Clan Grant People
Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk (1696-1778)Despite being expelled from Parliament for fraud and his deep connections with the York Buildings Company, Sir Archibald is regarded highly for introducing new methods of agriculture to Scotland from south of the border which changed the landscape.
On his Monymusk lands he had the fields cleared of stones which were then used to build dry stone dykes, began crop rotation, planted fodder crops and five million trees. The increased yields he achieved won the trust of his dubious tenants and other land owners.
Anne Grant of Laggan (1755-1838)
Although Anne was born in Glasgow, she spent her younger life in America where her father was posted. Her marriage in 1779 brought her eight children, and when her husband died in 1801 she began writing to supplement her income.
Her first work was a collection of poems published in 1802, and her best work, entitled “Letters from the Mountains”, was released the following year. Her talents brought sponsorship from Sir Walter Scott, through whom she entered Edinburgh’s literary circles.
“Memoirs of an American Lady” was published in 1808 and “Superstitions of the Highlands” in 1811.
Sir Alexander Grant (1864-1937)
The man who made McVities a world-wide name in baking was born the son of a railway guard in Forres. He was a baker’s apprentice for a time before working for Robert McVitie in Edinburgh. McVitie & Price was expanding into new Edinburgh premises and also London, and Grant was made manager of the former.
By 1910 he was managing director and shaped the company to satisfy the increasing demands of the public’s tastebuds. As a philanthropist, Grant promoted literature with £100.95,000 towards a National Library of Scotland.