Footnotes

Provenance
by family descent in the Leveson-Gower / Sutherland collection at Dunrobin Castle
to The Sutherland Trust

Literature
Catalogue of paintings at Dunrobin Castle, c.1906
A. Smart, Allan Ramsay, A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, 1999, under cat. no. 210


James Grant was born in Ballindalloch Castle, Banffshire in November 1720. He was the fifth of six children of Colonel William Grant (d. 1733), laird of Ballindalloch, and his wife, Ann (d. 1726), daughter of Ludovick Grant of Grant. James is described by his biographer as "able, loyal, intelligent, charming, surprisingly idealistic, and brave". After a sound education in the law at
Edinburgh, he took an ensignship with the Royal Scots, subsequently seeing much action on the Continent. He became a lieutenant in May 1742 and a captain in 1744.
In 1757 Grant became major in Archibald Montgomery's highland battalion, and in due course took part in many of the actions of the French and Indian Wars in America, though he made no secret of his sympathy with the indigenous peoples, later drawing up maps which "Let our Cree Friends Breath a little'. Of the local American militia, though, he developed a healthy contempt.
In 1770, when his nephew William died childless, Grant inherited Ballindalloch and soon returned to his native Scotland. In April 1773 he was elected MP for Tain Burghs (he supported North's ministry) and almost immediately resigned his governorship. In 1775 Grant was recalled to active service. On 30 July he arrived in Boston and on 11 December he received the long coveted colonelcy (in the 55th regiment), and two days later he became a major-general.
He was well respected by Howe, his commanding-officer, and his advice was usully sensible if not inspired. Yet in December 1776 he was surprised by Washington's thrust across the Delaware, and in May 1778 he let Lafayette escape across the Schuykill. But he served well at Brooklyn, Brandywine, and Germantown; and at Monmouth court house his division saved Clinton's baggage.
Grant's view on the local American soldiers had been formed two decades earlier, and it is fair to say that there was a mutually loathing between the two parties. He famously remarked in parliament in 1775 prior to his departure for America, that the colonists "...could not fight...", and that he could willingly "go from one end of America to the other and geld all the males."
Grant was appointed Commander for the difficult West Indies campaign of 1778–9, and showed himself to be to be a competent strategist. But after falling ill, he left the Americas for the last time on 1 August.
In Britain, Grant divided his year between Ballindalloch and a house in Sackville Street, London.
Though defeated in the 1780 election, he became a lieutenant-general and governor of Dumbarton Castle in 1782, and won another seat in 1787. He was re-elected in 1790, 1796, and 1801, retiring from parliament the following year at the age of eighty-one. His loyalty to Dundas and Pitt was rewarded with the command of Stirling Castle and of the king's troops in Scotland (1789) and promotion to general (1796). He died at Ballindalloch Castle on 13
April 1806, and was buried in the castle grounds above the River Spey.

A three-quarter-length portrait of the sitter, by Ramsay, was offered at Sotheby's, London on 30 June 2005, lot 79 (see: A. Smart, ibid, cat. no. 210).