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Alexander Grant (1856 - 1942) was a native of Battangorm, Carrbridge, which gave rise to his familiar name - 'Battan'. As a boy he was exposed to what were to become his two great passions - fiddling and fishing. He went on to excel in both areas; as an angler by inventing his own unique fishing rod known as the 'Grant Vibration Rod', and as a fiddler by leading the Highland Strathspey and Reel Society for almost forty years and by becoming an expert in fiddle making techniques. He also invented a unique disc-shaped violin known as a 'Rondello'. An example of Grant's fishing rod, fiddle and Rondello can be seen at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG).

Grant was a great friend of fellow musician and composer James Scott Skinner (1843-1927), a major figure in the development of Scottish traditional music, often referred to as 'The Strathspey King'. This hand-written manuscript in Skinner's hand is part of the Grant collection. It contains Skinner's arrangements for two strathspeys - 'The Marchioness [of Huntly]' by William Marshall, and 'Stirling Castle' by Professor Bannatyne of Aberdeen. Skinner's footnote reads, 'To meet, to cheer, to know and then to part, Is the sad tale of many a human heart'

This item is part of a collection held at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery.
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