Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet (28 July 1679 – 16 January 1747) was a Scottish Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

for 25 years from 1722 to 1747. He was Chief of Clan Grant from 1719 until his death.

Early life

Grant was the third, but second surviving son of Ludovick Grant of Freuchie and Grant. He was educated at Elgin. He married on 29 January 1702, Anne Colquhoun, daughter of Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, 5th Baronet, of Luss, Dunbarton. Grant became heir of entail to his father-in-law’s estate and baronetcy by a patent executed in 1704. In 1718, upon succeeding to the baronetcy, he became, Sir James Colquhoun of Luss. In 1719 on the death of his brother Alexander, he succeeded as Clan Chief and to the Grant estates, whereupon he reverted to his family name of Grant, keeping the title of baronet. He passed the Colquhoun inheritance by the entail to his second son Ludovick. On 24 June 1721 he was created Lord Grant in the Jacobite peerage by

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales fro ...

in an attempt by the exiled Old Pretender secure the support of Clan Grant.

Career

At the

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), a ...

Grant was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in popula ...

on his family’s interest. He consistently voted with the Administration and was returned unopposed again in

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

. His only reported speech was made on 5 May 1732, asking for leniency for a relative, Sir Archibald Grant. He was returned again in 1734. At the 1741 general election, he transferred to Elgin Burghs, continuing to vote with the Government. He was in Scotland when Charles Edward Stuart landed in Scotland to initiate the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took ...

, but after a meeting with clan members at

Castle Grant Castle Grant stands a mile north of Grantown-on-Spey and was the former seat of the Clan Grant chiefs of Strathspey in Highlands, Scotland.Coventry, Martin. (2008). ''Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Cl ...

, he decided to go south to London. Grant advised his son ‘to stay at home, take care of his country and join no party’. He sent two notes to

Henry Pelham Henry Pelham (25 September 1694 – 6 March 1754) was a British Whig statesman who served as 3rd Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1743 until his death in 1754. He was the younger brother of Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, who ...

, suggesting the formation of an army based on clansmen from among the loyal clans, and forwarded an unopened letter from the Young Pretender to Lord Tweeddale, the secretary of state for Scotland.

Death and legacy

Grant died on 16 January 1747. He and his wife had six sons and eight daughters. His eldest son Ludovick was a commissioner of police and succeeded to the baronetcy. His second son was a captain in the army. His fourth, and third, surviving son was Lieutenant-General Francis Grant (1717-1781).http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/grant-francis-1717-81, History of Parliament 1754-1790

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Sir James, 6th Baronet 1679 births 1747 deaths British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Lords of Parliament in the Jacobite peerage Scottish clan chiefs