Pat Grant, Modr.
The Examination of John Grant, minister of Urquhart near Inverness
Westminster
to Wit.
Being asked where he was at the time that the Rebellion first of all broke out, he saith, that he was at his own Parish at Urquhart aforesaid, where he continued from the Beginning to the end of the said Rebellion without stirring from thence to the distance of 10 miles. Being asked whether or no the Laird of Grant ever made him, the Examt, privy to any Intention which he the Lord of Grant had of raising his men for the Service of the Government, or ever sent for him to any consultation about what measures were proper to be taken by the Grants upon occasion of the Rebellion, he saith, that he was not either privy to the Intentions of the said Laird of Grant, or was he ever sent for to any place by the said Laird of Grant to give his advice or opinion what was proper to be done about raising the Grants: He Saith, he remembers that upon the breaking out of the Rebellion the Laird of Grants Baillie who was at Urqhart where the Examt also was told the Examt privately that the Laird of Grant was not determined, and would not determine what to do, till he saw how matters were likely to turn out or that effect and whoever should first attack his, the Laird of Grants country whether but in general it was [sic]
[sic] Rebels or the Kings Forces He the Laird of Grant wd raise his men against them.
was told to the People of Urqhart that it was the said Laird’s desire that the People should live peaceably. This was upon the first appearance of the Rebellion when the Gentlemen in the Grant’s country sent to the Laird of Grant to desire his assistance and advice, as they were threatned with Fire and Sword by Lochiel, unless they would rise and join the Pretender’s Son, and he saith that the Baillie aforesaid told the Examt sometime afterwards privately the Laird would not be averse to some part of his Clan’s joining the Pretenders son Privately in order to save the Country. Being asked whether he was one of those who opposed the Laird of Grant’s accepting the Company which was first offer’d by the Lord President to the said Laird for raising the Grants for the Government, he saith he was not, nor was he privy to or advised with concerning the said company. He saith, that sometime in November last a Party of the MacDonalds and Fraziers came to Urqhart under the command of M‘Donald of Barrisdale and the Master of Lovat, the whole amounting to about 4 or 500 men: that M‘Donald and the Master of Lovat lodged at the Examts house two or three Days at that time, and the reason of which was, that the Examts wife was related to the Master of Lovat’s Family: that the Master of Lovat and another person of the name of Frazer applied to the Examt to be Chaplain to them, and promised to give him six and eight pence a day, if he would consent thereto, to which the Examt answer’d, that if they would go to Inverness to serve his Majesty King George, he would be their chaplain with all his heart for one third of the money that he reproached them for having taken up arms for a Popish Pretender, and shew’d them the consequences of such Behaviour. That the Master of Lovat said, he was acted upon, and as he was engaged so far, must go on still further: That, whether they applied to him to be chaplain in Joke or Earnest, he cannot say, tho’ he is well satisfied that they both knew the Examt to be in a very different way of thinking from them: that, neither of them used the Examt ill, or insulted him upon account of his being steady to the Government: but that some of their men quarrelled with the Examt on account of his having preached against the Rebellion, and dissuaded them from it in the strongest terms he could use, and on account of his having prayed publickly in the Church for His Majesty, and told the Examt that it became him not to preach and pray in that manner. He saith, that during the time the said Party was at Urquhart, he made it his Business to declaim against the Rebellion, and whenever he heard of any People who had an Intention to join the Rebels, he went to them and used the most prevailing arguments he could to turn them from their Design: that MacDonald and the Master of Lovat having soon found that the Examt was determined not to engage with them, did not open themselves to him about their Intentions at all: that he several times was in Danger of his Life from MacDonalds upon account of the aversion he constantly express’d upon all occasions in public and private against their undertakings.
He saith, that after the said Party of the Macdonalds and Fraziers had quitted Urquhart, other Partys of the Rebels were continually passing and repassing thro’ the said County: that the Examt persevered in his Endeavours to dissuade them from their engagements, and was very often in Danger of his Life upon that account; that about the latter end of the Month of February last the General Rendezvous of the Rebel army was about a mile from his house, that there was a general cry thro’ all the said Army that the Examt was not to be tolerated in the daring manner in which he acted for the Government: that he received several notices that his House should be plunder’d and burnt unless he desisted: that his Life was also several times threatned; that the Highlanders publickly declared that he deserved no other kind of Death than to be beaten in Pieces with the Butt Ends of their Guns: and upon the 21st and 22d of February he expected nothing but Death from them.
Being asked, whether he received or conveyed any Letters to or from any Persons concerned in the Rebellion to or from any People concerned in the same, he saith, he never was directly or indirectly concerned in any thing of that sort, nor was he ever directly or indirectly the Instrument of receiving or conveying any verbal messages to or from any of the Persons concerned in the said Rebellion to or from their accomplices.
Being asked, whether he ever willingly gave any Harbour or Protection or assistance of any kind whatever to the Rebels; he saith, he never did, on the contrary he saith, that he took all the methods he could to prevent their receiving any Party where had or could exert his Influence.