English & Other 197. James Grant
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From: Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland: hitherto ..., Volume 2 By Peter Buchan
THE GORDONS AND THE GRANTS. Page 209.
Away with you, away with you, James de Grant,
And Douglas, ye'll be slain;
For Balnadallach's at your yetts,
Wi' mony brave Highland man.
Balnadallach has no feud at me,
And I hae none at him;
Cast up my yetts baith braid and wide,
Let Balnadallach come in.
James de Grant has made a vant,
And leapt the castle wa';
But if he comes this way again,
He'll nae won sae well awa'.
Take him, take him, brave Gordons,
O take him, fine fellows, a';
If he wins but ae mile on the Highland hill,
He'll defy you Gordons, a'.
Buchan's Notes: The Grants assert themselves to be of a Danish descent from Aquin de Grand, or Grant. Sir John de Grant is one of those mentioned in the debates which fell out after the death of King Alexander III.
"In the year 1628, John Grant of Balnadalloch had murdered John Grant of Carroun, nephew to James de Grant, in the wood of Abernethy ; but having purchased a respite, and afterwards a pardon which so irritated James de Grant, that he broke out into open rebellion, turned lawless, and upon the third day of December, he, with his accomplices came to the town and lands of Pitchass, Young Balnadalloch's dwelling place, who with about thirty persons was within, while the said James Grant well enough knew, and to train him out he sets his oorn-yard on fire, and haill laigh bigging, barns, byres, stables, wherein many horse, nolt and sheep were burnt, and sic bestial as was not burnt they slew and destroyed; but young Balnadalloch kept the house, and durst not come out and make any defence. In like manner the said James Grant with his complices, upon the seventh day of the said month of December, passed to the town and lands of Talquhyn pertaining to old Balnadalloch, and burnt up and destroyed the haill bigging thereof, corns, cattle, goods, and gear, and all which they could get, and to the hills goes he."—Spalding.
"James Gordon, heir apparent to Alexander Gordon of Lesmore, in Essie, accompanied with some neighbouring gentlemen, went to the house of Balnadalloch, on the banks of the Spey, to assist his aunt, the lady dowager of that land, against John Grant, tutor of Balnadalloch, who seemed resolute on injuring his pupil and refusing her jointure; but, on the appearance of James Gordon, the jointure money was restored to the lady, a moiety excepted, which notwithstanding he would have from the tutor, thinking it a disgrace to him and family should his aunt lose the least particle of her dowry. After some altercation, a skirmish ensued among the servants with culinary and other weapons, which being terminated, James Gordon returned home. Hereupon the Lesmore family persuade John Gordon, brother to Sir Thomas Gordon of Cluny, to marry the Lady Dowager of Balnadalloch, which he performed. The tutor became chagrined at the union of the Grant and Gordon families, and watched his opportunity of revenge. Aided by the persuasive rhetoric of the Laird of Grant, he assaulted the servants of John Gordon, and killed one of them. Gordon, enraged at these proceedings, eagerly pursued the tutor, and all the families that entertained him or his servants, and caused them be proclaimed rebels and traitors, and then outlawed; he likewise moved the Earl of Huntly to search them out, by virtue of his sheriff's commission of the county. Huntly next besieged the house of Balnadalloch, on the 2d of November 1590, made it surrender, but the tutor escaped. Then Calder and Grant began to put their preconcerted scheme in execution, and fomented the clan Chattan, and M'Intosh their chief, to rebel, and aid the Grants."—Conflicts of the Clans.
"This they easily acceded to, in revenge of the death of William M'Intosh, whom they sent to Gordon Castle to treat of peace, as the clan had refused vassalage to Huntly. The Earl was absent when M'Intosh arrived, and announced the message to the Countess. The Countess heard his tale, and turning round told him, that Huntly had vowed never to be reconciled, until the chief of the Clan Chattan's head was on the block. To shew his steady adherence to the clan; and not dreading the Countess, he laid his head on the table in token of submission: which the Countess seeing, took up a large culinary knife, and severed his head from his shoulders. He was sister's son to the Earl of Murray, natural brother to King James V., who dying without issue, Huntly got the management of the Earldom ; and on its being conferred on Steuart, Huntly became his mortal enemy."—Mann's Commentaries on Logan.