Life

Sir Robert Grierson, known as "Auld Lagg", was born at the farm of Barquhar, the son of the 1st Tutor of Lag, William Grierson (c. 1626-after 6 December, 1665), the Laird of Barquhar, Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...

, Scotland, and his wife, Margaret Douglas (b. c. 1633), the daughter of Sir James Douglas, of Mouswald, Dumfries-shire. He was for some years Steward of Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...

 and in 1685 he was created a Baronet, of Lag, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, and awarded a pension. He was the 13th lineal Chief of Clan Grierson. He is best remembered as a notorious persecutor of the Covenanters, particularly among the people of Galloway

Galloway

Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...

, and is still referred to as Cruel Lag. The character of Sir Robert Redgauntlet of Wandering Willie's tale in Sir Walter Scott's

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....

 Redgauntlet

Redgauntlet

Redgauntlet is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, set in Dumfries, Scotland in 1765, and described by Magnus Magnusson as "in a sense, the most autobiographical of Scott's novels." It describes the beginnings of a fictional third Jacobite Rebellion, and includes "Wandering Willie's Tale", a...

is based on Grierson.

Family

Sir Robert Grierson of Lag and his wife, Lady Henrietta Douglas had six children known, viz.:

• Sir William Grierson, 2nd Baronet
  Sir William Grierson, 2nd Baronet
  Sir William Grierson, 2nd Baronet of Lag was born c. 1677 ; died in 1760, buried at Dunscore Parish Kirkyard ; 14th lineal chief of Clan Grierson ; was taken prisoner at the 1st Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 ; married Dame Anne Musgrave, daughter of Sir Richard Musgrave, 2nd Bt. and Dorothy James, on...
  
  , born c. 1677, Rockall, Annary, Scotland (d. 1760), s.p., was captured with his younger brother, Sir Gilbert at the 1st Jacobite Rising in 1715.
• James Grierson (2nd son), of Capenoch, born c. 1679, Scotland (he died April, 1721) and who married Elizabeth Ferguson (Protestant) before 1705, daughter of Ferguson of Isle. They lived at Laghall, parish of Troqueer beside Dumfries and have been suspect of having apostatized from the Protestant to the Popish religion severall years ago (1705). He attended for two year Scots' College in Douai, France. Their oldest surviving son was Sir Robert Grierson, 3rd Baronet, of Lag, born c. 1700, died childless in 1764. In 1715 James Grierson was involved in the 1715 Jacobite Uprising, & was imprisoned for "counterfeiting the coin & for forgeing stamps on paper.
• John Grierson (3rd son) of Dalgoner, born c. 1685, died 16th March, 1730, "sometime apothecary in Carlisle",
• Sir Gilbert Grierson (youngest son), 4th Baronet, (Lawyer), born c. 1692, died on 7th February, 1766 at Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland "Chamberlain in Dalkeith" and was Chamberlain to the Duke & Duchess of Buccleuch, c1722-1765.
• Henrietta Grierson, of Maxwellton, born c. 1688, wife of Sir Walter Laurie, 3rd Baronet of Maxwellton, born May 3rd, 1684, died December 23rd, 1731,
• unknown child Grierson b. c. 1691, d. c. 26 Sep 1691, buried in the Henderson Tomb in a Trof at Edinburgh, Scotland,
• Jane Grierson, she married Alexander Gordon, son of Robert Gordon, 1st of Esslemont and 12th of Hallhead and Isabella Byres, in 1735,
• (Surgeon Apothecary) Homer Grierson, born c1687, (illegitimate), married to Margaret LittleJohn,
• Sara Grierson, born c1690, (illegitimate), wife of Mr. Thomas ELDER, minister of Whithorn.

Grierson's body was buried at Dunscore Parish Church on 31 December 1733.