W elcome to the Clan Grant FAQ (FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked Questions"). We present here a list of the most commonly asked questions in relation to the Highland Clans, and the Clan Grant in particular. If you have a problem or an issue with any of the information contained herein, or if you have a correction, etc, please contact the Webmaster at webmaster@clangrant-us.org
Last Updated: January 10, 2009
(The Clan Grant History site is run by some researchers in the U.K. and presents the Clan's view of its history, and on the origins of the Grant surname. They present much new evidence and research that significantly alters some of the long held and long accepted views about the origin of the Grant surname and the origins of the Clan Grant.)
The deeply held oral tradition within the Clan Grant is that their origins began about 960 A.D. with Haakon of Norway, called "Haakon Grandt" ("grandt" being a Viking word meaning "Great"), the proto-Grant of our Clan. Haakon is said to have once defended himself in an ambush by ripping a stout young tree from the ground and using it to successfully fend off his attackers and rally his supporters, from which the family motto of "Stand Fast" was derived. Our shield of 3 gold crowns on a red background is said to have originated from Haakon's service to the three kings of Norway. Recently, the discovery of the Cromdale Texts of 1720, by members within the Clan Society, as well as some fascinating research by a few of the members that was done both in Scotland and in Norway, has uncovered a fair amount of circumstantial evidence to support this oral history. Proponents also suggest that the documented migration pattern of the Grants is exactly the opposite proposed by those that support Norman origins - the Grants actually migrated from the north of Scotland, to lands they obtained in England through marriage, and their travels to the English court. They back up this supposition by pointing out that there are far more early occurences of the name in the north, with the frequency of the name diminishing the further south one goes into England. If the Grants were Normans migrating north from Normandy, they suggest, just the opposite should be the case as you went further back in time - with early Grants in far greater numbers in England, and the occurrence of the name diminishing the further north one went.
The oral history of the Clan also suggests
that we descend in part from Kenneth MacAlpin, first King of Scots, making
the Grants part of the "Siol Alpin" - the seed of Alpin - the seven clans
(the MacAlpine clans being; Grant, MacGregor, MacAulay of Ardencaple, MacKinnon,
MacQuarrie, MacFie and MacNab) said to descend directly from this ancient
line. The oral history of the Clan was strong enough, and the bonds of the
Siol Alpin tradition so strong, that the Grants gave much support and aid
to the MacGregors (the MacGregors and Grants having particularly strong
ties since tradition says they descend from the same son of Kenneth MacAlpin)
when the MacGregors were proscribed by the crown and were suffering great
persecution and hardship (being proscribed as a MacGregor by the crown meant
no one could harbor a MacGregor or give them aid, and anyone could kill
anyone of the name MacGregor, on sight, without fear of any repercussions
or criminal charges being brought against them by the government). The Grant
chiefs paid out hefty fines for sheltering and protecting MacGregors during
the period of the MacGregors proscription, and it is an example of the Grants
own belief in the Siol Alpin tradition - they believed they were protecting
their own kin.
In short; Yes!
According the to the latest research on the Clan Grant History site it is almost certain that all the early Grants are related. This includes the Grants of England and the Grants of Ireland who it is believed descend from the families of the earliest chiefs of the Clan (it was only long after these families left Scotland for England, or Ireland, that tenants and landholders and those unrelated to the bloodline of the family, in Scotland, began to adopt the surname "Grant"). Of these, William le Graunt, who married Albreda Bisset (and was part of the entourage of King Alexander III on his return to Scotland), and Richard le Graunt, Archibishop of Canterbury, were two of these early English Grants who may have migrated from Scotland to Lincoln in England. There is still some question as to whether Richard le Graunt was actually a Grant but the circumstantial evidence, and tradition, lean heavily in his favor.
While further research may change the current understanding, it is the opinion of the researchers in the U.K. that the Grants of England descend from the younger sons of the earliest chiefs of Clan Grant, believed to be Allan and Gregory, who were sent to England for various reasons; emissaries and amabassadors to the English court, for their education, etc - or those sons who ventured to England on their own, especially to London, to seek their fortune; to be trained in the law, the trades, who went as soldiers, etc.
It is important to remember that before the reign of King Edward I, and prior to the late 13th century, England and Scotland were on friendly terms, and there was much interaction and commerce between the two countries, and their courts. (Even in the 14th century, when tensions were high between the two countries, John Grant, called "The Ambassador", was given safe conduct to London and traveled freely to England and to France on diplomatic missions, bringing along ten members of his family, some of who may have stayed in England. It is believed that migration south into England, from the 12th century on accounts for the vast majority of Grant families in England.(See the article on Grant Surname Distribution on this site, as it corroborates the findings of the U.K. researchers. Surname distribution research into the Grant surname has provided further evidence that the Grant surname did originate in the north, in the Stratherrick/Strathspey region, and then spread south from there.
Likewise, it appears the Grants of Ireland descend in this same way, from a son of one of the very early chiefs, who went to Ireland as an emissary and established a branch of the family in Ireland. This family married into the line of the Barons of Iverk.
Regardless of where Grants may have migrated over the centuries, and whether that migration was south to north, or north to south, the family established itself in Scotland as a Highland clan, and Strathspey became their base. Thus it is the spiritual center for all of the surname Grant and associated families, no matter where they may have originated!
The center of Grant Country is the town of Grantown-on-Spey built by "The Good Sir James" Grant in 1775-1776, about 1.5 miles south of Castle Grant, the ancestral residence of the Chiefs of Grant.
The most notable branch of the family, the Grants of Glenmoriston, held lands on the south and west sides of Loch Ness, including Urquhart Castle, now in ruins. The family held lands in Glenmoriston and Glenurquhart.
Other branches of the family hold lands in places like Aberdeenshire (Monymusk) and Ross.
However, the Grants of Glenmoriston did support Prince Charles Edward Stuart, and actively so. One of these was "Black Peter Grant" who was one of the "Seven Men of Glenmoriston" who protected the Prince, sheltered him in Glenmoriston after Culloden, and refused to give him up until the Prince could make his escape. It was Peter Grant, showing up with the men of Glenmoriston to help save the day for the Prince's cause at Prestonpans who misunderstood when the prince rubbed Peter's face, commenting on how he had come into his presence without having shaved. Peter took this to be a rebuke (it was not) and was heard to say, "It is not beardless boys who will do your majesty's turn!".
The Castle was sold out of the family in the 1970's and most of its contents were auctioned off or sold to museums. Many paintings from Castle Grant, including Waitt's magnificent "Piper to the Laird of Grant", along with many weapons and armor from the castle's armory, now reside in the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh. The Castle went through a series of owners and was derelict during the 1980's and 1990's, but has since undergone many repairs and improvements. The Castle is currently in private ownership.
Other castles with important Grant ties are Ballindalloch, just a short drive north of Grantown, and Urquhart Castle, whose ruins can be visited on the western shores of Loch Ness near the town of Drumnadrochit.
However, as an alternative, the castle of Ballindalloch sits just a short drive north of Grantown, and is open to the public during the week. It is a beautiful residence and very important in the history of the Clan!
If you are planning a visit to Grant country, be sure to plan time to
see the Clan Center in Duthil!
You can see both tartans on the following web page: The
Tartans
If you were introduced to the Chief and he told you to call him by his
first name, you could then acceptably address him by his first name, but
only at a personal level and never in any other social situations. It's
quite bad form to violate the rules of "protocol", and could make you look
either ignorant and/or boorish. Americans, in particular, seem to resent,
or ignore the concept of "titles" as a relic of "class systems" and thus
sometimes don't realize that titles in the U.K. have meaning, and are taken
seriously, and they sometimes commit gross breaches of etiquette when they
fail to understand this (or fail to remember it) when interacting with our
kinsmen in the U.K.. Though the Chief himself might not be offended by such
breaches of etiquette and protocol from his American kinsmen, others around
him might consider it very disrespectful. Just some words of caution in
case you should ever meet our Chief. In an earlier era, most of the members of the Clan resided on the lands
of the Clan in the Highlands of Scotland. As members of the Clan dispersed
around the globe, societies have sprung up to represent the modern-day Clan
and its interests. The Clan of the present era may or may not have a chief
and the Clan may be landless.
The clan protected their territory (as well as extended their territory)
through force of arms. The typical clan was recognized as such when they
reached a size large enough to field about 200 warriors. The chief was the
leader of a clan, and his word was law within the clan. It was a chief who
resolved disputes amongst his clansmen, dealt out justice, and led his clan
into battle (or appointed a "war chief" for such a purpose if the chief
was elderly or infirm). The title of "chief" was typically hereditary and
a chief's eldest son was next in line, or the next, closest, living male
relative if the chief had no living sons (though this was not always the
case, as represented by the fact that some clans have had female chiefs,
and still do). Today a chief's position has largely been reduced to that
of a ceremonial position, although many chiefs do take an active role in
the affairs and well-being of their clan.
Other types of surnames derived from "nicknames" (Little, White, Brown,
Roy, etc) or from regions, towns (Graham is suggested to have come from
either "Gray Home" or the town of "Grantham" in Lincoln in England), or
a nearby landmark, lake, stream, etc (Douglas, etc), or an occupation (Smith,
Cook, Taylor, etc). These latter types of surnames in many cases entered
Scotland with Norman barons who were granted lands and estates in Scotland
and these barons became clan chiefs in time. The local inhabitants often
adopted their lord's surname and from these early origins grew into clans
(Campbell, Fraser, Bisset, are all examples of these types of names).
Yes. The old kirk (church) in Duthil is now the
Clan Grant Center, located next door to The Old Manse, the home of our Chief,
the Lord Strathspey. Duthil is an important site, and many of the Chiefs of
Grant and the Earls of Seafield are buried there in the mausoleum.
Yes. The annual gathering of the Grants is at
the Abernethy Highland Games and Clan Grant Gathering in Nethybridge, about
10 miles south of Grantown-on-Spey, which is held in the first or second week
in August. The international gathering of the Grants is held every 5 years
with the next gathering scheduled for August 2010 at Nethybridge.
The Chief of Clan Grant has recommended the 1860
sett of the Grant tartan in the "Ancient Colors" for our dress tartan. A great
many people in the United States still choose to wear the Grant tartan in
the "Modern Colors", recommended by the current Chief's late father. The Grant
Hunting tartan is the same as the Black Watch tartan, due to our Clan's early
associations with that regiment. The recommendation is also to wear the "Ancient
Colors" of the Grant Hunting tartan. You will also find that the Clan Campbell
dress tartan (from most mills) is an exact match for the Clan Grant Hunting
Tartan, Ancient Colors.
Our Chief is the Rt. Hon. Sir James Patrick Trevor
Grant of Grant, Bt., Lord Strathspey, 33rd Chief of Grant. When talking to
him personally or talking about him to others, the Chief should always
be addressed as "Lord Strathspey", unless he should tell you otherwise.
Thus, if you were writing a letter to him you should begin it "Dear Lord Strathspey",
for instance. As a member of the Clan, you could also address your letter
as "Dear Chief", though "Dear Lord Strathspey" is probably the better option.
Never address the Chief as simply "Sir" and defintely not ever as "Mr.".
In its simplest terms, a highland clan is a distinct
group of people of Scottish ancestry who believe that they are related to
each other. Their ancient homeland resides in the highlands of Scotland. The
Chief is the hereditary head of the Clan.
During the early formation of the clan system,
the Chief was the patriarchal head of a small family group. His offspring
eventually grew to form a large, extended family within a region of the highlands
of Scotland.
Surnames began to become common place in the
mid-to-late middle-ages throughout England and Scotland, and most early Scottish
surnames came from what are called "patronymics" - meaning the name of the
father. John son of William became "Williamson" or shortened to "Williams".
In Gaelic the "Mac" prefix (also spelled "Mac", "Mc", "Mak", "M") meant "son
of", thus MacDonald, Mackintosh, MacKenzie, MacKerron, MacGilroy, etc.
In some cases, smaller family groups with a common
surname, not large enough to be considered a "clan", were absorbed into a
larger, nearby clan or had some other ties or bonds with a larger clan - usually
involving military service when the larger clan was raised for battle. Because
these smaller groups kept their surname, but owed allegiance to the chief
of a larger clan, the concept of "septs" evolved. In some cases, a sub-branch
of a clan took the name of the head of that branch but the members of this
line are considered Grants with direct ties to the early chiefs of Clan Grant.
In other cases, tenants on land obtained by the Clan or people that moved
into the Clan lands from elsewhere chose to retain their surnames. Because
these people answered to the authority of the Chief, they and their descendants
were also considered part of the Clan Grant.
The word "Sept"is an early Irish term meaning "Family within
a family". Over the years, especially
There are a large number of documented surnames of people that have historically
lived on Clan Grant lands in the past. These names are known as "Associated
Family Names". People with these surnames may or may not be members of
the Clan Grant because their ancestors could possibly have lived on lands not
under the authority of the Chief. Only when the lineage of a person is verified
can that person with an Associated Family name state with certainty that they
are part of the Clan Grant.
Not necessarily. While a large number of the
Clan's members can claim direct descent from the main line of the chiefs of
the Clan, it was common for tennants who lived on the lands of any given chief,
and enjoyed that chief's protection, to adopt that chief's surname. In many
cases the chiefs encouraged this amongst their land holders (many clans increased
their numbers significantly in this fashion and greater numbers meant they
could call upon them for military service, thus increasing their military
potential and might). In this way, the great clans of Scotland grew into sometimes
very large groups that eventually branched off, as a chief's sons established
sub-clans and family branches, sometimes within their chief's lands, and sometimes
in some region completely removed from the original lands of the Clan. Clans
such as the MacDonald's have numerous sub-branches throughout the Isles and
western Scotland. The Douglases held lands in the border region as well as
in Moray in the highlands. Clan Grant, for instance, was divided into many
family branches from the main line of the Grants of Freuchie, with the sub-family
branches of Glenmoriston, Monymusk, Dalvey, Rothiemurchus, Ballindalloch,
Tullochgorum, Wester Elchies, Easter Elchies, etc. See the section on the
Grants of England and Ireland, up above, and visit the Clan
Grant History site.
All people who belong to Clan Grant believe themselves
to be related to each other, either through adoption into the Clan as in the
case of the Bissetts, Bowies, Mores, Allans & Sutties, or through direct
lineage to the chiefs as in the case of the Grants and MacKerrans. Regardless
of their surname, they all consider themselves to be Grants, referring to
the Clan name and not the surname.
The "Fiery Cross" was used to raise a clan for
battle. It was a long stick, with a cross-piece (the "cross"). One end of
the cross-piece was typically dipped in animal blood, or had a rag soaked
in blood tied to the end. The other end of the cross-piece was either "charred"
or was actually on fire (covered in pitch, or rags soaked in pitch, like a
torch). The cross was carried through the Clan's lands with the bearer sometimes
crying the Clan's war-cry. The cross was relayed from village to village and
when a clansman saw this, he knew to immediately go to his home, retrieve
his weapons, and assemble at the Clan's designated rallying point. In the
case of the Grants, Craig Elachie (represented
in our Clan Badge)
was the rallying point for the Grants and where the
men of the Clan assembled. The Grants were the last Highland
clan ever to be raised by the "Fiery Cross".
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