Walter Colquhoun Grant
Encyclopedia
Walter Colquhoun Grant (27 May 1822 – 27 August 1861) was British Army
officer and a pioneer settler in what is today British Columbia
. He served briefly as a colonial surveyor but left after a few years to rejoin the army. He died while in the service in India at 39.
during the Napoleonic Wars
. Grant first joined the British Army sometime before 7 April 1843 when he was promoted, by purchase
, to lieutenant
in the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys), having previously served in the regiment as a cornet. He purchased the rank of captain on 18 April 1845.
in the British Army
at age 24 when he lost his fortune and started anew by buying 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land from the Hudson's Bay Company
at what would become Sooke, British Columbia
. Although some sources claim he left the army altogether, the London Gazette
shows that initially at least he merely transferred to the 47th Regiment of Foot
. This would have raised a certain amount of capital, as cavalry commissions were more expensive than those in infantry regiments.
He sent 8 settlers on in advance and upon his arrival in 1849 he is said to have shot a cow believing it to be a buffalo. Although he lacked the necessary skills, he was employed by the HBC as its first surveyor. Following his arrival, he cleared some of the land he had purchased and set up a sawmill. The land was located 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from Fort Victoria
. Grant left the colony in 1850 to prospect for gold in Oregon
and came back in 1853 to sell his land.
and did a map of Vancouver Island
drawn by John Arrowsmith
. He reported the population in 1853 was 450 people, 300 at Victoria
, 125 at Nanaimo and the remainder at Fort Rupert
. He ignored native peoples in his count.
In addition to being the first to bring non-HBC settlers to the Colony of Vancouver Island
, Grant is credited with bringing the first sports event, cricket
, to what is now British Columbia when he arrived in 1849.
He introduced what is now considered a noxious, invasive plant, Scotch broom
, to the island.
. He was promoted local lieutenant colonel on 27 October 1855. He was granted regimental rank as a cornet in the 2nd Dragoon Guards on 30 November 1855, and promoted to lieutenant on 16 June 1857. We was awarded the Turkish decoration of the Order of the Medjidieh, 4th Class for his service. The conflict in Crimea over, he served in India. He was brigade major
at Lucknow, and during the Indian Mutiny commanded 1st Hodson's Horse
. He died in India at the age of 39.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and a pioneer settler in what is today British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He served briefly as a colonial surveyor but left after a few years to rejoin the army. He died while in the service in India at 39.
Early life
Grant was born in Edinburgh on 27 May 1822 into a military family, his father, Colquhoun Grant, having been chief of intelligence for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Grant first joined the British Army sometime before 7 April 1843 when he was promoted, by purchase
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
, to lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys), having previously served in the regiment as a cornet. He purchased the rank of captain on 18 April 1845.
Settlement in the colony
Grant was the youngest captainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
at age 24 when he lost his fortune and started anew by buying 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land from the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
at what would become Sooke, British Columbia
Sooke, British Columbia
Sooke is a district municipality situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada. About a 45 minute drive from the city of Victoria , Sooke is considered the westernmost of the Greater Victoria region's "Western Communities." It is situated to the north and west of the Sooke...
. Although some sources claim he left the army altogether, the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
shows that initially at least he merely transferred to the 47th Regiment of Foot
47th Regiment of Foot
The 47th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. First raised in 1741 in Scotland, the regiment saw service over a period of 140 years, before it was amalgamated with another regiment to become The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1881...
. This would have raised a certain amount of capital, as cavalry commissions were more expensive than those in infantry regiments.
He sent 8 settlers on in advance and upon his arrival in 1849 he is said to have shot a cow believing it to be a buffalo. Although he lacked the necessary skills, he was employed by the HBC as its first surveyor. Following his arrival, he cleared some of the land he had purchased and set up a sawmill. The land was located 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) from Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria may refer to:* Fort Victoria, Alberta, Canada* Fort Victoria , Canada* Fort Victoria * Fort Victoria , England* Masvingo, Zimbabwe, named Fort Victoria until 1982...
. Grant left the colony in 1850 to prospect for gold in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and came back in 1853 to sell his land.
Achievements
While in the colony he collected data about the flora, fauna, natives and trade the later published in Journal of the Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and did a map of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
drawn by John Arrowsmith
John Arrowsmith
John Arrowsmith may refer to:*John Arrowsmith , Master of Trinity College, Cambridge*John Arrowsmith , geographer and map publisher, nephew of the cartographer Aaron Arrowsmith...
. He reported the population in 1853 was 450 people, 300 at Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, 125 at Nanaimo and the remainder at Fort Rupert
Fort Rupert, British Columbia
Fort Rupert is the site of a former Hudson's Bay Company fort which was built and first commanded by William Henry McNeill in 1849 and later by John Work. It is located near present-day Port Hardy, British Columbia on Vancouver Island....
. He ignored native peoples in his count.
In addition to being the first to bring non-HBC settlers to the Colony of Vancouver Island
Colony of Vancouver Island
The Colony of Vancouver Island , was a crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with British Columbia. The united colony joined the Dominion of Canada through Confederation in 1871...
, Grant is credited with bringing the first sports event, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, to what is now British Columbia when he arrived in 1849.
He introduced what is now considered a noxious, invasive plant, Scotch broom
Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius, the Common Broom and Scotch Broom, syn. Sarothamnus scoparius, is a perennial leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe,....
, to the island.
Later life
On 1 August 1854 he was appointed Captain Commandant (though confusingly he was also granted local rank as major) of a detachment of the Mounted Staff Corps to serve with a part of the British Army that was being deployed to Turkey in advance of what would eventually become the Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. He was promoted local lieutenant colonel on 27 October 1855. He was granted regimental rank as a cornet in the 2nd Dragoon Guards on 30 November 1855, and promoted to lieutenant on 16 June 1857. We was awarded the Turkish decoration of the Order of the Medjidieh, 4th Class for his service. The conflict in Crimea over, he served in India. He was brigade major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
at Lucknow, and during the Indian Mutiny commanded 1st Hodson's Horse
Hodson's Horse
Hodson's Horse is a cavalry regiment which originated as part of the British Indian Army. It was raised by Brevet Major William Stephen Raikes Hodson during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and exists today as the 4th Horse Regiment in the Indian Army...
. He died in India at the age of 39.
External links
- Captain Grant shoots a cow on Beacon Hill Beacon Hill Park History By Janis Ringuette 2004.
- Grant's Description of Vancouver Island National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
catalogue entry, Read, 22 June 1857. - Contact and conflict: Indian-European relations in British Columbia, 1774-1890 By Robin Fisher at Google Books.
- Wakefield, Wickets and Captain Grant Victoria's Pioneer Cricketers, University of Victoria
- Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Government of Manitoba