordons, and though the blood relationship of the latter with the Minmore Gordons is by no means clear, the continuity is asserted in the tenancy of the Smith family on the estate of Minmore. (pages 5-6) ...
4. George Smith, born at Upper Drumin, 1792 : educated at Burnside of Deskie. He began his remarkable career as a builder and architect, and about 1817 became tenant of part of the farm of Upper Drumin. In 1824 he built a legal distillery on the farm, much to the disgust of his neighbours, who carried on the business of smuggling. He was so successful that the distillery had to be ex- tended four times. In 1837, he took the farm of Castleton of Blairfindy, in 1838 the farm of Nevie, which is within a mile of Upper Drumin : and in 1839 the fine farm of Minmore, with which the Gordons had been associated so long. In 1850 he took Delnabo above Tomintoul, and carried on a distillery which was upon the farm, known as Cairngorm In 1858 he united his distilleries by building a large one at Minmore. In the course of his career as a farmer he reclaimed 300 acres, and left his son with more than 800 acres of arable land and some 10,000 to 12,000 acres of hill pasture. He was famous as a breeder of Highland cattle and shorthorns. A very handsome presentation of silver plate was made to him by an influential body of subscribers in the county in recognition of his ability and public spirit. He married in 1817 Ellen, daughter of Lieut. Stewart, 1st Royals, who fell at Aboukir while serving under Sir Ralph Abercromby, and died November 1871. An excellent account of him appeared in the "Elgin Courant," December 1, 1871. He was buried in Tombae Catholic Churchyard, December 2. (pages 54-55)
After the 1823 Excise Act, George Smith became the first distiller in the Highlands to obtain a license for distillation and, in 1824, he established The Glenlivet on what was once a farm distillery called Upper Drummin. Many of the neighbouring distilleries were illegally run and involved in smuggling. They became indignant, for George Smith was running Glenlivet by legal means. Such was the tempest of their fury that George had to carry a pair pistols for protection.
Originally 'Gow', the family name became the more Anglo-sounding 'Smith' following Bonnie Prince Charlie’s 1746 defeat at the battle of Culloden. The Gows changed their name to escape the resultant subjugation which ensued. The Glenlivet has always been a name associated with quality, to such a degree that other distilleries would use the name, no matter how distant they were from the Livet glen.
To help preserve his brand, George Smith’s son, John Gordon Smith, applied for sole rights to the name, which were granted in 1884. The name still crops up elsewhere. However, by law, other brands must hyphenate it with their own names and cannot use it solely. The large distillery, with a capacity of 5.8 million litres per annum, is owned by Chivas Brothers, themselves a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. Today, The Glenlivet is the world’s second best-selling single malt and is the top seller in the US.
George Smith established his distillery in 1824 at Upper Drummin farm, a farm that has been in the family for over a hundred years. He was the first distiller in the Highlands to take out a licence after the passing of the Excise Act of 1823. The distillery was known as Drumin Distillery and was located a few miles north of the location of The Glenlivet Distillery. In late 1830's the distillery had a capacity of 11,000 proof gallons/year. In 1858, after the Drumin Distillery had been destroyed by fire, a new one was built at Minmore on land obtained from the Duke of Gordon. At that period they also owned the Cairngorm Distillery near Tomintoul. The Cairngorm Distillery was closed and demolished when the new distillery at Minmore was built. In 1870 George Smith and his son John Gordon Smith was applying for trademark "The Glenlivet" which they also got. The Glenlivet was amalgamated with J&J Grant of Glen Grant in 1953 and later with Longmorn-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd in 1970. The enlarged Glenlivet group of companies was purchased by the Seagram Company of Canada in 1977. Eight stills.
The very district of Glenlivet is rich in history. It was here that, in 1594, the king's army under the Earl of Huntly defeated the Covenanters commanded by the Duke of Argyll. The real name of the very English sounding Smiths was Gow. They had been supporters of the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charlie, but after his defeat at Culloden in 1746, the family apparently changed their name to avoid the oppression which followed. Although many others have laid claim to the "Glenlivet" appellation, following legal action taken by The Glenlivet's then owner, John Gordon Smith, in the 1880's, there is only one distillery which can rightly be called "The Glenlivet". So famous had the name Glenlivet already become by then that the wags of the day christened it "the longest glen in Scotland". Such was the reputation for quality that The Glenlivet had gained, that whiskies that had not even been distilled anywhere near the Livet glen were claiming its provenance on their labels.
Libindx: Biography Details
Reference No.: |
NM062875 |
Surname: |
GRANT |
Forename(s): |
GEORGE SMITH |
Maiden Name: |
|
Occupation: |
LIEUTENANT COLONEL & FARMER & DISTILLERY OWNER |
Date of Birth: |
07 NOV 1845 |
Place of Birth: |
KIRKMICHAEL |
Father's Name: |
WILLIAM GRANT RUTHVEN (See NM282312) |
Mother's Name: |
MARGARET SMITH (See NM076281) |
Biography: |
LIVED AT AUCHORACHAN BALLINDALLOCH & MINMORE OWNER OF GLENLIVET DISTILLERY |
Spouses Name: Miriam Cheetham Hill Staleybridge
Date of Marriage: 01 Jul 1891
Place of Marriage: Pro-Cathedral Broughton Street Edinburgh
George Smith Grant died on June 13, 1911, in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The 1851 census of Scotland lists him as age 5 at Minmore House & Distillery, Inveravon, Banff, grandson. The 1871 census shows him in the same place, age 25, nephew. The 1881 census lists him at Auchorachan, Ineravon, Banff, head, age 33, born in Kirkmichael, Banff. His two older sons were John Gordon Smith Cheetham Grant (1893–1918) and George Gordon Hill Grant (1894–1894)<Geo Myrmint1.3>
The 1841 census of Minmore, Civil Parish of Minmore, County of Banffshire, lists George Smith, age 45, in Banffshire, Scotland, a farmer and distiller, with his wife Helen Smith, born in Banffshire, Scotland; their children (all born in Banffshire), William Smith, age 20, a farmer; Margaret Smith, age 18. A guest in the house is James Grant, age 30, born in Banffshire, "banker (visitor)". Also in the household were Julia Grant age 17, born in Scotland, an agricultural laborer; Jannet Stewart, age 25, born in Banffshire, Scotland; Helen Smith, age 20, born in Banffshire, Scotland, an agricultural laborer; Isabella Stewart, age 18, born in Banffshire, Scotland, an agricultural laborer; and Elizabeth Grant, age 12, born in Banffshire, Scotland, an agricultural laborer.
The 1851 census of Minmore, Ineravon, Banffshire, lists George Smith, age 58, born in Ineravon, Banffshire, farmer of 450 acres, employer of 28 laborers, distiller of malt whisky, with his wife, Hellen Smith, age 57, born in Ineravon, Banffshire. In the large household was his son, John Gordon Smith, age 28, born in Ineravon, Banffshire, farmer of 150 acres and employer of 8 laborer; his daughter, Margaret (Smith) Grant, age 30, born in Ineravon, Banffshire, a "scholar wife"; her son, George Grant, born in Kirkmichael, Banffshire; and her two daughters, both born at Kirkmichael, Margaret Grant, age 3, and Hellen S. Grant, age 2.There are 19 others in the household, including Janet Stewart, age 29, born in Ineravon, a house servant.
Ballindalloch, Banffshire
The family of George Smith was producing whisky in the valley of the Livet for ages. Their name was "Gow" till they preferred changing it to "Smith" after a lost battle against England. When the Excise Act which made it possible to produce legal whisky was promulgated in1823, George Smith was the first one who applied for such a licence. He got his licence in 1824 and began distilling legally in his farm. The Duke of Gordon, landlord and father of the Excise Act was very pleased to see the results of this first legal distillery. But the moonshine distillers were not so happy. Some of them even threatened him with death, and the Duke of Gordon lent him 2 shotguns, which still can be seen in the visitor centre of the distillery.
His son, James Gordon Smith founded a distillery named Delnabo near Tomintoul in 1849. He was not really successful, and George took over his son's distillery, and renamed it Cairngorm.
In 1858, George and James joined together to build a bigger distillery near Minmore, where the present distillery is settled. Both of the distilleries owned by the family were closed and demolished. The new distillery was nearby the railway, which facilitates lots of things for a distillery. The commercial success was also due to the exclusive distributor, Andrew Usher & Co who is by the way the inventor of the blended whisky with the unchanging consistency which made the success of blends.
In the 1880's, The Glenlivet was so famous that some other unscrupulous distillers began to use its name on their own bottling's. John Gordon Smith went to court and won partially his case. He was the only one who was authorized to use the name of Glenlivet without any other added word. His distillery became then "The Glenlivet", but others had the right to add the name Glenlivet to their own name. The trademark was registered in 1870.
The current owner of the distillery would like to go further, and oblige his competitors to abandon the name of Glenlivet in the name of their distillery. To make an example, he renamed one of the distilleries belonging to his group from Braes of Glenlivet in Braeval.
Glenlivet merged with Glen Grant in 1853. In 1958 a fire destroyed the original buildings.
The Glenlivet Distillery (and the original Minmore distillery):
Location: Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9DB
Roads: Off the B9008, 4 miles from BallindallochSuch was the reputation in the early 1800s of the illicit whisky produced in the Livet glen that it was sought by everyone in preference to any of the legally produced kind. There were over 200 unlicensed stills operating in Glenlivet at the time. What chance did the Excise have of convincing people of the immorality of smuggling if King George IV himself was continuously kept in good supply of illicitly produced Glenlivet whisky?
When the Excise Act was passed in 1823, a scramble of new distillery-building – 79 of them – got under way but George Smith’s application for a licence was the first to be granted. It was a fact that came in useful nearly 60 years later when his company’s product was challenged for the right to be regarded as the Glenlivet whisky. When the smugglers first ‘went legal’ there was unrest and some violence. Several distilleries were burned down and Smith himself reckoned that the pair of pistols that had been presented to him by the Laird of Aberlour saved his life on more than one occasion.
With whisky from the parish in such demand, other distilleries were permitted to hyphenate the word ‘Glenlivet’ on to their main names as an attention-getter. Most of them still produce excellent whisky but have dropped the extra name, preferring to attract attention to their own exclusive distillery titles.
The Smiths were Jacobites and supported the claims of Bonnie Prince Charlie to the British throne. Their real name was Gow but, in the bitter aftermath of the final Rebellion and Culloden, they adopted the less distinctive name of Smith for the sake of safety. They were farmers and illicit distillers – just like their neighbours around them – and when George Smith moved to Drumin farm in Glenlivet in 1817 he continued to distill without a license.
His landlord, the Duke of Gordon, knew what was going on but he himself was about to play his part in revolutionising whisky production in Scotland. In 1820 he made a speech in Parliament which led directly to the Government’s change in thinking that was reflected in the Excise Act of 1823. Once this was in place, he gave every assistance to Smith in the building of his legal distillery.
From 1849 Smith also operated a distillery called Delnabo, near Tomintoul, which had been built in the 1830s. When his company moved to the present distillery site at Minmore in 1858, both Drumin and Delnabo were closed and dismantled.
The malt is centrally prepared but several kinds – some lightly peated, some more heavily peated – are used to give better dimension to aroma and texture. The old floor maltings are now just about all that is left of the original Minmore distillery; they were last used in 1966. The water is a mix of hard and soft. Since 1978 there have been four pairs of stills in operation.
A book that covers the history of George Smith and The Glenlivet, that points out in the index that William Grant was a brother in law of George Smith, is A Double Scotch: Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet Became Global Icons by F. Paul Pacult (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). The book points out that William Grant was a brother-in-law of George Smith, and that George Smith was a younger brother of John and Charles Smith.
See: The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard (1887) — Glenlivet.
Here are more excerpt from The Gordons and Smiths at Minmore, Auchorachan, and Upper Drumin in Glenlivet by John Malcolm Bulloch. Privately printed (1910):
The Gordon Smith Family, page 52.
This family was founded by Andrew Smith, farmer, Upper Drumin, who married in 1776 Margaret Gordon, Auchorachan, daughter of William Gordon of Bogfoutain. ...
Andrew Smith and his wife had five sons and two daughters.
1. William Smith, born 1777: married in 1806 Christina Grant, daughter of John Grant of Mid-Bellandie, afterwards of Lynbeg, a small farm, and Isobel MacDonald. Her brother, Captain William Grant, 92nd Gordon Highlander, fought at Waterloo. She was a first cousin of Mrs. George Smith of Minmore. [Helen, daughter of Lieut. Stewart, 1st Royals, who fell at Aboukir while serving under Sir Ralph Abercromby, and died November 1871. (page 55) Sir Ralph Abercromby landed troops at Aboukir Bay, Egypt, on March 8, 1801, and 1871 should probably be 1801. Lieut. Gen Sir Ralph Abercromby died onboard the HMS Foudroyant in Aboukir Bay, Egypt, on March 28, 1801, after being wounded in a battle with French infantry near Alexandria. He was posthumously known as Abercromby of Aboukir. A Lieutenant Stewart of the 50th Regiment was listed as killed was killed in action near Alexandria on March 13, 1801. The Brittanic Magazine, Heroic Adventures and Memorable Exploits, volume 8 —Monthly Chronicle, page 284 (a free Google eBook).] [Lynbeg is 1 1/2 miles west of Tomnavoulin on the Glenlivet Estate Trails Map.]
...
4. George Smith, born at Upper Drumin, 1792 : educated at Burnside of Deskie. He began his remarkable career as a builder and architect, and about 1817 became tenant of part of the farm of Upper Drumin. In 1824 he built a legal distillery on the farm, much to the disgust of his neighbours, who carried on the business of smuggling. He was so successful that the distillery had to be ex- tended four times. In 1837, he took the farm of Castleton of Blairfindy, in 1838 the farm of Nevie, which is within a mile of Upper Drumin: and in 1839 the fine farm of Minmore, with which the Gordons had been associated so long. In 1850 he took Delnabo above Tomintoul, and carried on a distillery which was upon the farm, known as Cairngorm. In 1858 he united his distilleries by building a large one at Minmore. In the course of his career as a farmer he reclaimed 300 acres, and left his son with more than 800 acres of arable land and some 10,000 to 12,000 acres of hill pasture. He was famous as a breeder of Highland cattle and shorthorns. A very handsome presentation of silver plate was made to him by an influential body of subscribers in the county in recognition of his ability and public spirit. He married in 1817 Ellen, daughter of Lieut. Stewart, 1st Royals, who fell at Aboukir while serving under Sir Ralph Abercromby, and died November 1871. An excellent account of him appeared in the "Elgin Courant," December 1, 1871. He was buried in Tombae Catholic Churchyard, December 2. He had two sons and a daughter : —
(1) William Smith, born 1817. He farmed Nevie, and died unmarried in 1846.
(2) John Gordon Smith, born at Upper Drumin, June 22, 1822 : educated at Blairs College, Aberdeen. He began his career in the Caledonian Bank, Elgin, and then entered the office of John Shand, W.S., Edinburgh, staying there until 1846, when the death of his brother brought him home to farm Nevie and assist his father. A few years later his father took him into partnership in the distillery, the firm becoming G. and J. G. Smith. He took the keenest interest in farming, and established a fine herd of polled cattle at: Minmore (dispersed in 1891), and later a herd of shorthorns. He joined the 6th Volunteer Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders at its inception on April 10, 1867, and rose to Lieut.-Colonel, retiring on Dec. 23, l891. He bought the estate of Delnabo from the Countess of Seafield in 1891, and the estate of Auchintoul (long associated with a branch of the Gordon family) from the Duke of Fife in 1899. He also took a prominent part in the life of the county. His portrait, painted by Horsburgh, was presented to him by the Regiment, as a mark of esteem and in recognition of his services. He died unmarried at Delnabo, September 1901, being buried at Tombae.
(3) Margaret Smith (1820-1880): married William Grant, Ruthven. She had: —
i. George Smith Grant, Auchorachan (now also of Minmore and owner of the Glenlivet Distillery). 1867 he joined the 6th Volunteer Battalion Gordon Highlanders, and gradually rose to be colonel. (pages 54–55).
See Canmore on exploring Scotland's places — published by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and enter Glenlivet Distillery in the search box. Council - Moray; Parish - Ineravon ; Former Region - Grampian; Former District - Moray.
A fun map is the Whisky Map of Schotland, a Google Map that purports to locate the distilleries of Scotland, whether open or closed. The Lost Distilleries of Scotland identifies some additional closed small distilleries; e.g.,Auchorachan, which was operated by William Gordon in 1790; and Delnabo, which was established by John Gordon in the 1830s and which George Smith of Minmore took over as the Cairngorm Distillery in 1858 to supplement Glenlivet Distillery before its enlargement. (Here is a somewhat different history: The Glenlivet, in the Speyside region, was "Founded 1858 by George & James Gordon Smith.* The distillery replaced Drumin Distillery and Delnabo Distillery. Known as Minmore-Glenlivet until 1880. Address: Glenlivet, Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9DB."
Websites entitled Glenlivet—Adelphi Distillery and Glenlivet Distillery and Glenlivet—Speyside—The Distillery and Tasters Guide—The Glenlivet Distillery (Speyside) and Library Selection—Glenlivet 1970 and Whisky Magazine—Glenlivet, among many others, identify George Smith's youngest son as James Gordon Smith. The son's proper name is probably John. See: The Gordons and Smiths at Minmore, Auchorachan, and Upper Drumin in Glenlivet (1910) by John Malcolm Bulloch, 1910, page 55.
Delnabo has considerable historical associations and people are believed to have lived here since the 14th century. Early records show that there was a house here in 1540, owned by the Gordons and Grants. The present turreted Lodge dates from the 18th century.
During the 18th century there was a corn mill here and from 1850 to 1858 George Smith of Drumin operated the Cairngorm Distillery at Delnabo before developing the present Glenlivet Distillery at Minmore.
Delnabo Estate Limited. Delnabo is a highland estate of 3,000 acres situated in the north eastern part of the Cairngorms National Park.
The Glenfiddich Distillery is the largest and best known of the local distilleries. The distillery is the maker of Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky and is owned by William Grant & Sons. The company was established in 1887 by William Grant (December 18, 1839–1923) and is run by descendants of the founder.
William Grant was born in Dufftown in 1839. The young Grant worked at Mortlach Distillery and dreamed of one day running his own distillery. He worked hard and saved and in 1886 Grant and his 9 children laid the first stone of the Glenfiddich Distillery. It was Christmas Day 1887 when the first spirit ran from the stills.
Grant was descended from Clan Grant, which arrived in Speyside after being rewarded with land for "services to the king".[1]In 1745, three brothers fought in the Jacobite rebellion against Hanover. Alexander Grant survived the Battle of Culloden but had to flee to Banffshire where he was hidden by a clan chief.
Alexander Grant's great-grandson, William Grant, was born in 1839 in Dufftown, Scotland. When he was seven he began herding the family cattle in the hills. He then worked as an apprentice shoemaker and a limeworks employee. He did, however, receive a good education. Consequently, in 1866 he became a bookkeeper at the local Distillery. He gained an appreciation for the production of whisky and became manager of the distillery, where he worked for 20 years. His wife, Elizabeth, had nine children.
Throughout this period of his life he saved money to set himself up as a distiller. In 1886 he quit his job, purchased the necessary land, materials and machines, and built the Glenfiddich Distillery with the help of his 9 children.[2] On Christmas day in 1887, his distillery began operation, pioneering single malt Scotch whisky. Until Glenfiddich only blended brands were common.
Here is part of a story in The Glasgow Herald of March 27, 1989, page 11, Family touch behind the world's top malt whiskey by Jack Webster:
The son of a Waterloo veteran, William Grant was herding cattle by the age of seven before he became apprenticed as a shoemaker in his native Dufftown. Soon tumbling to the fact that there were an awful lot of cobblers in one small town, he found a job with the local Mortlach Distillery, where he worked his way up to manager.
Having saved his money, he decided to build his own distillery, but without the kind of encouragement the Chancellor of the Exchequer hands out to small businessmen today.
At least William Grant had a ready-made labour force — a family of seven sons and two daughters. Six off these sons graduated to become doctors or schoolmasters but there was a ready response to father's call to come home and help him physically build his distillery, stone by stone.
On Christmas Day of 1887, the Grants of Dufftown distilled their first drop of festive cheer, at the beginning of a remarkable family tale, Glenfiddich was on its way.
From the public family tree <Geo Myrmint1.3> on Ancestry.com:
The William Grant of William Grant and Sons was born in about 1839 in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, to William Grant (1784-1877) (son of Alexander Grant and Janet Bailie) and his second wife Elizabeth Reid (1815-1899). He married Elizabeth Duncan on February 4, 1860, in the Kirk of Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland. At the time, William Grant was a shoemaker. They had ten children: John Grant (1860–); Elizabeth Grant (1862– ); William Grant (1863– ); James Grant (1865–1919); Alexander Grant (1867– ); George Cowie Grant (1869– ); Charles Grant (1872– ); Isabella Grant (1874–1965); Margaret Grant (1876– ); and Edward Grant (1879– ). Isabella Grant married Charles Gordon (1866–1929).
The 1871 census of Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, lists William Grant, age 31, married at Mortlach, Banffshire, a distillery clerk, living in the home of his father-in-law on Castle Street. The 1881 census of Mortlach, Banff, listed him as age 41, living at Hardaugh House. The 1891 census of Mortlach, Banff, listed him as age 51, a distiller of whisky, living at 23 Castle Street. The 1901 census of Mortlach, Banff, listed him as age 61, a distiller and farmer, living at Balvenie House.
William Grant died at age 84 on January 5, 1923, while residing at Balvenie House, Dufftown, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland.
The chairman of William Grant & Sons at the time the article was written was Sandy Grant Gordon, born in 1931, who was "by an unusual; closeness of breeding, ... the great-grandson of the founder twice over — through both his father and his mother, who were cousins."
James Grant, LL. B., "the well-known antiquary," County Clerk of Banff, and one of seven sons of William Grant, founder of Glenfiddich distillery, compiled the Records of the county of Banff, 1660-1760, one hundred years of county government (1922), published by Aberdeen University, and available on the Internet in several formats. Here is the family history given in the Introduction at pages x and xi:
Mr. James Grant was a native of Mortlach, Banffshire, being the third son of Mr. William Grant, of Glenfiddich and Balvenie Distilleries. He was one of seven brothers, five of whom became graduates of Aberdeen University— a somewhat remarkable family record.
James was born on 25th September, 1865, at Crachie, near Dufftown (now in the Burgh of Dufftown), and began his education at the Parish School of Mortlach; subsequently, going on to the Public School of Ythanwells, Aberdeenshire, where his studies were directed by his brother, Mr. John Grant. From the latter school he passed direct to Aberdeen University, where one brother had preceded him and three others followed. He had a most successful career at the University, graduating in Arts in 1887, with second-class honours, having won the Seafield Latin medal and the Dr. Black Latin prize. ...
It must not be thought that his interests were entirely local; the problem of National Defence profoundly moved him; partly, perhaps, owing to the fact that his grandfather, Mr. William Grant, was one of the earliest recruits of the Gordon Highlanders, and fought at Waterloo (pages xii and xiii).
The Introduction at page xv, notes that James Grant died of influenza-induced pneumonia at the age of 53 on February 14, 1919, and that the Introduction was written by the editors.
On eighth August (1715), Brigadier-General Alexander Grant of Grant received a commission as Lord Lieutenant of the Counties of Banff and Inverness. On 25th August, he received instructions as to the appointment of Deputy Lieutenants, who were to be well affected towards the Government and Protestant ... (citing "The Chiefs of Grant," Vol. I., p. 356). (page 302).
There is a portrait of Brigadier General Alexander Grant of Grant — Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire 1715 at page 313 of the book.
See: Glenfarclas Distillery, Ballindalloch.
The story of the Glenfarclas Grants, started in 1805, when John Grant, the present Chairman’s great-great grandfather, was born on the farm of Lynbeg, in Glenlivet, the heart of Speyside. He lived at Blairfindy Farm, just two miles from his birthplace, and married Barbara Grant in 1827. They had six children, including a son called George, born in 1830.
John Grant became a highly successful farmer, owning several farms in the area and breeding champion Aberdeen Angus cattle. So it was only natural for him to be interested in the Rechlerich Farm, on the Ballindalloch Estate, when it became vacant in 1865. Rechlerich Farm was also renowned in the area for the Glenfarclas Distillery, established in 1836 by the previous tenant farmer Robert Hay. When John Grant signed the tenancy agreement in 1865, he purchased Glenfarclas distillery for £511.19s.0d.
The Grants of Blairfindy, Glenlivet from Clan Grant Branch Families by James H. Grant:
According to tradition, the Blairfindies descended from William Grant, circa 1527. Situated in remote Glenlivet, a number of the sons of this family were educated at the Roman Catholic school there and supported the Jacobite cause in the 1745 rebellion. The Blairfindy Grants were known more for their achievements in foreign lands than in their native country. Abbe’ Robert Grant was Principal of the Scots College at Douay in the 18th century; his brother, Abbe’ Peter Grant lived in Rome. Another descendant of this family, Col. Grant, Baron de Blairfindy, was a distinguished officer in the army of France. Capt. David Alexander Grant immigrated to Canada and married a daughter of the 3rd Baron Longueuil. Their offspring succeeded as Barons of Longueuil well into the 20th century. The present owners and directors of the J & G Grant Glenfarclas distillery are also descended from this family.
[See: George Grant Joins Glenfarclas Board]
The barrels of whisky produced by the Glenfarclas Distillery are marked J C Grant — Glenfarclass —Ballindalloch. The licensed distillery was founded in 1836, although it grew out of a small farm distillery begun by a tenant-farmer in about 1791. John Grant's family acquired an ownership in the land upon which the distillery was located when it took over the tenancy of the Rechleric Farm in 1865 by buying the land from Sir George Macpherson-Grant. John Grant was born in 1805 and died in 1889.
Here is an excerpt from the website of Glenfarclas Single Malt Scotch Whisky, J & G Grant, Glenfarclas Distillery, Ballindoch, Banffshire AB37 9BD Scotland:
The Glenfarclas Distillery is situated on the Recherlich Farm at Ballindalloch and in the heart of Speyside. In 1836, the distillery was granted a Government licence to produce whisky. At this time, the licence was held by Robert Hay, who was the tenant farmer. However, after his death the farm and the distillery were left vacant and this attracted the attention of John Grant. The Grant family were prominent local cattle breeders, who were looking for an ideal halfway staging post between their farm in Glenlivet, and the market in nearby Elgin.
A tenancy agreement was successfully negotiated for Recherlich and Derrylane Farm in 1865. However, as part of the agreement, the distillery was purchased for £511.19s. Since farming was the priority, the distillery was let out for five years to John Smith, who later went on to establish Cragganmore Distillery. However, during this time, the cattle drovers and workmen certainly enjoyed the sustenance of a dram of Glenfarclas!
In 1889, John Grant died, leaving his son George to run both the farm and the distillery. Sadly, George passed away not long afterwards. Subsequently, the license for the distillery, was passed on to George's widow Barbara. She then appointed her two eldest children, John and George, to take care of the business.
In the 1890s, they formed the Glenfarclas-Glenlivet distillery company, with Pattisons of Leith. They held a 50% interest, but it was to prove to be a troublesome partnership, one which eventually dissolved. This left John and George in a predicament, but they were not disheartened and formed their own company, J.& G. Grant.
The distillery is now in the hands of the fifth and sixth generation of the Grant family. George Grant of Glenfarclas purchased the distillery from Sir George Macpherson Grant of Ballindalloch on January 2, 1930.
“My great-great grandfather, John Grant, born in 1805, purchased Glenfarclas Distillery for £511.19s.0d on the 8th of June 1865. To this day, Glenfarclas Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky is distilled and matured at our family owned and run distillery, which thanks to the foresight of my forefathers remains independent. Creating a great malt whisky is a time-honoured process. Here in the heart of Speyside, my family has cherished the skills and traditions of fine malt whisky making, handing them down through six generations. We are proud to share our secrets with you”.
John L. S. Grant
For a map showing the location of the distillery, go to How to find Glenfarclas. The distillery is about half way between Ballindalloch Castle and Dufftown. To the southwest on the River Spey is Grantown on Spey. For photographs of the area, see The Speyside Way and Live River Webcams — Scotand — Spey. See also: Speyside Tours.
Here are some excerpts from Family Roots from Glenfarclas — An Independent Distillery by Ian Buxton..
A William Grant of Blairfindy carried arms in Prince Charles' army but in 1746 'submitted to the King's mercy'. His sons, John, a lieutenant, and David, an officer, were also out with Charlie as were two kinsman Alexander and James Grant, both of Logan of Blairfindy.
Did they distill? We shall never know, for this is their sole appearance in history. As far as Glenfarclas' history goes, our story begins in 1791, It turns out that 2011 may just be the distillery's 220th anniversary ...
George Grant lived at Glenfarclas from 1865 until his death in 1890, age 60. During his lifetime distilling in Scotland underwent profound change, moving from a small-scale artisanal peasant activity, often in defiance of the law, to an increasingly industrialised business under growing centralized control This process had started earlier, arguably stimulated by he 1823 Act and the rapid adoption of the continuous still after 1830, but gathered momentum as the century went on. ...
In January 1930 ... the lease on Recherlich Farm and distillery, first entered into in 1865, expired. Instead of renewing it, as had been the practice for the past 65 years, George Grant bought the freehold title to the farm (and two others nearby) from Sir George Macpherson-Grant. The Grants of Glenfarclas were tenants no longer.
See: The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard (1887) — Glenfarclas.
Glen Grant Distillery is in Rothes, Morayshire, at the north end of the village on the main road.
Brothers John and James Grant built the distillery at the north end of Rothes in 1840. They had been smugglers and they had also worked Dandaleith distillery near Craigellachie in the 1830s. James qualified as a lawyer and practised in Elgin but he was drawn back to the idea of a distilling partnership with his brother. James was Provost (Mayor) of Elgin for a number of years and he did much to promote the railway throughout the county.
James Grant’s son, Major James, built a beautiful mansion nearby as the family home. He also built a second distillery across the road in 1898 called simply Glen Grant No 2 and a famous ‘whisky pipe’ ran across the road carrying spirit to be merged with the flow on the other side. Glen Grant No 2 closed in 1902 and when revived was designated a separate distillery and named Caperdonich. Once when on safari in Africa, Major James met a young Matabele lad who had become isolated from his family. He brought him back to Rothes, made him his personal valet and, with the similarities to the story of Robinson Crusoe in mind, the locals christened him ‘Friday’. He settled down in Rothes and spent the rest of his life in a rent-free flat in the Grant mansion.
Glenlivet and Glen Grant Distilleries Ltd merged with the blending concerns of Hill, Thomson and Co. Ltd and Longmorn Distilleries Ltd to become The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. The original family interest in the distilleries was maintained, with two substantial outside shareholders: Courage Ltd, the brewing concern and Suntory Ltd, the Japanese distilling company.
The 1881 census of Scotland lists James Grant, age 70, a spirit merchant, at 24 North Street, New Spynie, Elgin, Moray. [The 1881 census of Scotland lists, in Mortlach, Banffshire, another James Grant, age 15, born in Dufftown, Banffshire. He was the son of William Grant, age 41, and Elizabeth Grant, age 39. with an address of Hardaugh House. Siblings were: John, age 20; William, 17; Alexander, 13; Charles, 9; Isabella, 7; Margaret, 5; and Edward, 3.]
See: The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard (1887) — Glen Grant.
Peter Grant moved to Canada in 1869, and his family moved there in 1872. The main story of the family in Canada is set out in a separate page, Peter Grant's Career as a Railway Engineer in Canada. The entries in the Canadian censuses of 1871, 1881, and 1891, are also set out here.
The 1871 census of Restigouche (Sub-District J), Bonaventure (District 169), Quebec (Province), Canada, lists:
(1871) Peter Grant, age 40, born in Scotland, engineer, Catholic. (In the same residence as Anthony Clark, age 70, born in England, assistant postmaster.)
The 1881 census of Wellington Ward, Ottawa City, Ontario, lists this family:
(1881) Peter Grant, age 48 (misindexed by ancestry.com as 28), born in Scotland, Catholic, engineer.
Ellen Grant (should be Helen), age 45, born in Scotland, Catholic.
Alexander Grant, age 18, born in Scotland, Catholic, going to school.
Patrick Grant, age 16, born in Scotland, Catholic, going to school. [Gordon Grant]
James Grant, age 14, born in Scotland, Catholic, going to school.
John Grant, age 12, born in Scotland, Catholic, going to school.
Jessie Kelman, age 50, born in Scotland, Catholic, widow. [Jessie Kelman died in Iona, Cape Breton, Victoria County, Nova Scotia, on November 15, 1899 (or 1889), and is buried there at St. Columba Catholic Church. — Posting of December 11, 2006, by Doris M. Grant. See: St. Columba Cemetery, Iona, on the Cape Breton Counties GenWeb, and findagrave.com.]
Margrat Green, age 18, born in Nova Scotia, W. Meth. (Wesleyan Methodist), servant.
The 1891 census of Victoria, sub-district of Grand Narrows, Nova Scotia, lists:
(1891) Peter Grant, age 57, born in Scotland, civil engineer, Roman Catholic, employed by the government. [The names below are reported in a mysterious way, with the middle name or initial first, and the primary given name second; for example, G. Helen Grant on the census return should be Helen G. Grant; A. James Grant should be James A. Grant.]
G. Helen Grant, age 59, born in Scotland, Roman Catholic. [Should be listed as Helen G. Grant. According to the public family tree of George Minty1 on ancestry.com, Helen Gordon (daughter of Alexander Gordon (1781–1863) and Marjory Cowie (1800–1844), who was born on January 10, 1828, in Tullochallum, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland, and died in Montreal in about 1903.]
J. Alexander Grant, age 26, born in Scotland, civil engineer, Roman Catholic. [Should be Alexander J. Grant; indexed by ancestry.com as I. Alexander Grant; according to the public family tree of George Minty1 on ancestry.com, Alexander Joseph Grant who was born on May 10, 1863, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland.]
G. Gordon Grant, age 24, born in Scotland, civil engineer, Roman Catholic, born in Scotland, bank clerk, Roman Catholic. [Should be Gordon G. Grant. According to the public family tree of George Minty1 on ancestry.com, Patrick Gordon Grant who was born on January 2, 1865, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. The 1901 census of Winnipeg, Manitoba, lists Gordon Grant, a lodger, age 35, born on January 2, 1866, in Scotland, immigrated in 1872, civil engineer, Roman Catholic.]
A. James Grant, age 22, born in Scotland, student, Roman Catholic. [According to the public family tree of George Minty1 on ancestry.com, Andrew James Grant was born to Peter Grant and Helen Gordon on July 13, 1867, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland. he became James Andrew Grant, Catholic Priest in California.. ]
John Grant, age 20, born in Scotland, bank clerk, Roman Catholic. [According to the public family tree of George Minty1 on ancestry.com, John Forbes Grant was born to Peter Grant and Helen Gordon on April 10, 1869, in Dufftown, Mortlach, Banff, Scotland.]
Catherine Neil Mac, age 14, domestic, born in Nova Scotia, general housework, Roman Catholic. [Should be Catherine MacNeil.]
Family of Father James Andrew Grant in Scotland <http://www.magoo.com/hugh/grant33.html> Updated August 29, 2014 |
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