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The source of this dance, *The Menzies Manuscript*, is part of the Atholl Collection. In the manuscript, the name of the dance is unequivocally The Montgomerie’s Rant ie referring to the Head of the Montgomerie family. Why the change was made is unknown.

In 1749, the date of the manuscript, Alexander Montgomerie had been 10th Earl of Eglinton for twenty years. He was prominent in London Society and a close friend of James Boswell, Samuel Johnson’s literary assistant. His main claim to fame is that he was shot to death on his estate by an exciseman claiming the right to carry arms on the estate, effectively claiming a right to hunt, or poach, depending on your point of view.
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