James Grier

- 1703

• Name	James Grier
  Gender	Male
  Military service	22 Jun 1679	Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland   [1]
  	May have fought at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge. Was arrested and and taken to Edinburgh.
  Imprisonment	Abt Jul 1679	Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland   [1]
  	Imprisoned following the Battle of Bothwell Bridge
  Role	1685	East Jersey, New Jersey, USA   [2]
  	Transported prisoner
  Residence	Abt Apr 1685	Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland   [3]
  Legal	Abt 10 May 1685	Dumfries, Dumfries-shire, Scotland
  	Refused to the oath of allegiance and sent to join the Covenanter prisoners in Burntisland
  Imprisonment	24 May 1685	Dunnottar, Kincardineshire, Scotland   [4]
  	Held in Dunnottar Castle until c12 August, then marched to Leith arriving 17 August
  Religion	Aug 1685	Leith, Midlothian, Scotland
  	Presbyterian - Covenanter. One of the signatories of the testimony aboard the Henry and Francis protesting their banishment
  Departure	5 Sep 1685	Leith, Midlothian, Scotland
  	Prisoner
  Arrival	7 Dec 1685	Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA
  	Aboard the Henry and Francis
  Title Suffix	yr
  Name	James Greer  [5]
  Name	James Grertone  [6]
  Name	James Griel
  Name	James Grierson
  Name	John Grer  [2]
  Property	5 Oct 1696	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [7]
  	Deed of sale by George and Margaret Willocks to James Greer of 48 acres (house lot and five tracts) Woodbridge
  Property	6 Sep 1697	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [8]
  	Deed of sale by James Greer to George Browne of 14 acres "For the sum of £12 Lawful Money"
  Property	24 Jul 1699	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [9]
  	Conveyed land to Peter Masse
  Property	14 Feb 1700/01	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [10]
  	Land conveyed by John Lee to James Grier
  Will	20 Jan 1701/02	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA
  	Wife Marion sole heiress and executrix. Witnesses: Robert Gillchrist, Gawine Lockhart, John Lee, Adam Hude
  Death	Jan 1702/03	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [2]
  	Terms of will implies no children
  Probate	16 Feb 1702/03	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [2]
  	Inventory of £15 12s made by Adam Hude and Georg Brown
  Origin	Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland   [3]
  Person ID	I44630	East Jersey Genealogies
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

  Family	Marjory Cowan
  Marriage	29 Mar 1689	Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA   [5]
  	Married by Archibald Riddell
  Family ID	F31558	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Oct 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Military service - May have fought at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge. Was arrested and and taken to Edinburgh. - 22 Jun 1679 - Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland Imprisonment - Imprisoned following the Battle of Bothwell Bridge - Abt Jul 1679 - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Legal - Refused to the oath of allegiance and sent to join the Covenanter prisoners in Burntisland - Abt 10 May 1685 - Dumfries, Dumfries-shire, Scotland Imprisonment - Held in Dunnottar Castle until c12 August, then marched to Leith arriving 17 August - 24 May 1685 - Dunnottar, Kincardineshire, Scotland Religion - Presbyterian - Covenanter. One of the signatories of the testimony aboard the Henry and Francis protesting their banishment - Aug 1685 - Leith, Midlothian, Scotland Departure - Prisoner - 5 Sep 1685 - Leith, Midlothian, Scotland Arrival - Aboard the Henry and Francis - 7 Dec 1685 - Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Marriage - 29 Mar 1689 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Deed of sale by George and Margaret Willocks to James Greer of 48 acres (house lot and five tracts) Woodbridge - 5 Oct 1696 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Deed of sale by James Greer to George Browne of 14 acres "For the sum of £12 Lawful Money" - 6 Sep 1697 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Conveyed land to Peter Masse - 24 Jul 1699 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Property - Land conveyed by John Lee to James Grier - 14 Feb 1700/01 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Will - Wife Marion sole heiress and executrix. Witnesses: Robert Gillchrist, Gawine Lockhart, John Lee, Adam Hude - 20 Jan 1701/02 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Death - Jan 1702/03 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA Probate - Inventory of £15 12s made by Adam Hude and Georg Brown - 16 Feb 1702/03 - Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S3526] National Records of Scotland, (Location: Edinburgh;), JC39/1. [S3542] Nelson, William, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Volume 1, 1670-1730, p194. [S3611] Privy Council of Scotland, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd Series, XI, pp289-294. [S3610] Anderson, James, The Black Book of Kincardineshire, p10. [S3604] Dally, Joseph W., Woodbridge and Vicinity, p332. [S3560] Anon., "Banishment from Scotland, 1685", p125. [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, F(EJ): Folio 92-95 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, F(EJ): Folio 454-456 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, G(EJ): Folio 24 (SSTSE023). [S3652] "Early Land Records, 1650-1900s", State of New Jersey, Department of State, Early Land Records, 1650-1900s, C(EJ): Folio 209 (SSTSE023).