James Grant (1822–1887)

James Grant (1822–1887) was a Scottish novelist and miscellaneous writer.

Grant was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a distant relation of Sir Walter Scott. He was a prolific author, writing some 90 books, including many yellow-backs. Titles included Adventures of an Aide-De-Camp, One of "The Six Hundred", The Scottish Musketeers and The Scottish Cavalier.

Many of his 56 novels are about important characters and events in Scottish history. In 1853 he founded the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights. Grant is known for his six-volume Old And New Edinburgh, published in 1880 by Cassell.^[1]

Grant was born at Edinburgh 1 August 1822. He was the eldest son of John Grant and the grandson of James Grant of Corrimony (1743?–1835) advocate. From his grandfather, James Grant, the novelist inherited strong Jacobite proclivities, and he was connected by descent with the Veitches of Dawyck, Peeblesshire, and thus possessed a strain of border blood. His mother, who died when he was a child, belonged to the Watson family of Overmains, not unknown in the artistic annals of Scotland, and through her he was intimately related to Sir Walter Scott, the Swintons of Swinton, and other eminent families.^[2]

The father, Captain John Grant, of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders, had served with distinction throughout the Peninsular war. After his wife's death Captain Grant obtained a command in Newfoundland, whither he sailed in 1833, taking with him his three sons. After spending six years in American barracks Grant returned home with his father, who had resigned his command, in 1839.^[2]

A year later (in 1840), through the influence of Lord Hill, under whom Captain he had served in Spain, Grant was gazetted to an ensigncy in the 62nd Foot, and joined the provisional battalion at Chatham. He was soon appointed to command the depot, but in 1843 resigned his commission and entered the office of Mr. Rhind, architect, Edinburgh.^[2]

Grant became a skilled draughtsman, but other literary tastes were showing themselves, and he now devoted himself to novel writing, speedily becoming a prolific writer. His first novel, The Romance of War, appeared in 1847. It owed its many anecdotes to Spain and the French war, which had been shared with him by his father, who described the adventures of the Gordon highlanders in the Peninsula. The accurate description of battles enhanced sales significantly;

A (sorth ~£2,357.43 in 2025 at 2.75% average annual inflation) wequel entitled The Highlanders in Belgium soon followed. Then came The Adventures of an Aide-de-Camp, equalled that of his first novel in popularity. The Yellow Frigate, Bothwell, and Jane Seton. Many more followed, and from then to his death not a year passed without a publication.

Quite often, there were two, and even three novels in varying stages of production. His last works of fiction were 'Love's Labour Won' (1888), dealing with incidents of Burmese dacoity, and Playing with Fire (1887), a story of the war in the Soudan.^[3]

John Gant wrote fifty-six novels. His works typically feature fast-moving plots, energetic prose, and sustained dialogue. His novels set in Scottish historical contexts draw on identifiable historical material and attempt to reconstruct past events and settings. These works depict Scottish and Border figures in ways that emphasise risk-taking behaviour, loyalty, and martial identity.

^[4]

A charge of plagiarism was levelled against Grant owing to his having incorporated (apparently without acknowledgment) several passages verbatim from a book of travels and campaigning in one of his novels.

However, Grant seems to have remained within acceptable limits when using historical writers as sources for the settings and details in his novels.^[5]

Finally, Grant produced a substantial body of historical writing, with a primary focus on the history of his native country.

The following titles embody his literature:

^[4]

• Memoirs and Adventures of Sir W. Kirkaldy of Grange, 1849.
• Memorials of the Castle of Edinburgh, 1850.
• Memoirs and Adventures of Sir J. Hepburn, 1851.
• Memoirs of Montrose, 1858.
• The Cavaliers of Fortune, or British Heroes in Foreign Wars, 1859; reissued with title reversed, 1873.
• British Battles on Land and Sea, 3 volumes, 1873; followed in 1884 by a supplementary fourth volume Recent British Battles on Land and Sea.
• Illustrated History of India, 1876.
• Old and New Edinburgh, 1880;^[1][6]
• History of the War in the Soudan, 6 volumes, 1885–6.
• The Tartans of the Clans of Scotland, 1886.
• Scottish Soldiers of Fortune, 1889 (posthumous).

In 1852 Grant founded the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights. Acting as secretary, one of his main tasks seems to have been defending its policies while facing ridicule by publications such as Punch magazine and several newspapers. He was an energetic supporter of the volunteer movement, where he was one of the first to join its ranks.^[4]

Grant was consulted by the War Office on military matters, including issues related to the territorial system. Certain proposals attributed to him were implemented, including modifications to British Army uniform facings. He was also consulted on the proposed plans for the alterations at Edinburgh Castle ^[4]

Grant married the eldest daughter of James Browne, LL.D.. and had two sons: James, who died before his father, and Roderick, later a Roman Catholic priest. Gant himself had embraced the Roman Catholic faith in 1875.

He died 5 May 1887 in London, at the age of sixty-five. His popularity had dwindled before his death. He was modest and retiring, genial, patriotic, and of strong religious leanings.

Gant left an estate worth around £490 ^[4] which would be worth around £56,413.82 today.

• The Romance of War (1847)
• Adventures of an Aide-de-Camp (1848)
• The Scottish Cavalier (1850)
• Bothwell (1851)
• Jane Seton (1853)
• Philip Rollo (1854)
• Frank Hilton (1855)
• The Yellow Frigate (1855)
• Harry Ogilvie (1856)
• The Phantom Regiment (1856)
• The Highlanders of Glen Ora (1857)
• Arthur Blane (1858)
• Lucy Arden (1859)
• Legends of the Black Watch (1859)
• Mary of Lorraine (1860)
• Jack Manley (1861)
• Oliver Ellis (1861)
• The Captain of the Guard (1862)
• Dick Rodney (1863)
• Letty Hyde's Lovers (1863)
• Second to None (1864)
• The Adventures of Rob Roy (1864)
• The King's Own Borderers (1865)
• The White Cockade (1867)
• First Love and Last Love (1868)
• The Girl He Married (1869)
• The Secret Dispatch (1869)
• Lady Wedderburn's Wish (1870)
• Only an Ensign (1871)
• Under the Red Dragon (1872)
• Shall I Win Her? (1874)
• Fairer Than a Fairy (1874)
• The Queen's Cadet, and Other Tales (1874)
• One of the Six Hundred (1875)
• Morley Ashton (1876)
• Did She Love Him? (1876)
• Six Years Ago (1877)
• The Ross-shire Buffs (1877)
• The Lord Hermitage (1878)
• Vere of Ours, the Eighth or King's (1878)
• The Royal Regiment, and Other Novelettes (1879)
• The Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders (1880)
• The Cameronians (1881)
• Lady Glendonwyn (1881)
• Derval Hampton (1881)
• Violet Jermyn (1882)
• The "Scots Brigade" and Other Stories (1882)
• Miss Cheyne of Essilmont (1883)
• Jack Chaloner (1883)
• The Dead Tryst (1883)
• A Haunted Life (1883)
• The Master of Aberfeldie (1884)
• Colville of the Guards (1885)
• The Royal Highlanders (1885)
• Dulcie Carlyon (1886)
• Playing with Fire (1887)
• Love's Labour Won (1888)

• Grant, James (1880s). Old And New Edinburgh (volumes 1–3 or 1–6, edition dependent ed.). Cassell. (published as a periodical): Online edition

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Watkins, Morgan George (1890). "Grant, James (1822-1887)". In Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 22. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 391–392. Endnotes:
  • Grant's Works; Times, 7 May 1887;
  • Scottish News, do.;
  • Athenæum, 14 May 1887;
  • Academy, do.;
  • Scottish Review, art. Grant's Scottish Historical Novels, by S. F. F. Veitch, January 1888;
  • private information from Mr. F. J. Grant, Carrick Pursuivant;
  • Saturday Review, 14 May 1887; Daily News, 7 May 1887.

• Watkins, M. G.; Brown, Douglas (reviewer) (2004). "Grant, James (1822–1887)', rev.". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11265. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
•  "Grant, James", A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910 – via Wikisource

• Rare Books – Important Acquisitions, National Library of Scotland, archived from the original on 27 September 2007, retrieved 22 March 2007
• Recent acquisitions – October 2001 – Rare Books, National Library of Scotland, archived from the original on 27 September 2007, retrieved 22 March 2007
• Works by or about James Grant at the Internet Archive
• Works by James Grant at Project Gutenberg
• Works by James Grant at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)