| Clan Fraser | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Na Frisealaich | |||
 Crest: On a mount a flourish of strawberries leaved and fructed Proper | |||
| Motto | All my hope is in God.[1] | ||
| Profile | |||
| Region | Lowlands | ||
| Plant badge | Yew[1] | ||
| Chief | |||
 | |||
| Katherine Fraser | |||
| The Rt. Hon. The Lady Saltoun | |||
| Seat | Philorth Castle (Cairnbulg Castle) | ||
| Historic seat | Oliver Castle Pitsligo Castle Castle Fraser[2] | ||
| |||
Clan Fraser is aScottish clan of theScottish Lowlands.[3] It is not to be confused with theClan Fraser of Lovat who are a separate Scottish clan of theScottish Highlands (though with a common ancestry). Both clans have their own separate chief, both of whom are officially recognized by theStanding Council of Scottish Chiefs.[4]
The exact origins of the surname "Fraser" cannot be determined with any great certainty.[5] The Frasers are believed to have come from theCounty of Anjou inFrance somewhere in the 11th century, and some possible places of origin have been suggested throughout the years, with La Frezelière (atLa Roche-Neuville) andFréteval being the most common.[3]
Traditionally, the surname is thought to be of French origin, but the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names (2016) notes there is no place name in France corresponding with the earliest spellings of the name "de Fresel", "de Friselle", and "de Freseliere", and suggests the possibility it represents a Gaelic name "corrupted beyond recognition by Anglo-French scribes".[6]
The nameFraser may be an altered form of the French patronymicFresel.[3] The French surnameFresel meant "ribbon, braid" in Old French and was probably the nickname for such merchants.[7] In fact, the surnamesFresel andFrezel are now centred on Normandy and Artois/French Flanders[8][9] and not in Anjou because Fresel/Frezel were historically Plantagenet.[6] It sounds like a derived form offraise which means "strawberry" in French and suchpopular etymologies explain many badges and coats of arms.
The first Frasers to appear in Scottish records were the following:
About five generations after the first Simon Fraser, anotherSimon Fraser was captured fighting forRobert the Bruce and was executed in 1306 byEdward I of England.[3] Simon's cousin wasAlexander Fraser of Cowie who was Bruce's chamberlain.[3] He married Bruce's sisterMary.[3] Alexander Fraser's younger brother was anotherSir Simon Fraser, from whom the chiefs of theClan Fraser of Lovat are descended.[3] One of Simon Fraser's grandsons was Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie and Durris.[3] This Alexander Fraser acquired a castle now calledCairnbulg Castle and the lands of Philorth by marriage to Joanna, younger daughter and co-heiress of theEarl of Ross in 1375.[3]
In 1592,Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth received charters fromJames VI of Scotland for the fishing village of Faithlie which later became the town ofFraserburgh.[3] Sir Alexander Fraser was also authorized to found auniversity in the town but this scheme was short-lived due to the religious troubles of the time.[3]
The eighth Laird of Philorth built Fraserburgh Castle, which later became theKinnaird Head lighthouse.[3] This bankrupted him andPhilorth Castle was lost from the family for over three hundred years until 1934 when it was bought back by the 19thLord Saltoun.[3]
The ninth Laird of Philorth married the heiress of the Abernethy Lords Saltoun.[3] Their son,Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, was severely wounded at theBattle of Worcester in 1651.[3] He survived thanks to his servant, James Cardno, who rescued him from the battlefield.[3] In 1666 the tenth Lord built Philorth House a mile from Fraserburgh which remained the family seat until it burned down in 1915.[3]
Sir Alexander Fraser of Durris was personal physician toCharles II of England.[3] He was educated atAberdeen and accompanied the king on his campaign throughout 1650.[3] After theRestoration he sat in the Scottish Parliament and he featured in the diaries ofSamuel Pepys.[3]
The Fraser family took no part in theJacobite risings,[3] although their distant Highland relatives in theClan Fraser of Lovat were Jacobites.[3]
The sixteenth Lord Saltoun commanded the Light Companies of the First Guards at theBattle of Waterloo in 1815.[3] The nineteenth Lord Saltoun was a prisoner of war duringWorld War I inGermany.[3] Later, in 1936 he became a member of theHouse of Lords and promoted theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution.[3]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Fraser Societies
