Statue of Sir William Grant

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This statue commemorates Sir William Grant (October 13, 1752 – May 23, 1832), a British lawyer, Member of Parliament from 1790 to 1812, and Master of the Rolls from 1801 to 1817. Born at Elchies, Moray, Scotland, he was raised by his uncle Robert Grant, a London merchant with fur-trading interests in Canada, after his parents' death. Grant studied at King's College, University of Aberdeen, University of Leiden, and then law at Lincoln's Inn. He was called to the bar in 1774. Grant arrived in Quebec in 1775 to defend it against the Americans but returned to Britain in 1778 after being appointed attorney general for the province, only to be replaced by James Monk. Grant issued ordinances establishing civil and criminal courts in Quebec before returning to Britain. Initially unsuccessful in his legal career, Grant was advised by Lord Thurlow to focus on equity courts, where he found better success. An interview with Pitt encouraged his parliamentary ambitions, and he was elected Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in 1790. He became a powerful orator, explaining Canadian law during debates over the Quebec Government Bill. Grant received a patent of precedence in 1793 and was appointed a bencher at Lincoln's Inn. However, he lost his seat at Shaftesbury but won it back in 1794 for Windsor after a contested election. In March of that year, he became Solicitor-General to Queen Charlotte. His oratory skills were showcased again in 1796 when defending the Seditious Meetings Act. That same year, Grant was elected for Banffshire and represented it until 1812. He was appointed Chief Justice of Chester in 1798 and knighted the following year. Grant left office with Pitt but continued to support Addington's government. In 1801, he became Master of the Rolls and a member of the Privy Council. However, his support for the Portland and Perceval ministries ended when he was appointed Master of the Rolls in 1817 and left office. Grant served as treasurer at Lincoln's Inn in 1798, rector of the University of Aberdeen from 1809, and received a DCL from the University of Oxford in 1820. In 1824, Grant joined the Royal Commission to investigate education institutions in Ireland. He died on May 25, 1832, at his sister's house in Dawlish, Devon, England. Remembered for his eloquence and persuasiveness as a parliamentarian and judge, Grant left an enduring legacy.