He saith, that he never was directly nor indirectly concerned in receiving or conveying of any letters or verbal messages to or from any Persons in the Rebellion to any persons whatever, nor did he willingly harbour, protect, or supply in any shape any of the aforesaid Persons, nor was he ever made privy to any designs or Intentions of the said Rebels.
He saith, that different Partys of the Rebels who passed thro’ the Country having threatened to use violence to some of the Grants unless they would join them, a Party of them with a Gentleman at their Head, went to Castle Grant to take the Directions of the Laird, and offer’d to go and join Lord Loudoun or any one else, if he would give them orders in writing for so doing: that the Laird of Grant told them, they might go and join the Devil if they would, and imprisoned the Gentleman who came along with them for two or three days for his officiousness.
He saith, that he made it his Business whenever he had an opportunity, to dissuade those whom he could come at from engaging in the Rebellion, and exerted his utmost endeavours to convince them of the rashness of their undertaking.
Being asked whether he was privy to the Neutrality signed by some Gentlemen amongst the Grants, whilst the Rebels were at Aberdeen, He saith, he was not privy to it in any shape, nor doth he know who were the conductors of that Neutrality.
After the Battle of Culloden some of the Grants remaining in arms for the Pretender’s Son the Examt and his Father were sent to by the Laird of Grant (who had never sent to the Examt or his Father during the Rebellion before) to go to the said People and persuade them to surrender: He saith, that he and his Father accordingly went to the said men, and with the assistance of the Revd Mr. John Grant prevailed with them to surrender, and marched with them for that purpose to Inverness, where to his great surprise the Examt, His Father, and the said Revd Mr. Grant were made Prisoners with the aforesaid Rebels, and sent up hither for he does not know what.
He saith, that he verily believes that the ill-usage his Father met with, served in a great degree to shorten his father’s life. He saith, that all his and his Father’s Cattle were taken from them for some time for not joining the Rebels: that he never held any correspondences with the Rebels in any shape, nor ever was instrumental in serving them at all, and that if he behaved civilly to them whilst they remained in the Country where the Examt was it was out of Fear and not the effect of Inclination.
Being asked whether it be his opinion that if the Laird of Grant had wrote to the People in the Country to rise for the Government the said People would have taken up arms for the Government, he saith, that he verily believes if the laird of Grant had done so, the Country would have joined the Kings Troops, and done all the service in their Power, but this was neglected by the said Laird of Grant till the Battle of Culloden was over, when the Examt joined the said Laird at his request with 50 or 60 men, being all who were capable of bearing arms in the Country, and that being the first and only Request which the Laird of Grant ever made to the Examt upon occasion of the Rebellion.
(Signed) James Grantt.
Whitehall, August 14, 1746.
Taken before me,