Sir William Grierson, 2nd Baronet (c. 1677 – 1760), of Rockhall, Lag, Dumfries, was a Scottish Jacobite and Tory 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 ...

from 1709 to 1711. He was captured and imprisoned in the 1715 Jabobite rebellion. Grierson was the eldest son of

Sir Robert Grierson, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Grierson, 1st Baronet of Lag (1655 – 31 December 1733) was a Scottish baronet from Dunfries-shire. He is best remembered as a notorious persecutor of the Covenanters, particularly among the people of Galloway, and is still referr ...

and his wife Lady Henrietta Douglas. Grierson was a Scottish Commissioner of Supply in 1704. He stood unsuccessfully for

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

as Queensberry's nominee at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

, but 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 Dumfriesshire at a by-election on 7 April 1709. At the 1710 British general election he was asked to stand down in favour of Hon. James Murray, but refused, and managed to regain the seat against Murray. However, he lost it on petition on 22 February 1711. Grierson accompanied Lord Kenmure in the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...

on the expedition which ended in defeat at Preston. He was captured and imprisoned in Newgate prison and indicted for treason in May 1716. He was released from prison on 18 July 1717, but was then apprehended by the officers of St Andrew's, Holborn to give security, for 'getting a wench with child, while in prison’. By contract dated 1 September 1720, he married Anne Musgrave, daughter of Sir Richard Musgrave, 2nd Baronet and Dorothy James, at Aspartria,

Cumberland, England Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 1 ...

. He was pardoned for his involvement in the rebellion in 1725. In 1733 he succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on the death of his father. Grierson died without issue in 1760 and was buried at Dunscore Parish Kirkyard. He was succeeded by his younger brother's son, Sir Robert Grierson, 3rd Baronet, of Lag, who was born in about 1700 and died childless in 1764.

References

1677 births 1760 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 {{Scotland-GreatBritain-MP-stub