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Archivists at the National Records of Scotland (NRS) have discovered documents which reveal new details about Vancouver Island's Scottish clan heritage. The two letters were written by Captain Walter Colquhoun Grant in 1848 and 1849 shortly before he left Scotland for Canada. The first is addressed to the hereditary chieftain of his clan, the Earl of Seafield, and the second was sent to him via an intermediary (NRS reference GD248/489/14/17-18).
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Captain Grant was seeking permission to drum up recruits from Lord Seafield's dependents in Strathspey for the new colony and to name his property on Vancouver Island 'Mullachard' after part of Lord Seafield's lands in Scotland. Captain Grant was the first European not connected with the Hudson's Bay Company to settle in British Columbia and is known for introducing cricket to the area. On a visit to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia during Scotland Week 2012, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, will present a reproduction of the documents to Hon. Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sort and Cultural Development.
Ms Hyslop said 'Scotland and Canada share many deep and enduring connections. For generations Scots have ventured to Canada's shores, playing an enormous part in building and making Canada what it is today. Today, more than five million Canadians proudly claim Scottish descent - many in British Columbia. These letters provide a fascinating insight into the earliest settlement of Vancouver Island by Scots, with Captain Grant and the clansmen who accompanied him having a profound and lasting impact on this region'.
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