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Note: N251 “A small farmer in Morayshire, and afterwards became collector of the customs in the Isle of Man” [DNB for his son Sir Wm Grant]
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The entry in the Rothes Register runs :— "1752, October 14th, William son to James Grant in Hillockhead was baptised ; Witnesses :—Alexander Leslie of...”
(Scottish Notes and Queries - ser.3 v.5-6 1927-1928 Page 173 edited by John Bulloch, John Alexander Henderson - artilce re Sir William Grant)
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Was collector of customs IoM until his death?
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A farmer on the Beldorney estate, who afterwards became Collector of Customs on the Isle of Man.
(Dr William Barclay, Banffshire Field Club 1907.)
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In 1765 the regalities of the Isle of Man were bought off the 3rd Duke of Atholl by the British Government in an attempt to supress the running (smuggling) trade - in a letter from 4th Duke in 1791 to a commission of enquiry (http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/manx/history/1792/d034.htm) he states all his father's revenue officers were replaced. He describes as 'many of the grievances complained of arose from the rapacity of Mr. Lutwidge, who, at the head of the New Revenue Department' (Charles Lutwidge (grandfather of Lewis Carroll)) C.L. farmed out some (all?) of the jobs and hardly set foot on Island - however I cant find any ref to a Mr Grant - if he was there then look in the Atholl papers in Manx Museum.
(Frances Coakley, Senior Tutor, Rm 18BB02, Dept Elec Eng; University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH. 01483 879129 f.coakley@eim.surrey.ac.uk)
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The Collectors of the Isle of Man who were appointed pre 1765 would appear in Libri Irrotulamentorum (books of oaths ) see www.manxnotebook.com/people/lbir_abv.htm
no James Grant there - thus if he was a collector of customs appointed by London then it would be post 1765 the 1st was Richard Betham who died in 1789 and whose memorial in Onchan churchyard states Collector in the Island 24 years.
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...I had also yours of the 19th by All: Grant in Hillockhead, by whom I intended to send this answer, cou'd I yesternight have gott time to write it ; but the saving 3d of postage was not worth the detaining him a day longer. Instead of £20 Scots to be given with his daughter.
(Letters of Patrick Grant, Lord Elchies: with memoir,.. P117.)
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PRO has:
Petition of James Grant collector on the Isle of Man 2 June 1767:
When appointed Collector of this port left his family in Scotland, that his presence is now required to settle his affairs and bring his family to this Island... [requests] leave of absence for two months...
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[Customs] Collected at Derbyhaven 1790/1: £104 9s 51/2d
Charges include:
James Grant, late collector of Derbyhaven - £60 pension.
(AN ACCOUNT of His Majesty’s Revenues received in the Isle of Man, from 5th January 1790, to 5th January 1791 ; with the charges thereon. www.manxnotebook.com/history/1792/b001.htm)
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Post revestment, Westminster kept all preRevestment officials in post (tho slowly replaced them later ) but replaced all customs collectors - James would appear to one of the 'new brooms' - Derbyhaven was probably the smallest of the ports in terms of goods (way behind Douglas, Ramsey + Peel) but covered Castletown (whose own harbour was very poor) the then Island capital and wasn't that heavily into smuggling thus suspect rather a sinecure.
(http://www.isle-of-man.com/genealogy/messageboard/index.pl/md/read/id/558631)
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