Major-General James Grant (17785 April 1852) was born in Middlesex about 1778, the son of James Grant of Dalvey, of the line of the Baronets Grant of

Dalvey, Elgin Dalvey is a place near to the town of Forres in Moray, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the ...

, themselves an offshoot of Grant of Grant. His father was an official of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and served in India for many years before retiring to Vache Park, Buckinghamshire and later to Goldington Grange, Hertfordshire. His actual mother is not yet known, although his step-mother was Harriet Montagu, daughter of the 5th Earl of Sandwich.

Army career

He joined the Army in 1797 and served 5 years in India with the

25th Regiment of Foot Fifth is the Ordinal number (linguistics), ordinal form of the number 5, five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth ...

. He saw action at the

Battle of Mallavelly The Battle of Mallavelly (also spelled Malvilly or Malavalli) was fought on 27 March 1799 between forces of the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The British forces, led by General George H ...

, Siege of Seringapatam and at Doondia. At the storming of the fort of Turnioul, he volunteered and led the assault with fifty dismounted dragoons. Over the course of 3 years, he took part in the capture of more than 15 fortresses. By 1806, he was serving with the 21st Fusiliers during the Sicilian campaign, which concluded the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition) * In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...

with the

Battle of Maida The Battle of Maida, fought on 4 July 1806 was a battle between the British expeditionary force and a French force outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,236 Anglo-Sicilian troops to victory ...

. For 1807–1811, he returned to India with the 17th Light Dragoons. He returned to Europe in 1811 and joined the

18th Hussars The 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first formed in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War before being amalgamated with the 13th Hussars to form the 13th/18th Royal ...

, within the army under the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

. He saw action at the Battle of Toulouse and the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, with effect from the date of Waterloo. He married shortly afterwards and spent his time between France and

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civil pari ...

, where he leased nearby Hayes Park House from 1829 to 1843. The extended Grant family appear several times in the autobiography of their neighbour,

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

. Grant was promoted to Colonel in 1837 and to Major-General in 1846. He was appointed Governor of

Scarborough Castle Scarborough Castle is a former medieval Royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The site of the castle, encompassing the Iron Age settlement, Roman signal station, an Ang ...

and was created Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) Throughout these years, he attended the annual 'Waterloo Banquet', hosted by the Duke of Wellington at

Apsley House Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing south towards the busy traffic roundabout in the centre of which stands the Wellington Arch. It i ...

on the 18 June each year for soldiers who had fought with him at Waterloo. He was present at the 1851 Banquet. He died at his home in Colham Green,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

on the 5 April 1852,GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1852 3a 11 UXBRIDGE - James Grant, age unknown (74?) was buried at St Mary's Church, Hayes, and was remembered by his former comrades at the 1852 Waterloo Banquet, shortly ahead of the Duke's own death.

Family

On 6 October 1817 at St Mary's Church, Hayes, Middlesex, he married: :Mary Penelope Blencowe (1795–1861), the daughter of Robert Willis Blencowe and his wife Penelope, née Robinson, with issue including: #Mary Grant (1819 St Omer, France – 1908 Kew, Surrey) who married

William Dougal Christie William Dougal Christie (5 January 181627 July 1874) was a British diplomat, politician and man of letters. Life The son of Dougal Christie, M.D., an officer in the East India Company's medical service, he was born at Bombay on 5 January 1816. ...

in 1841 #Anna Charlotte Grant (1820 Hayes, Middlesex – 5 Oct 1901 East Grinstead, Sussex), who married Peregrine Birch in 1843 #Katherine Emma (Kate) Grant (1821 Paris, France – 1903 Devon), who married Rev. John Nutcombe Gould on 2 September 1841, and were the parents of

James Nutcombe Gould James Nutcombe Gould (known as Nutcombe Gould) (24 February 1849 in Stoke-in-Teignhead, Devon – 10 October 1899 in Paddington) was an English stage actor. He was the son of John Nutcombe Gould (1805-1878), a wealthy rector, and Katherine ...

, the famous actor #Henry James Grant (1823 Hillingdon, Middlesex – 1872 Charmouth, Bridport, Dorset), who never married #Charles P. Grant (b. 1826 Hillingdon, Middlesex – possibly died Exeter 1883) #Frances Charlotte Barbara Lily Grant (1828 Hillingdon, Middlesex – 10 Oct 1910

South Stoneham South Stoneham was a Manorialism, manor in South Stoneham ecclesiastical parish, parish. It was also a Hundred (country subdivision), hundred, Poor law union, sanitary district then rural district covering a larger area of south Hampshire, England ...

, Hampshire), who married Alfred Peter Lovekin in 1850 #Charlotte Elizabeth Mary Grant (1830 Hayes, Middlesex – 1857 Hillingdon, Middlesex), who died unmarried #Owen Edward Grant (1831 Hillingdon, Middlesex – 18 Nov 1921 Chelsea, London), who married Adelaide Georgina Higginson in 1862 #Montagu Henry Stewart (Monty) Grant (1838 Hayes, Middlesex – 1869 Buckinghamshire), who married Mary Statham in 1865 His widow died 18 February 1861 and was buried 25 February 1861 at St Margaret's Church, Uxbridge.

References

* Obituary in ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' XXXVIII p. 106, July 1852 {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, James 1778 births 1852 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath British Army major generals 17th Lancers officers 18th Royal Hussars officers Royal Scots Fusiliers officers British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from Hillingdon British military personnel of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War King's Own Scottish Borderers officers People from Goldington Military personnel from Middlesex People from Chalfont St Giles People of the Battle of Waterloo Burials in England