William Grant was born on 13 October 1752 in Moray, Scotland. Following admission to the bar, he moved to Canada, where he commanded volunteers during the siege of Quebec and served as attorney-general. Upon returning to Britain, he was a member of Parliament (1790–1812), chief justice of Chester, solicitor-general, and master of the rolls (1801–1817). Grant, who was knighted in 1799, never married. He died on 25 May 1832 at the home of his sister in Dawlish, England.