James William Grant (astronomer)

Scottish astronomer

James William Grant FRSE FRAS, 3rd Laird of Wester Elchies (1788–1865) was a Scottish astronomer and landowner. On 23 July 1844 he was the first person to observe and record the existence of the star Antares B.[1]

## Life[edit]

Illustration of Antares and its companion star, Antares B

He was born on 12/13 August 1788 at the family home of Wester Elchies and was baptised on 28 August 1788 at Knockando church. He was the son of Robert Grant, Laird of Elchies, Knockando and Ballintomb (1720–1803), and his wife Isobel Campbell (born 1760).[2] His father had made a fortune as a fur trader in Canada, purchasing the estate of Wester Elchies in 1783.[1]

From 1805 until 1849 he worked for the East India Company, beginning in the role of Writer and rising to be its official Astronomer, based in Bengal. In 1828 he inherited the estate of Wester Elchies from his elder brother. In 1849 he returned to Scotland and built a fine private observatory from granite at Wester Elchies, flanked by a pair of sphinx. In 1851 he purchased the Trophy Telescope which had been a centrepiece of the Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace in London. It was set up specifically to search for double stars. It was used by Prof Piazzi Smyth in 1862.[3] It was sold in 1864 to a Mr Aytoun of Glenfarg. The telescope was the largest in Scotland at that time with an 11-inch aperture (280mm), 16 feet (4.88m) focal length lens.[4]

In 1852 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being Robert Morrison. He resigned in 1854.[5]

He died on 17 December 1865 at Wester Elchies. He is buried in the family vault at Knockando churchyard.

## Family[edit]

On 22 November 1807[6] he married Margaret Wilson (1791–1855) at Knockando. She was the daughter of Rev Thomas Wilson of Gamrie (1743–1830) in Banffshire. Margaret died in London and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.[7] Children:[citation needed]

* William Grant (1 August 1809, Calcutta[8] \- 8 August 1877, Strathspey, Scotland),[9][10]
* Maynard Eliza Grant (m. James Thomason)[11] (4 March 1811, Calcutta[12] \- 8 November 1839, Kensington),[13]
* Isabella Charlotte Grant (m. Robert Grant)[14] (28 February 1812, Calcutta[15] \- 4 August 1897, Wester Tambrick, Morayshire, Scotland),[14]
* Lenora Margaret Hamilton Grant (7 June 1817, Knockando[16] \- 14 September 1890),[citation needed]
* Mary Ballard Grant (20 January 1819, Knockando[17] \- 29 April 1891, Morayshire, Scotland),[18]
* Julia Sherer Grant (m. Rev. Frank Parks)[19] (2 October 1820, Knockando[20] -?),
* James William Grant (4 March 1822, Knockando[21] -14 June 1822, Calcutta),[22]
* Charles Thomason Petrie Grant (2 December 1824, Knockando[23]) - prior to 1877),[Notes 1]
* Helen Bradden Grant (26 December 1825, Malda City[25] \- 1872),[citation needed]
* Henry Alexander Grant (23 January 1827, Knockando[26] \- 7 July 1886, Knockando)[27]
* Emily Forbes Grant (m. Philip Kearney MacGregor Skinner)[28] (20 July 1829, Knockando[29] \- 18 April 1875, Cheltenham)[30]

His grandson James W H Grant was son-in-law to Sir Archibald Levin Smith who is also buried at Knockando.[4]

## Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions[edit]

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1852 to 1854
Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1854[1]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ No record has been found for Charles' death, but it is likely that he died prior to his brother William's 1877 death, since when William died Wester Elchies passed to his youngest brother, Henry.[24]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Grant, James William (DNB00) - Wikisource, the free online library". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
2. ^ "James GRANT 3rd Laird of Wester Elchies, Astronomer". patrickspeople.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
3. ^ Smyth, C. P. (1862). "Piazza-Smyth on the Trophy Telescope" (PDF). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 23: 1. Bibcode:1862MNRAS..23....1S. doi:10.1093/mnras/23.1.1.
4. ^ a b http://www.mbgrg.org/newsletters/newsletter20_July13.pdf[bare URL PDF]
5. ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
6. ^ "24th Generation". freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
7. ^ "Margaret WILSON". patrickspeople.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
8. ^ "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947, vol 8, p 152: William Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 16 June 1809. microfilm #498,609. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
9. ^ "Strathspey". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, Scotland. 9 August 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 24 September 2019 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "William Grant". BillionGraves.com. Lehi, Utah: BillionGraves Holdings, Inc. 14 May 2018.
11. ^ "India Marriages, 1792-1948: Thomason/Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 18 February 1829. microfilm #498,960. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
12. ^ "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947, vol 9, p 4: Maynard Eliza Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 4 March 1811. microfilm #498,610. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
13. ^ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007: Maynard Eliza Thomason". Findmypast. London, England: DC Thomson. 8 November 1839. Retrieved 24 September 2019. – via Findmypast (subscription required)
14. ^ a b "Grant". The Freeman's Journal. Dublin, Ireland. 20 August 1897. p. 1. Retrieved 24 September 2019 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947, vol 9, p 4: Isabella Charlotte Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 28 February 1812. microfilm #498,610. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
16. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: Leonora Margaret Hamilton Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 7 June 1817. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
17. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: Mary Ballard Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 20 January 1819. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
18. ^ "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957: Mary Ballard Grant". FamilySearch. London, England: Majesty's Stationery Office. 29 April 1891. microfilm #7704597, image 261. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
19. ^ "Rejoicings at Aberlour". The Aberdeen Journal. Aberdeen, Scotland. 3 July 1850. p. 5. Retrieved 24 September 2019 - via Newspapers.com.
20. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: Julia Sherer Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 2 October 1820. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
21. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: James William Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 4 March 1822. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
22. ^ "India Deaths and Burials, 1719-1948: James William Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 14 June 1822. microfilm 498,954. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
23. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: Charles Thomason Petrie Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 2 December 1824. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
24. ^ Shaw, Lachlan; Gordon, James Frederick Skinner (1882). The History of the Province of Moray: Comprising the Counties of Elgin and Nairn, the Greater Part of the County of Inverness, and a Portion of the County of Banff, —All Called the Province of Moray before There Was a Division into Counties. Vol. 1\. London, England: Hamilton, Adams & Co. p. 111. OCLC 1110798083.
25. ^ "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947: Helen Bradden Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 26 December 1825. microfilm #498,956. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
26. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: Henry Alexander Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 23 January 1827. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
27. ^ "Death of Mr. H. A. Grant of Wester Elchies". The Aberdeen Journal. Aberdeen, Scotland. 8 July 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 24 September 2019 - via Newspapers.com.
28. ^ "Marriages". The Aberdeen Journal. Aberdeen, Scotland. 11 October 1871. p. 5. Retrieved 24 September 2019 - via Newspapers.com.
29. ^ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: Emily Forbes Grant". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. 20 July 1829. microfilm #990,806. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
30. ^ "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957: Emily Forbes MacGregor-Skinner". FamilySearch. London, England: Majesty's Stationery Office. 18 April 1875. microfilm #7700669, image 274. Retrieved 24 September 2019.