Branch Families of the Clan Grant
James Grant, historian
Clan Grant Society – USA
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Much has been written about the Chiefs of Grant. Their genealogy is well documented from the mid-15th century, but considerable evidence suggests that their forebears flourished in the Scottish highlands for several centuries before that time.
There were a number of other Grant families whose precise origins cannot be documented. They were nonetheless an integral part of the Clan Grant. It is quite likely that some of these families descended from the younger sons of early chieftains. It is also likely that some were independent families or clans who simply aligned themselves with the more powerful Grants for economic or political reasons and later assumed the surname Grant.
At the head of each family was a chieftain – usually the senior direct lineal descendant of the family’s progenitor. Although their precise origins are unknown, the branch families are of great antiquity. Some became extinct after a few generations; others have flourished into the 21st century. Some of the principal branches of the Clan Grant are the following:
The Grants of Freuchie and of Grant
Sir James Patrick Trevor Grant of Grant, Baronet, 6th Lord Strathspey, is the representative of this family and the Chief of the Clan Grant. His family’s line of succession can be documented from Sir Duncan Grant of Freuchie in 1434. The chiefs were originally known as the Lairds of Freuchie. In 1694, the lands held by Ludovick Grant, 8th Laird of Freuchie, were erected into the Regality of Grant. From that time forth, Ludovick and his direct lineal descendants have been styled “Grant of Grant.” Principal cadets of the family include Ballintomb in the parish of Knockando (later the Grants of Monymusk in Aberdeenshire), Corrimony in Glenurquhart, Easter Elchies, Glenmoriston, Kinchirdie, Lurg, Rothiemurchus, and Wester Elchies.
The Rt. Hon. 6th Lord Strathspey,
Sir James Grant of Grant, Baronet,
Chief of the Clan Grant, at
Nethy Bridge, circa 1990
The 1st Grants of Ballindalloch
in the parish of Inveravon
The earliest known ancestor of this family was Patrick Grant of Ballindalloch, circa 1520. A significant rivalry developed between the houses of Ballindalloch and Freuchie in the 16th century. According to tradition, the dispute was occasioned by a disagreement over which of a pair of twin sons of the Laird of Freuchie was first born. Under the laws of primogeniture, the eldest son inherited his father’s estates and became the Laird of Freuchie; the second son was eventually granted the estate of Ballindalloch. The feud lasted several centuries.
In the 18th century, the Laird of Ballindalloch became overwhelmed with debt and his estates were taken over by his creditors. Ballindalloch was sold to Col. William Grant, a younger son of the Laird of Rothiemurchus and the brother-in-law of the Chief of Grant.
The principal cadets of the 1st family of Ballindalloch were the 1st Grants of Dalvey in the parish of Cromdale, Cardels (Kirdels) in the parish of Knockando, and Dunlugas in Aberdeenshire.
Robert Grant, a prosperous merchant in London, was said to be a descendant of the 1st Grants of Ballindalloch. In 1787, he purchased the estates of Wester Elchies, Carron and Knockando in Strathspey. Robert Grant’s nephew, William, was a young man of very modest means, but much promise. Robert Grant sent William to King’s College at Aberdeen University, where he studied law. William then went to Canada to serve as his uncle’s agent in a successful fur-trading venture. After returning to London, William became a successful advocate, Member of Parliament, and eventually attained the high rank of Master of the Rolls. Sir William Grant (1752-1832) also served as treasurer of Lincoln’s Inn, one of the four Inns of Court in London (1798), Rector of the University of Aberdeen (1809), and received the degree of Doctor of Civil Law from Oxford University (1820).
Sir Thomas Lawrence
Sir William Grant (1752-1832), Member of
Parliament & Master of the Rolls, said to be
a descendant of the 1st Grants of Ballindalloch
The Grants of Blairfindy, in Glenlivet
According to tradition, the Blairfindies descended from William Grant, a younger son of the Laird of Freuchie, circa 1527. Situated in remote Glenlivet, a number of the sons of this family were educated at the Roman Catholic seminary at nearby Scalan 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 served in the Vatican. Another descendant, Colonel Grant, Baron de Blairfindy, was a distinguished officer in the army of France.
Captain David Alexander Grant, a Jacobite soldier, immigrated to Canada after the Battle of Culloden Moor (1746) and eventually married a daughter of the 3rd Baron de Longueuil. Their descendants have succeeded into the 21st century as Barons of Longueuil. The present representative of that family is Dr. Michael Charles Grant, 12th Baron de Longueuil.
The owner and chairman of the J. & G. Grant Glenfarclas Distillery, Mr. John L.S. Grant, is also descended through the female line from the Grants of Blairfindy.
John L.S. Grant, Chairman of the J. & G. Grant Glenfarclas
Distillery, and Ishbel Grant, with their 1934 Bentley Coupe
Clann Phadruig, the Grants of Tullochgorm,
in the parish of Inverallan
The earliest known representative of this family was Patrick Grant in Tullochgorm, circa 1530. Descendants of the family were prominent members of the Clan Grant and later distinguished themselves as military officers in the far reaches of the British Empire.
The most notable of these was Field Marshal Sir Patrick Grant, GCB, GCMG (1804-1895). His son, Lt. Gen. Sir Henry Fane Grant, GCB, GCVO (1848-1919), commanded the 5th Division of the British Army during World War I. The eminent historian, authoress and antiquarian, Isabel Frances Grant, MBE, LLD (1887-1983), was also a descendant of the Grants of Tullochgorm. Many Grants received their first exposure to the history of the clan by reading Dr. Grant’s small book, The Clan Grant, published in 1955.
Unlike other branch families, the Grants of Tullochgorm did not have a significant network of cadet families, although traditional accounts suggest that the Grants of Glenlochy in Strathavon were descended from the house of Tullochgorm in the early 17th century.
The most recent chieftain of the Grants of Tullochgorm was the late Lt. Col. Donald John Arthur Grant, who died at his home at Inverbrough, Tomatin, in September 2014. Colonel Grant is survived by a son, Patrick, who earned a masters degree in computer science from Edinburgh University and works in information technology for Morgan Stanley in London.
The Clan Donnachie, descendants of the
Grants of Gartinbeg in the parish of Duthil
In 1537, John Mackonachie Grant in Gartinbeg was the earliest known chieftain of this ancient family. Descendants of the family have been distinguished educators, advocates, military officers, merchants and planters, colonial administrators, and Members of Parliament.
Principal cadets of Gartinbeg include the Grants of Inverlaidnan, Kinveachy and Dalrachnie in the parish of Duthil, and the 2nd family of Dalvey in Cromdale.
The present chieftain of Clan Donnachie is Sir Patrick Alexander Benedict Grant of Dalvey, Baronet, LL.B. Sir Patrick is the owner and managing director of Grants of Dalvey, a manufacturer and purveyor of high-quality stainless-steel accessories and clothing for gentlemen. The company is headquartered in Alness, Ross-shire.
Sir Patrick received a law degree from Glasgow University. He is an avid deerstalker and mountain-climber. In 2005, he climbed the Matterhorn, a 14,692 ft. mountain in the Pennine Alps – and according to all accounts, he accomplished the feat in a Brora Tweed suit!
Sir Patrick is also an enthusiastic aficionado of the Great Highland Bagpipe. As a young man he studied under one of the greatest pipers of the 20th century, the late John D. Burgess, MBE. Sir Patrick is the president of the Drumnadrochit Piping Society.
Sir Patrick A.B. Grant of Dalvey, Baronet, LL.B.
Chieftain of the Grants of Clan Donnachie,
Glasgow, circa 1980
The Clan Allan, the Grants of Auchernach,
in the parish of Abernethy
According to tradition, the Clan Allan descends from a younger son of an early Grant chieftain in the 13th century. The earliest documented representative of the clan was James Grant in Auchernach in 1569. A century later, another James Grant of Auchernach was Chamberlain to the Laird of Freuchie in 1660.
The earliest known holding of the Clan Allan is Strathspey was at Dunan (Downan), near Castle Grant, although the chieftain soon moved across the Spey to Auchernach in the parish of Abernethy.
Principal cadets of the Clan Allan were said to be Burnside and Congash in the parish of Cromdale; Auchterblair and Mullochard in Duthil; Gartinmore, Balliemore, Lettoch and Milntown in Abernethy parish; and Nevie, Lynachorn and Delbabo in Strathavon.
In an unusual proceeding before the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh in 1777, Neil Grant, the bankrupt chieftain of Clan Allan, abdicated the chiefship in favor of Dr. Gregory Grant, a physician in Edinburgh and a descendant of a junior line of the clan, the Grants of Burnside.
Several descendants of the family have survived into the 21st century. David Renwick Grant and his family earned considerable renown in the late 1990’s by traveling around the world in a horse-drawn caravan. Their global trek was detailed in Mr. Grant’s book, The Seven Year Hitch.
In the 1970’s, Alexander Colquhoun “Sandy” Grant and his wife, Alisoun, restored Inverquharity Castle, a ruined 15th century tower house near Kirriemuir, Angus, and lived there for almost forty years. Mr. Grant is also a descendant of the Clan Allan.
Grantown Museum & Heritage Trust
Dr. Gregory Grant, Physician in Edinburgh,
who purchased the chiefship of the Clan Allan
from a distant cousin in 1777
Clann Chiaran, the Grants of Auchnarrow,
later of Dellachapple, in the parish of Cromdale
According to tradition, this ancient family descended from Lucas Ciar, a younger son of an early chieftain of the Clan Grant. The earliest known representative of Clann Chiaran was William Macallane Grant. He held Auchnarrow, a property about a mile from Castle Grant, in 1569. A subsequent chieftain of Clann Chairan moved across the Spey to Dellachapple in the parish of Cromdale. In 1647, John Grant of Dellachapple was Procurator to James Grant, Laird of Freuchie.
The principal cadets of Clann Chiaran were the Grants of Glenbeg in Inverallan parish and their near neighbors Gortons, Gaich, Craggan, and Kirkton, as well as Easter and Wester Lethendry in the parish of Cromdale.
In the 17th century, some families of Clann Chairan were embroiled in a dispute with the Chief of Grant and were banned from Strathspey. They relocated to Brancholl (Branchill) in the parish of Dallas and Kerrow and Aitnoch in Braemoray. The feud did not last long. Donald Grant of Kerrow, returned to Glenbeg in the early 18th century and resumed a prominent place in the Clan Grant. His portrait was painted by Richard Waitt and displayed with other prominent members of the clan at Castle Grant.
Robert Grant, a descendant of the family of Lethendry, went to Canada and made a considerable fortune in the fur-trading business. He returned to Scotland at the end of the 18th century and built a mansion at Kincorth, near Forres. The prominent family of Forsyth-Grant of Ecclesgreig, St. Cyrus, near Montrose, descended from Robert Grant’s daughter. Today, Maurice Patrick James Forsyth-Grant is a representative of that family. Mr. Forsyth-Grant is an artist, illustrator, and avid sportsman. He still lives on the estate of Ecclesgreig, St. Cyrus, Aberdeenshire.
William Forsyth-Grant of Ecclesgreig (1804-1863) descended
from the Clann Chairan through the female line of the
Grants of Kincorth, near Forres, Morayshire
The Grants of Glenlochy, in the parish of Abernethy,
later of Kilgraston in Perthshire
According to tradition, the Grants of Glenlochy descended from the Grants of Tullochgorm. The earliest documented ancestor of the family was Donald Grant M’Allister vic Robie in Glenlochy, circa 1620. A descendant of the family, John Grant of Kilgraston, Perthshire, went to Jamaica in the 18th century and later retired to the estate of Kilgraston, near Bridge of Earn, Perthshire. Other noteworthy descendants of this family were Sir Francis Grant (1803-1878), President of the Royal Academy, and his brother, General Sir James Hope Grant, GCB (1808-1875).
The last representative of the Grants of Glenlochy was Lt. Col. John Patrick Nisbet Hamilton Grant of Biel, East Lothian, DSO, JP, DL. Colonel Grant died in 1950.
James Grant, historian
Clan Grant Society – USA
standfast@charter.net