Origins of the 'Forty-five

by Unknown

August 24th Mr. Grant Received another Letter from Lord Advocate, dated the 20th (App. No. 2)[513] in answer to one that Mr. Grant wrote the 15th with such Intelligence as he had then got of the Rebells. In that Letter he acquaints Mr. Grant that the Troops were in full march from Stirling which he hoped would be soon in Mr. Grant’s Neighbourhood; but he gives no authority nor advice to Mr. Grant to arm his Father’s clan unless that was intended by the Dark and ambiguous words that follow, viz. Which with the Assistance of His Majesty’s Friends it is hoped will restore quiet to the Country. But Mr. Grant was and still is persuaded that had such been my Lord Advocates meaning his Lordship who well knew the Law, and had reason to know in fact that the country was not half armed, would have expressed it in very different and plainer Terms.

Next Day after the Receipt of this letter Mr. Grant having got advice that Sir John Cope with the army under his Command were already past Tay Bridge[514] wrote to Sir John The Letter (App. No. 3),[515] which he sent by one of his friends Robert Grant, now Ensign and Adjutant in Loudouns Regiment, whom he also Informed what number of arms were, according to the Reports made to Mr. Grant, found in the Country, and what number of men could be raised on short warning to the end that if Sir John should Demand any Assistance, that Gentleman might be able to inform him what he could expect.

This Gentleman instead of finding Sir John about Delnacardoch or to the southward of it, as Mr. Grant hoped he should, found him at Ruthven of Badenoch,[516] and Returned to Mr. Grant Monday the 26th at night without any other answer to his Letter than a verball message that Sir John thanked him for it. He further Informed Mr. Grant that Sir John, instead of going in quest of the Rebells, was marching to Inverness to avoid them and that next night he was to encamp in the head of Strathspey.

About this time Mr. Grant had advice that the Person called Duke of Perth was in Braemar raising the Highlanders in that country, that the Mackintoshes and M‘Phersons were all in concert with the Rebells[517] that their plan was that they, and even the Pretender and the Highlanders with him, were to march down through Strathspey, and join Perth, and march through Strathaven, Glenlivet, and into Aberdeenshire and so Southward before Sir John Cope, raising all the men in the Country through which they marched. This obliged Mr. Grant to set about raising his Friends as fast as possible for Defence of his own country, which upon Sir John’s marching to Inverness behoved to be quite naked and exposed to them, and Deprived him of the Honour of waiting on Sir John as he intended to have done, when he was encamped in the head of Strathspey; However as Sir John was quite a stranger to the country, and there were some Dangerous passes in it he sent three of the Gentlemen of the country to wait on him and with orders to raise 40 or 50 of the men nearest to these grounds to serve him as Guides and give him Intelligence and with them to patrole in the Neighbouring Hills, not only all Nights but till the Army was quite clear of these Passes, and out of any kind of Danger from the Rebells; While Mr. Grant at the same time was gathering his Friends and cantoning them in the proper passes, to prevent if possible the Rebells entering his country, they having the very next day or second day after Sir John past made a march with six or seven hundred men, that pointed as if that had been their Design.

Mr. Grant therefore could not help being greatly surprised with accounts he had a few days after from Lord Lyon[518] by his letter without date (App. No. 4),[519] ‘that Sir John Cope complained that tho’ Mr. Grant in his letter wrote him, that he and his people were ready to join and assist him, yet by some fatall advice, he woud neither join him with one man, nor go near him, and that if he had been joined but with one hundred or two from each of the Highland Chiftains, that he was told by the ministry would join him, he would have done their Business; but instead of that not one man has joined him of which he has acquainted the Ministry.’

Lord Lyon must undoubtedly have misunderstood Sir John. A Coppy of Mr. Grants Letter to him is subjoined (App. No. 3). He had no call nor the least Insinuation from Sir John to join him, nor did he know that the Ministry expected, or had authorised either him or any other Chiftain of a Clan to raise men in arms to join him.

But it seemed still more surprising that tho’ Sir John had not called for any assistance from Mr. Grant when he was on his march north, yet after the Army was at Inverness, and out of all Danger from the Rebells, Lord Lyon still prest Mr. Grants marching his men to join Sir John at Inverness, and which advice was enforced by Major Grant,[520] Governour of Fort George, who came on purpose on that account to Castle Grant: But as the M‘Phersons and M‘Intoshes were then Rising and Glenbucket was in Strathaven and Glenlivet committing the Greatest outrages, even burning Houses to force out the Men, such a measure must, without doing the smallest service to the Government, have Involved his own Country of Strathspey in absolute ruin. Yet Mr. Grant agreed with Major Grant, that if Sir John was to march directly in quest of the Rebells, he would join him with all the men he could possibly raise, tho’ he could not agree to leave his own Country Exposed, to join Sir John if he was to march where there were no Rebells to be attacked.

Upon the Intelligence that Mr. Grant had of Glenbucket levying men in Strathaven, and the outrages committed there, particularly a letter from his sister Mrs. Grant of Ballindalloch, dated September 5 (App. No. 5),[521] He sent about two or three hundred men to Strathaven and upon their approach Glenbucket retired from that country whereof Mr. Grant acquainted Sir John Cope, then on his way to Aberdeen by a letter about the 10th September (App. No. 6).[522]

Mr. Grant got a Message from Lord President, Sept. 14th, Desiring an Interview, and as neither of them in the then situation of the Country could be absent a night from his own House, Mr. Grant met him Monday 17th at a place apointed, when the Lord President acquainted him, that he the Lord President was impowered by the Government to raise some Company’s, That therefore he made offer of the first of them to him, and that he Mr. Grant should have the naming of all the Oficiers of that Company. Mr. Grant answered, that since he the Lord President proposed it, he would take the Company but could not name the Officers till he returned home, least by naming some, he might Disoblige others, but at the same time, gave his opinion that the raising some Companys would not do the service, and that it would be necessary to raise the whole of the Clans, that were Friends to the Government.

Upon Mr. Grants return to his own House, He and all the Gentlemen in the Country had got Information that the Lord President got the Disposall of Twenty Companys, he found them greatly Disobliged that only one of them was to be given to their Clan, which they thought very far short of the proportion they bore to the other Northern Clans, that were the avowed and constant Friends of his Majestys Government, and looked on it as a slight intended to them and that either it was intended, that no more of them but that company should be employed in the service, or if they were that it must be att their own expense while the other Favourite Clanns were to be payed by the Government. And for these Reasons Mr. Grant found greater Difficulty in naming the officers than he could foresee before he knew the number of the Companys to be raised. That if the measure of raising Companys were still insisted on that Mr. Grant rather than hurt the service would accept of four or even of three of them; But a smaller number would not employ the principal Gentlemen of the Clan nor satisfy any of them where so many companys were to be Disposed of.