That as your Lordships have been pleased to appoint the Report of S^r
Everard Fawkener and Mr. Sharpe,[587] relating to the account of your
Memorialist Services to the Government during the late Rebellion, to be
read to-morrow, he humbly begs leave to refer thereto and to observe:--
That the Account above mentioned is Certify’d by the Lord Justice Clerk
and all the Generals who Commanded in Scotland; and as several of the
Services therein set forth were performed, by verbal as well as by
written Orders he had the honour to receive from His Royal Highness the
Duke while in Scotland, it was by his Royal Highness’s Directions that
the said Account was above three years ago laid before your Lordships
by S^r Everard Fawkener, and that the Report relating thereto is now
signed by him.
That your Memorialist has not in that or any other Account charged
anything for his Trouble or Loss of Time for upwards of four years,
he has been employed in the Service of the Government as aforesaid
and finding out and collecting the Evidences for the Crown against
the Rebells assisting in carrying on the Prosecutions against them at
London, York, and Carlisle, attending the Tryal of Provost Stuart at
Edinburgh, finding Bills in Scotland against those who were excepted
out of the Act of Indemnity and other Services.
That before the Rebellion your Memorialist as an officer of the
Revenue rendered greater service thereto than ever was done by any
officer thereof in Scotland.
That your Memorialists share of the Profits arising from the
Condemnation of prohibited and uncustomed Goods seized by him the three
years immediately preceding the Rebellion amounted to above £4000 and
the Crowns to above double that sum; that the remarkable Part reacted
for the Service of the Government, from the first Breaking out of the
Rebellion, made the Rebells lay hold upon everything that belonged to
him and amongst other Things upon the greatest part of the Goods so
condemned as aforesaid, and by which he was (exclusive of his other
losses by the Rebellion) a most considerable sufferer.
That more Goods have been run in Scotland since the Rebellion than ever
was done before in that Country in the same space of time.
That your Memorialist had several Informations relating thereto, but
could not Profit thereby, by reason of the manner in which he has these
four years past been employed, in the more Important Services to the
Government before mentioned.
That few would have undertaken these services by reason of the apparent
Hazard and other fatal Consequences, with which they were likely to be
attended, and which he has in many Instances felt.
That your Memorialists wife who died of the Cruel usage she met with
from the Rebells, certfy’d as above, has left him four Children to
provide for.
That your Memorialists younger brother Captain Grosset who was
barbarously murdered by the Rebells,[588] and whose remarkable services
during the Rebellion are well known to all the Generals who commanded
in Scotland, as well as to his Royal Highness the Duke, has left a
widow and five children to whose support your Memorialist is obliged to
contribute.
That the Insults and insufferable ill usage which they as well as his
own Children daily met with in Scotland, has obliged him to bring them
all to England, and who are thereby in effect banished their Country
for their Father’s faithful Services to the Government.
That the Expenses your Memorialist has been and is thereby put to, and
by false and scandalous Libells and groundless and vexatious Lawsuits,
on account of the Services before mentioned, not only far exceeds the
one half of the Profits of the Commission in which he is joined with
Sir John Shaw[589] (and which is the only mark of favour he has met
with for his services, losses, and sufferings as aforesaid) but of his
estate which is considerably lessened thereby and his other Losses by
the Rebellion.
Upon the whole if your Memorialist is turned out of the Employment
above mentioned, before he is other wise suitably provided for, it
will in place of rewarding the important services certified as above,
be punishing him in the severest manner Especially as by the wording
of the Warrant by which he is to be turned out of that Commission (if
that Warrant is allowed to take place) your Memorialist must unjustly
be recorded as one unworthy to be continued in that Employment, which
is doing all that can be done to ruin him and his Family, and must
be attended with worse consequences to them, than if the Rebells had
succeeded in the many attempts they made to deprive him of his Life, as
they did in taking away his Brothers; or if he had suffered along with
the Rebell Peers and others, who could not have been condemned if it
had not been for the Evidences he procured against them; Many of whose
families and even those who were most active in the Rebellion, enjoy
at this Time more of their Estates and Fortunes than he does of his,
in proportion to the respective amounts thereof, before the Rebellion,
and are themselves caressed and esteemed, whilst your Memorialist and
his Family, and that of his unfortunate Brother, are daily harassed,
affronted and cruelly persecuted by the Influence of that Party without
being Protected, supported, or properly Countenanced by that Government
to whom we rendered so many real services, and on which account we are
so great sufferers.
All which is humbly submitted, etc., etc.
[Endorsed.--Mr. Grossetts Memorial relating to the Report of S^r
Everard Fawkener and Mr. Sharpe upon the account of his Services
to the Government.]
NOTE.--In the Record Office there are two documents, one
entitled, ‘A NARRATIVE of Sundry Services performed by Walter
Grossett, Esqr., during the course of the Rebellion, etc.’ which
is countersigned as true by the Earl of Home and Generals Hawley,
Handasyde, Guest, and Cope. The other is entitled ‘An ACCOUNT
of Money,’ etc., and is certified by Andrew Fletcher, Lord
Justice-Clerk. The Narrative’ is repeated in the ‘Account’ with
only slight variations, so that there is no necessity to print
both documents, and the ‘Account’ only is given here. Passages
which appear in the ‘Narrative’ but have been omitted in the
‘Account’ are replaced here within square brackets.
An ACCOUNT of Money disposed by WALTER GROSETT, Esqr., in the Service
of the GOVERNMENT during the late REBELLION, upon Particular Occasions
and by Directions hereafter mentioned.
The Rebells upon their arrival at Perth, having
formed a Scheme of surprizing the Town of
Edingburgh by crossing the River Forth in Boats
and Vessells as they had done in the year 1715:
Mr. Grosett as a Justice of the Peace, did by
direction of the Lord Advocate[590] of the 3rd
and 9th September 1745 with the assistance of
the Constables and Tide Surveyors, Kings Boats
and Crews stationed at Dunbar, Kirkaldy, Leith,
Queens Ferry, Borrostouness and Alloa, who by
order of the Board of Customs were put under Mr.
Grosett’s Directions, Remove all Ships, Boats
and vessells from the North side of the Forth to
the Harbours of Dunbar, Leith, Queen’s Ferry,
and Borrostouness, on the south side of the said
River [in so effectual a manner that the Rebells
after various attempts, finding themselves
disappointed in their Designs were obliged to
march their army from Perth round the Heads
of the Forth and cross that River at a Ford
some Miles above Stirling which gave time to
the Kings Troops under Sir John Cope to return
from Inverness to the Relief of Edinburgh, had
not that Town been shamefully given up to the
Rebells.]
[Sidenote: No. 1]
Expended on this Service to the Crews of £ s. d.
the King’s Boats and others who were employed
Night and Day therein for ten Days
and for Intelligence of the Motions of the
Rebells and other Expences 29 10 0
The Rebells having upon the 13th of Septemr.
crossed the Forth at a Ford some miles above
Sterling; Mr. Grosett by Direction of Lord
Justice Clarke removed the Ships and Vessells
from the Harbours of Borristounness and Queen’s
Ferry, on the south side of the River, to
prevent the Cannon, Arms and Amunition on Board
of these Sloops and Vessells from falling into
the hands of the Rebells to prevent their having
any communication with the North side of the
River Forth otherwise than by going round the
Way they came, and which Mr. Grosett did, though
the Rebells had at this time by an advance party
taken Possession of the Town of Borristouness,
about 12 miles to the West of Edinburgh; Upon
Mr. Grosett’s return to Edinburgh, upon Sunday
the 15th in the Evening he found General
Fowke,[591] who was just arrived from England
with Lord Justice Clarke, together with General
Guest, and who approved of what Mr. Grosett
had done, and sent him with Orders to Colonel
Gardiner, to remain that Night with the Troops
at Coltbridge, about a Mile to the West of the
Town.
[Sidenote: No. 2]