Lady Grizel Baillie

Lady Grizel Baillie (1665—1746) was a Scottish song-writer, the eldest daughter of Sir Patrick Hume or Home of Polwarth, afterwards earl of Marchmont. She was born at Redbraes Castle, Berwickshire[?], on December 25 1665.

When she was twelve years old she carried letters from her father to the Scottish patriot, Robert Baillie of Jerviswood, who was then in prison. Home's friendship for Baillie made him a suspected man, and the king's troops occupied Redbraes Castle. He remained in hiding for some time in a churchyard, where his daughter kept him supplied with food, but on hearing of the execution of Baillie (1684) he fled to the United Provinces, where his family soon after joined him. They returned to Scotland at the Revolution.

Lady Grizel married in 1692 George Baillie, son of the patriot. She died on December 6 1746. She had two daughters, Grizel, who married Sir Alexander Murray of Stanhope, and Rachel, Lady, Binning. Lady Murray had in her possession a manuscript of her mother's in prose and verse. Some of the songs had been printed in Allan Ramsay's Tea-Table Miscellany. "And werena my heart light I wad dee," the most famous of Lady Grizel's songs, originally appeared in Orpheus Caledonius (1725).