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128-705: Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands . It is not to be confused with the Clan Fraser of Lovat who are a separate Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands (though with a common ancestry). Both clans have their own separate chief, both of whom are officially recognized by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs . The exact origins of the surname "Fraser" can not be determined with any great certainty. The Frasers are believed to have come from

256-541: A "clan" in legislation of the Scottish Parliament in 1384. Many clans have often claimed mythological founders that reinforced their status and gave a romantic and glorified notion of their origins. Most powerful clans gave themselves origins based on Irish mythology . For example, there have been claims that the Clan Donald were descended from either Conn , a second-century king of Ulster , or Cuchulainn ,

384-400: A clan is the only person who is entitled to bear the undifferenced arms of the ancestral founder of the clan. The clan is considered to be the chief's heritable estate and the chief's Seal of Arms is the seal of the clan as a "noble corporation". Under Scots law, the chief is recognised as the head of the clan and serves as the lawful representative of the clan community. Historically, a clan

512-490: A clan. As noted above, the word clan is derived from the Gaelic word clann . However, the need for proved descent from a common ancestor related to the chiefly house is too restrictive. Clans developed a territory based on the native men who came to accept the authority of the dominant group in the vicinity. A clan also included a large group of loosely related septs  – dependent families – all of whom looked to

640-460: A commercial landlord, letting land to the highest bidder, was a clear breach of the principle of dùthchas . The Jacobite rising of 1745 used to be described as the pivotal event in the demise in clanship. There is no doubt that the aftermath of the uprising saw savage punitive expeditions against clans that had supported the Jacobites, and legislative attempts to demolish clan culture. However,

768-604: A considerable role in most major political turmoils. "Fraser" remains the most prominent family name within the Inverness area. The Clan's current chief is Simon Fraser , the 16th Lord Lovat , and 25th Chief of Clan Fraser . The exact origins of the surname "Fraser" can not be determined with any great certainty. Traditionally it is thought to have originated in France, but the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names (2016) notes there

896-575: A derived form of fraise which means "strawberry" in French and such popular 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, another Simon Fraser was captured fighting for Robert the Bruce and was executed in 1306 by Edward I of England . Simon's cousin was Alexander Fraser of Cowie who

1024-539: A descendant through the maternal line has changed their surname in order to claim the chiefship of a clan, such as the late chief of the Clan MacLeod who was born John Wolridge-Gordon and changed his name to the maiden name of his maternal grandmother in order to claim the chiefship of the MacLeods. Today, clans may have lists of septs . Septs are surnames, families or clans that historically, currently or for whatever reason

1152-417: A forgery, but despite this, the designs are still highly regarded and they continue to serve their purpose to identify the clan in question. A sign of allegiance to the clan chief is the wearing of a crest badge. The crest badge suitable for a clansman or clanswoman consists of the chief's heraldic crest encircled with a strap and buckle and which contains the chief's heraldic motto or slogan . Although it

1280-805: A legally recognised group, but does not differentiate between families and clans as it recognises both terms as being interchangeable. Clans or families thought to have had a chief in the past but not currently recognised by the Lord Lyon are listed at armigerous clans . Tartans were traditionally associated with the Highland Clans and following the end of the Dress Act of 1746 banning tartans from being worn by men and boys, "district then clan tartans" have been an important part of Scottish clans. Almost all Scottish clans have more than one tartan attributed to their surname. Although there are no rules on who can or cannot wear

1408-468: A particular tartan, and it is possible for anyone to create a tartan and name it almost any name they wish, the only person with the authority to make a clan's tartan "official" is the chief. In some cases, following such recognition from the clan chief, the clan tartan is recorded and registered by the Lord Lyon. Once approved by the Lord Lyon, after recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Tartan,

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1536-406: A pole and used as a standard . Clans which are connected historically, or that occupied lands in the same general area, may share the same clan badge. According to popular lore, clan badges were used by Scottish clans as a form of identification in battle. However, the badges attributed to clans today can be completely unsuitable for even modern clan gatherings. Clan badges are commonly referred to as

1664-532: A range of measures on clan chiefs, designed to integrate them into the Scottish landed classes. Whilst there is debate over their practical effect, they were an influential force on clan elites in the long term. The Statutes obliged clan chiefs to reside in Edinburgh for a large part of the year, and have their heirs educated in the English-speaking Lowlands. Lengthy periods in Edinburgh were costly. Since

1792-488: A rare component of society. Historian T. M. Devine describes "the displacement of this class as one of the clearest demonstrations of the death of the old Gaelic society." Many tacksmen, as well as the wealthier farmers (who were tired of repeated rent increases) chose to emigrate. This could be taken as resistance to the changes in the Highland agricultural economy, as the introduction of agricultural improvement gave rise to

1920-548: A regiment of Frasers, the 78th Fraser Highlanders , numbering fourteen hundred were raised and fought the French and Indians in the colonies and in Canada, from 1757 to 1759. The 78th fought under General Wolfe, who had previously fought at the Battle of Culloden, against Simon and perhaps some of the 78th. It was one of the 78th, possibly Simon, possibly one of his men, whose familiarity with

2048-487: A short step for that community to become identified by it. Many clans have their own clan chief ; those that do not are known as armigerous clans . Clans generally identify with geographical areas originally controlled by their founders, sometimes with an ancestral castle and clan gatherings, which form a regular part of the social scene. The most notable clan event of recent times was The Gathering 2009 in Edinburgh, which attracted at least 47,000 participants from around

2176-578: Is a kinship group among the Scottish people . Clans give a sense of shared heritage and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon , which regulates Scottish heraldry and coats of arms . Most clans have their own tartan patterns, usually dating from the 19th century, which members may incorporate into kilts or other clothing. The modern image of clans, each with their own tartan and specific land,

2304-406: Is common to speak of "clan crests", there is no such thing. In Scotland (and indeed all of UK) only individuals, not clans, possess a heraldic coat of arms . Even though any clansmen and clanswomen may purchase crest badges and wear them to show their allegiance to his or her clan, the heraldic crest and motto always belong to the chief alone. In principle, these badges should only be used with

2432-594: 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". The first definite record of the name in Scotland occurs in the mid-12th century as "de Fresel", "de Friselle", and "de Freseliere", and appears to be an Angevin name. The French surname "Frézelière" or "de la Frézelière" or "Frézeau de la Frézelière", exists in France to this day, and

2560-513: Is still concentrated in the area of Anjou . It also corresponds with the Scottish version in its spelling. Belief in the name's Angevin origin has also been firmly held by the Frasers themselves. In 1702, while in exile in France, Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat , "entered into a formal league of amity" and "declared an alliance" with the French Marquis de la Frézelière and claimed common origin from

2688-738: Is therefore quite correct to talk of the MacDonald family or the Stirling clan ." The idea that Highlanders should be listed as clans while the Lowlanders should be termed as families was merely a 19th-century convention. Although Gaelic has been supplanted by English in the Scottish Lowlands for nearly six hundred years, it is acceptable to refer to Lowland families, such as the Douglases as "clans". The Lowland Clan MacDuff are described specifically as

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2816-623: The 51st Highland Volunteers . Today the Clan Fraser is composed of many thousands all over the world. Large Fraser populations exist in Canada and the United States, and smaller populations are in Australia, New Zealand (both of which have had Fraser prime ministers), Turkey, South Africa, Argentina, Chile and Brazil (where the descendants of William Fraser 11th of Culbokie and Guisachan now live), not to mention those who never left Scotland. In 1951,

2944-712: The Battle of Dunbar , the Clan Fraser fought against the forces of Oliver Cromwell . However, the Covenanters were defeated. In 1651, the Clan Fraser joined the army of Charles II at Stirling . They fought at the Battle of Worcester where the King's army was defeated by Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army . In 1689, the Glorious Revolution deposed the Roman Catholic King James VII as monarch of England, replacing

3072-562: The Clan Mackenzie were prepared to play off territorial disputes within and among clans to expand their own land and influence. Feuding on the western seaboard was conducted with such intensity that the Clan MacLeod and the Clan MacDonald on the Isle of Skye were reputedly reduced to eating dogs and cats in the 1590s. Feuding was further compounded by the involvement of Scottish clans in

3200-633: The Clan Sweeney , Clan Lamont , Clan MacLea , Clan MacLachlan and Clan MacNeill , can trace their ancestry back to the fifth century Niall of the Nine Hostages , High King of Ireland. However, in reality, the progenitors of clans can rarely be authenticated further back than the 11th century, and a continuity of lineage in most cases cannot be found until the 13th or 14th centuries. The emergence of clans had more to do with political turmoil than ethnicity. The Scottish Crown's conquest of Argyll and

3328-517: The County of Anjou in France somewhere in the 11th century, and some possible places of origin have been suggested throughout the years, with La Frezelière (at La Roche-Neuville ) and Fréteval being the most common. 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

3456-475: The Earl of Ross in 1375. In 1592, Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth received charters from James VI of Scotland for the fishing village of Faithlie which later became the town of Fraserburgh . Sir Alexander Fraser was also authorized to found a university in the town but this scheme was short-lived due to the religious troubles of the time. The eighth Laird of Philorth built Fraserburgh Castle, which later became

3584-492: The Heritable Jurisdictions Act which extinguished the right of chiefs to hold courts and transferred this role to the judiciary. The traditional loyalties of clansmen were probably unaffected by this. There is also doubt about any real effect from the banning of Highland dress (which was repealed in 1782 anyway). The Highland Clearances saw further actions by clan chiefs to raise more money from their lands. In

3712-586: The Highland clearances . The loss of this middle tier of Highland society represented not only a flight of capital from Gaeldom, but also a loss of entrepreneurial energy. The first major step in the clearances was the decision of the Dukes of Argyll to put tacks (or leases) of farms and townships up for auction. This began with Campbell property in Kintyre in the 1710s and spread after 1737 to all their holdings. This action as

3840-614: The Independent Highland Companies of soldiers to support the British Government. Chief Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat , was appointed as Captain of one of these Independent Highland Companies. However, Wade complained to George II of Great Britain that the Independent Highland Companies had been infiltrated by Jacobitism and demanded that the king take action. Wade put up Lord Lovat's captaincy as

3968-667: The Jacobite rising of that year the British General, Joseph Wightman , passed through Fraser country en route to the Battle of Glen Shiel and gathered with him Fraser of Lovat's men as he went. General Wade 's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 800 men. In 1725 the British Field Marshall George Wade gave instructions that had come to him from George I of Great Britain to re-establish

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4096-598: The Jacobite risings was the result of their remoteness, and the feudal clan system which required tenants to provide military service. Historian Frank McLynn identifies seven primary drivers in Jacobitism, support for the Stuarts being the least important; a large percentage of Jacobite support in 1745 Rising came from Lowlanders who opposed the 1707 Union , and members of the Scottish Episcopal Church . In 1745,

4224-860: The Jacobite risings , although their distant Highland relatives in the Clan Fraser of Lovat were Jacobites. The sixteenth Lord Saltoun commanded the Light Companies of the First Guards at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The nineteenth Lord Saltoun was a prisoner of war during World War I in Germany . Later, in 1936 he became a member of the House of Lords and promoted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution . Fraser Societies Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Scottish Gaelic clann , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred' )

4352-572: The Kinnaird Head lighthouse. This bankrupted him and Philorth Castle was lost from the family for over three hundred years until 1934 when it was bought back by the 19th Lord Saltoun . The ninth Laird of Philorth married the heiress of the Abernethy Lords Saltoun. Their son, Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun , was severely wounded at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. He survived thanks to his servant, James Cardno, who rescued him from

4480-458: The Middle Ages ; however, by the early modern period the concept of oighreachd was favoured. This shift reflected the importance of Scots law in shaping the structure of clanship in that the fine were awarded charters and the continuity of heritable succession was secured. The heir to the chief was known as the tainistear and was usually the direct male heir. However, in some cases

4608-598: The Outer Hebrides from the Norsemen in the 13th century, which followed on from the pacification of the Mormaer of Moray and the northern rebellions of the 12th and 13th centuries, created the opportunity for war lords to impose their dominance over local families who accepted their protection. These warrior chiefs can largely be categorized as Celtic ; however, their origins range from Gaelic to Norse-Gaelic and British . By

4736-525: The clan chief as their head and their protector. According to the former Lord Lyon, Sir Thomas Innes of Learney , a clan is a community that is distinguished by heraldry and recognised by the Sovereign . Learney considered clans to be a "noble incorporation" because the arms borne by a clan chief are granted or otherwise recognised by the Lord Lyon as an officer of the Crown, thus conferring royal recognition to

4864-755: The tribalism that was found in Ancient Europe or the one that is still found in the Middle East and among aboriginal groups in Australasia, Africa, and the Americas. During the 1638 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms , all sides were 'Royalist', in the sense of a shared belief monarchy was divinely inspired. The choice of whether to support Charles I, or the Covenanter government, was largely driven by disputes within

4992-602: The "seigneurs de la Frézelière" in Loigné-Sur-Mayenne . The first annual gathering of the Clan Fraser in Canada in 1894 also recalls this connection. There is other evidence of an ancient connection with Anjou. An 18th century document La Dictionnaire de la Noblesse states that a Simon Frezel was born to the knightly Frezel family from Anjou and, sometime after the year 1030, established himself in Scotland. It also states that Simon Frezel's descendants multiplied and eventually became known as Frasers. This would also explain

5120-531: The 14th century, there had been further influx of kindreds whose ethnicity ranged from Norman or Anglo-Norman and Flemish , such as the Clan Cameron , Clan Fraser , Clan Menzies , Clan Chisholm and Clan Grant . During the Wars of Scottish Independence , feudal tenures were introduced by Robert the Bruce , to harness and control the prowess of clans by the award of charters for land in order to gain support in

5248-834: The 16th century a battle took place between the Clan Fraser (with help from the Clan MacRae ) and the Clan Logan at Kessock , where Gilligorm, the Chief of the Clan Logan, was killed. In 1645, at the Battle of Auldearn , in Nairnshire , the Clan opposed the Royalist leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose , and fought under a Fraser of Struy (from a small village at the mouth of Glen Strathfarrar ). The battle left eighty-seven Fraser widows. A poem about

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5376-651: The 1750s, including Quebec . After the battle, the same year, Castle Dounie was burnt to the ground, while the Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, "the Fox", was on the run. He was captured, tried for treason, and executed in London on 9 April 1747, and his estates and titles were forfeited to the Crown. Castle Dounie was replaced by a small square building costing £300 in which the Royal Commissioner resided until 1774, when some of

5504-562: The 17th century, this had declined and most reiving was known as sprèidh , where smaller numbers of men raided the adjoining Lowlands and the livestock taken usually being recoverable on payment of tascal (information money) and guarantee of no prosecution. Some clans, such as the Clan MacFarlane and the Clan Farquharson , offered the Lowlanders protection against such raids, on terms not dissimilar to blackmail . An act of

5632-401: The 18th century, in an effort to increase the income from their estates, clan chiefs started to restrict the ability of tacksmen to sublet. This meant more of the rent paid by those actually farming the land went to the landowner. The result, though, was the removal of this layer of clan society. In a process that accelerated from the 1770s onward, by the early 19th century the tacksman had become

5760-414: The 300 Frasers were ambushed by 500 MacDonalds. Only five Frasers and eight MacDonalds are said to have survived the battle. Both the clan chief, Hugh Fraser, 3rd Lord Lovat, and his son were amongst the dead and were buried at Beauly Priory . At the Siege of Inverness in 1562 the Clan Fraser of Lovat supported Mary, Queen of Scots : Scottish historian George Buchanan , a contemporary, wrote that when

5888-437: The Chief of a Highland Clan. What the decree did was reinforce the Lady Saltoun's claim to being the head of the senior branch of the wider Fraser family, and granted her the use of the plain and undifferenced Fraser arms (three strawberry flowers on a field of blue). The arms of Clan Fraser of Lovat are Quarterly 1st & 4th Azure three fraises Argent 2nd & 3rd Argent three antique crowns Gules. , or in layman's terms ,

6016-432: The Church of Scotland. This was supported by many chiefs since it suited the hierarchical clan structure and encouraged obedience to authority. Both Charles and his brother James VII used Highland levies, known as the "Highland Host", to control Campbell-dominated areas in the South-West and suppress the 1685 Argyll's Rising . By 1680, it is estimated there were fewer than 16,000 Catholics in Scotland , confined to parts of

6144-400: The Clan Fraser of Lovat defeated the Clan Donald at the Battle of Mamsha . According to some accounts the Frasers under Lord Lovat supported the Munros at the Battle of Bealach nam Broig in 1452 which was fought against the Clan Mackenzie . There are also accounts of Fraser Lord Lovat supporting the Munros at the Battle of Clachnaharry fought two years later in 1454. In 1544,

6272-408: The Clan Fraser of Lovat, under Colonel Hugh Fraser, assaulted Inverness Castle for a second time, this time during a royalist rising, along with John Munro of Lemlair , Thomas Urquhart and Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine. They were all opposed to the authority of the current parliament , assaulted the town and took the castle in what is now known as the Siege of Inverness (1649) . They then expelled

6400-433: The Frasers fought a great clan battle, the Battle of the Shirts ( Blar-na-Léine in Gaelic) against the Clan Macdonald of Clanranald , over the disputed chiefship of Clan Ranald. The Frasers, as part of a large coalition, backed a son of the 5th Chief, Ranald Gallda (the Stranger), which the MacDonalds found unacceptable. The Earl of Argyll intervened, refusing to let the two forces engage. But on their march home,

6528-402: The Frasers have been involved in countless instances of Clan warfare, particularly against the Macdonalds . Two Gaelic war cries of the Frasers have been generally recognized. The first, "Caisteal Dhuni" (Castle Dounie/Downie) refers to the ancestral Castle and Clan seat, which once existed near the present Beaufort Castle . The second is "A Mhòr-fhaiche" (The Great Field). In 1429,

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6656-436: The French language saved the first wave of British troops at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham , which led to the capture of Quebec . In the fight against American independence Simon, who was by this time a General, raised 2,300 men; the 71st Fraser Highlanders . He recruited two battalions at Inverness, Stirling and Glasgow . Most of the men were not Frasers for the number of Frasers had been substantially reduced after

6784-438: The Highlands were a largely non-cash economy, this meant they shifted towards commercial exploitation of their lands, rather than managing them as part of a social system. The costs of living away from their clan lands contributed to the chronic indebtedness that was increasingly common for Highland landowners, eventually leading to the sale of many of the great Highland estates in the late 18th and early 19th century. During

6912-413: The Highlands, others also show Lowland clans or families. Territorial areas and allegiances changed over time, and there are also differing decisions on which (smaller) clans and families should be omitted (some alternative online sources are listed in the External links section below). This list of clans contains clans registered with the Lord Lyon Court . The Lord Lyon Court defines a clan or family as

7040-476: The King with his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband and cousin William of Orange . Swiftly following in March, a Convention of the Estates was convened in Edinburgh , which supported William & Mary as joint monarchs of Scotland. However, to much of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands , James was still considered the rightful, legitimate King. On 16 April 1689 John Graham of Claverhouse , Viscount of Dundee , later known as Bonnie Dundee, raised

7168-409: The King's life in three separate instances. Simon was allegedly awarded the 3 Crowns which now appear in the Lovat Arms for these three acts of bravery. He was however captured by the English and executed with great cruelty by Edward I of England in 1306, in the same barbaric fashion as Wallace. At the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Sir Simon's cousin, Sir Alexander Fraser of Touchfraser and Cowie ,

7296-418: The Lord Advocate (Attorney General) writing in 1680, said: "By the term 'chief' we call the representative of the family from the word chef or head and in the Irish [Gaelic] with us the chief of the family is called the head of the clan". In summarizing this material, Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw Bt wrote: "So it can be seen that all along the words chief or head and clan or family are interchangeable. It

7424-412: The Lovat estates were transferred, by entail, to Thomas Alexander Fraser of Strichen (1802–1875), a distant cousin who was descended from Thomas Fraser of Knockie & Strichen (1548–1612), second son of Alexander Fraser, 4th Lord Lovat (1527–1557). Knockie was sold about 1727 to Hugh Fraser of Balnain (1702–1735). Under the chief, Simon (who had led the Frasers in the '45 as the Master of Lovat)

7552-438: The Lowlands increased. This gave an advantage in speaking English, as the "language of work". It was found that when the Gaelic Schools Society started teaching basic literacy in Gaelic in the early decades of the 19th century, there was an increase in literacy in English. This paradox may be explained by the annual report of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge (SSPCK) in 1829, which stated: "so ignorant are

7680-445: The Prince after receiving so many favours from the government, he replied that "he did it more in revenge to the ministry for having taken away his Independent Company, than anything else". Frasers were on the front lines of the Jacobite army at the Battle of Falkirk , and the Battle of Culloden in 1746. At Culloden, Charles Fraser of Inverallochy who led the clan at the battle, was mortally wounded and found by General Hawley on

7808-417: The Scottish Parliament of 1597 talks of the "Chiftanis and chieffis of all clannis ... duelland in the hielands or bordouris". It has been argued that this vague phrase describes Borders families as clans. The act goes on to list the various Lowland families, including the Maxwells , Johnstones , Carruthers , Turnbulls, and other famous Border Reivers ' names. Further, Sir George MacKenzie of Rosehaugh,

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7936-439: The Scottish elite. In 1639, Covenanter politician Argyll , head of Clan Campbell , was given a commission of 'fire and sword', which he used to seize MacDonald territories in Lochaber , and those held by Clan Ogilvy in Angus . As a result, both clans supported Montrose's Royalist campaign of 1644–1645 , in hopes of regaining them. When Charles II regained the throne in 1660, the Rescissory Act 1661 restored bishops to

8064-437: The US have continued their proud military tradition, fighting on both sides of the American Civil War . Frasers from both sides of the Atlantic fought in the First World War , and the Second World War. On 1 May 1984, by decree of the Court of the Lord Lyon , the 21st Lady Saltoun , a member of the Royal Family , was made "Chief of the name and arms of the whole Clan Fraser" . Lord Lovat, Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser,

8192-413: The Western Highlands and the Hebrides. Many Highland estates were no longer owned by clan chiefs, but landlords of both the new and old type encouraged the emigration of destitute tenants to Canada and, later, to Australia. The clearances were followed by a period of even greater emigration, which continued (with a brief lull for the First World War) up to the start of the Great Depression . Most of

8320-464: The anti-clan legislation was repealed by the end of the eighteenth century as the Jacobite threat subsided, with the Dress Act restricting kilt wearing being repealed in 1782. There was soon a process of the rehabilitation of highland culture. By the nineteenth century, tartan had largely been abandoned by the ordinary people of the region, although preserved in the Highland regiments in the British army, which poor highlanders joined in large numbers until

8448-464: The aristocracy and Gaelic-speaking clans in the Highlands and Islands . When James was deposed in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution , choice of sides was largely opportunistic. The Presbyterian Macleans backed the Jacobites to regain territories in Mull lost to the Campbells in the 1670s; the Catholic Keppoch MacDonalds tried to sack the pro-Jacobite town of Inverness, and were bought off only after Dundee intervened. Highland involvement in

8576-445: The art of war. Frasers have fought in many wars, from defending Scottish lands against invading Danes and Norse , to the Scottish Wars of Independence, to the Jacobite risings, both World Wars, and they continue to serve today. Among the organized regiments were an Independent Highland Company in 1745 that fought at the Battle of Culloden, and The 2nd Highland Battalion , formed in January 1757. The 62nd Regiment of Foot, formed 1757,

8704-399: The battle of Culloden and the end of the clan system. Many Frasers settled in Canada and the United States after the war against the French in Quebec. The motto and coat of arms of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia are adapted from the Clan. Many others later emigrated to those countries and to Australia and New Zealand (which have both had a Fraser prime minister). Frasers in

8832-451: The battle reads: "Here Fraser Fraser kills, a Browndoth kills a Browndoth. A Bold a Bold, and Lieth's by Lieth overthrown. A Forbes against a Forbes and her doeth stand, And Drummonds fight with Drummonds hand to hand. There dith Magill cause a Magill to die, And Gordon doth the strength of Gordon try. Oh! Scotland, were though Mad? Off thine own native gore. So Much till now thou never shedst before." In 1649

8960-461: The battlefield. In 1666 the tenth Lord built Philorth House a mile from Fraserburgh which remained the family seat until it burned down in 1915. Sir Alexander Fraser of Durris was personal physician to Charles II of England . He was educated at Aberdeen and accompanied the king on his campaign throughout 1650. After the Restoration he sat in the Scottish Parliament and he featured in the diaries of Samuel Pepys . The Fraser family took no part in

9088-416: The chief as a mark of personal allegiance by the family when their head died, usually in the form of their best cow or horse. Although calps were banned by Parliament in 1617, manrent continued covertly to pay for protection. The marriage alliance reinforced links with neighboring clans as well as with families within the territory of the clan. The marriage alliance was also a commercial contract involving

9216-470: The chief chooses, are associated with that clan. There is no official list of clan septs, and the decision of what septs a clan has is left up to the clan itself. Confusingly, sept names can be shared by more than one clan, and it may be up to the individual to use his or her family history or genealogy to find the correct clan with which they are associated. Several clan societies have been granted coats of arms. In such cases, these arms are differenced from

9344-447: The chief's, much like a clan armiger . Former Lord Lyon Thomas Innes of Learney stated that such societies, according to the Law of Arms , are considered an "indeterminate cadet". Scottish clanship contained two complementary but distinct concepts of heritage. These were firstly the collective heritage of the clan, known as their dùthchas , which was their prescriptive right to settle in

9472-684: The choice was rarely simple; Donald Cameron of Lochiel committed himself only after he was provided "security for the full value of his estate should the rising prove abortive," while MacLeod and Sleat helped Charles escape after Culloden. In 1493, James IV confiscated the Lordship of the Isles from the MacDonalds. This destabilised the region, while links between the Scottish MacDonalds and Irish MacDonnells meant unrest in one country often spilled into

9600-479: The clan tartan is then recorded in the Lyon Court Books. In at least one instance a clan tartan appears in the heraldry of a clan chief and the Lord Lyon considers it to be the "proper" tartan of the clan. Originally, there appears to have been no association of tartans with specific clans; instead, highland tartans were produced to various designs by local weavers and any identification was purely regional, but

9728-433: The clans to settle criminal and civil disputes was known as arbitration , in which the aggrieved and allegedly offending sides put their cases to a panel that was drawn from the leading gentry and was overseen by the clan chief. There was no appeal against the decision made by the panel, which was usually recorded in the local royal or burgh court. Fosterage and manrent were the most important forms of social bonding in

9856-435: The clans. In the case of fosterage, the chief's children would be brought up by a favored member of the leading clan gentry and in turn their children would be favored by members of the clan. In the case of manrent, this was a bond contracted by the heads of families looking to the chief for territorial protection, though not living on the estates of the clan elite. These bonds were reinforced by calps , death duties paid to

9984-681: The counties of Stirling , Angus , Inverness and Aberdeen . During the Scottish Wars of Independence , Sir Simon Fraser , known as "the Patriot", fought first with the Red Comyn , and later with Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce . Sir Simon is celebrated for having defeated the English at the Battle of Roslin in 1303, with just 8,000 men under his command. At the Battle of Methven in 1306, Sir Simon Fraser led troops along with Bruce, and saved

10112-493: The crossing of retreating Jacobites. While it is almost certain there was a skirmish upon the bridge, it has been proposed that Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat shrewdly switched sides and turned upon the fleeing Jacobites. Such an act would explain his remarkable rise in fortune in the years that followed. Imprisoned for a year, he was pardoned in 1750 and later raised a Fraser regiment for the British Army which fought in Canada in

10240-455: The direct heir was set aside for a more politically accomplished or belligerent relative. There were not many disputes over succession after the 16th century and, by the 17th century, the setting aside of the male heir was a rarity. This was governed and restricted by the law of Entail , which prevented estates from being divided up amongst female heirs and therefore also prevented the loss of clan territories. The main legal process used within

10368-553: The droving of cattle to the Lowlands for sale, taking a minor share of the payments made to the clan nobility, the fine . They had the important military role of mobilizing the Clan Host , both when required for warfare and more commonly as a large turnout of followers for weddings and funerals, and traditionally, in August, for hunts which included sports for the followers, the predecessors of

10496-501: The emphasis of historians now is on the conversion of chiefs into landlords in a slow transition over a long period. The successive Jacobite rebellions, in the view of T.M. Devine, simply paused the process of change whilst the military aspects of clans regained temporary importance; the apparent surge in social change after the '45 was merely a process of catching up with the financial pressures that gave rise to landlordism. The various pieces of legislation that followed Culloden included

10624-631: The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. The international craze for tartan, and for idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle published by James Macpherson (1736–96). Macpherson claimed to have found poetry written by the ancient bard Ossian, and published translations that acquired international popularity. Highland aristocrats set up Highland Societies in Edinburgh (1784) and other centres including London (1788). The image of

10752-502: The entire clan. Clans with recognised chiefs are therefore considered a noble community under Scots law . A group without a chief recognised by the Sovereign, through the Lord Lyon, has no official standing under Scottish law. Claimants to the title of chief are expected to be recognised by the Lord Lyon as the rightful heir to the undifferenced arms of the ancestor of the clan of which the claimant seeks to be recognized as chief. A chief of

10880-524: The estate settled by their clan. This was known as their oighreachd and gave a different emphasis to the clan chief's authority in that it gave the authority to the chiefs and leading gentry as landed proprietors, who owned the land in their own right, rather than just as trustees for the clan. From the beginning of Scottish clanship, the clan warrior elite, who were known as the ‘fine’, strove to be landowners as well as territorial war lords. The concept of dùthchas mentioned above held precedence in

11008-516: The exchange of livestock, money, and land through payments in which the bride was known as the tocher and the groom was known as the dowry . Clan gatherings are a unique feature of Scottish clan culture, where members of a clan convene to celebrate their shared heritage, participate in Highland Games , and discuss clan business. These events serve as a focal point for clan members and help in preserving historical and cultural landmarks, as well as

11136-535: The families of Moubray, Ramsay, Laundells, Valognes, Boys and Fraser are certainly or probably introduced under King William. The earliest written record of Frasers in Scotland is in 1160, when a Simon Fraser held lands in East Lothian at Keith . In that year, he made the gift of a church to the Tironensian monks at Kelso Abbey . The Frasers moved into Tweeddale in the 12th and 13th centuries and from there into

11264-404: The field, who ordered one of his aides, a young James Wolfe to finish him off with a pistol. Wolfe refused, so Hawley got a common soldier to do it. David Fraser of Glen Urquhart, who was deaf and mute, had, it was said, charged and killed seven redcoats, but was captured and died in prison. John Fraser, also called 'MacIver' was shot in the knee, taken prisoner and put before a firing squad, but

11392-412: The first phase of clearance, when agricultural improvement was introduced, many of the peasant farmers were evicted and resettled in newly created crofting communities, usually in coastal areas. The small size of the crofts were intended to force the tenants to work in other industries, such as fishing or the kelp industry. With a shortage of work, the numbers of Highlanders who became seasonal migrants to

11520-494: The first to go. In 1740 George II demanded action and Wade stepped in and stripped Lovat of his company of Frasers, putting them under command elsewhere. Wade also advised the government to remove Lord Lovat from his office as High Sheriff of Inverness-shire. As a result, Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat , later gave his support to the Jacobite leader Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), and when asked why he had engaged with

11648-424: The forfeited Lovat estates were granted by an Act of Parliament to his son, Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat (1726–1782), by then a major general, in recognition of his military service to the Crown and the payment of some £20,000. Later, two modest wings were added. On the death of General Fraser's younger half-brother, Colonel Archibald Campbell Fraser of Lovat (1736–1815), without legitimate surviving male issue,

11776-527: The garrison and raised the fortifications . However, on the approach of the parliamentary forces led by General Leslie , the clans retreated back into Ross-shire . Over the next year, several skirmishes took place between these parties. During the Siege of Inverness (1650) the Covenanter Frasers of Lovat under Sir James Fraser of Brea successfully defended Inverness Castle against the royalists. In 1650, at

11904-531: The idea of a clan-specific tartan gained currency in the late 18th century and in 1815 the Highland Society of London began the naming of clan-specific tartans. Many clan tartans derive from a 19th-century hoax known as the Vestiarium Scoticum . The Vestiarium was composed by the " Sobieski Stuarts ", who passed it off as a reproduction of an ancient manuscript of clan tartans. It has since been proven

12032-505: The law. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the incidents of feuding between clans declined considerably. The last "clan" feud that led to a battle and which was not part of a civil war was the Battle of Mulroy , which took place on 4 August 1688. Cattle raiding, known as "reiving" , had been normal practice prior to the 17th century. It was also known as creach , where young men took livestock from neighbouring clans. By

12160-531: The legal right to outlaw anyone from his clan, including members of his own family. Today, anyone who has the chief's surname is automatically considered to be a member of the chief's clan. Also, anyone who offers allegiance to a chief becomes a member of the chief's clan, unless the chief decides not to accept that person's allegiance. Clan membership goes through the surname. Children who take their father's surname are part of their father's clan and not their mother's. However, there have been several cases where

12288-702: The legendary hero of Ulster . Whilst their political enemies the Clan Campbell have claimed as their progenitor Diarmaid the Boar , who was rooted in the Fingalian or Fenian Cycle . In contrast, the Clans Grant , Mackinnon and Gregor claimed ancestry from the Siol Alpin family, who descend from Alpin , father of Kenneth MacAlpin , who united the Scottish kingdom in 843. Only one confederation of clans, which included

12416-421: The majority of clan leaders advised Prince Charles to return to France, including MacDonald of Sleat and Norman MacLeod . By arriving without French military support, they felt Charles failed to keep his commitments, while it is also suggested Sleat and MacLeod were vulnerable to government sanctions due to their involvement in illegally selling tenants into indentured servitude . Enough were persuaded, but

12544-399: The modern Highland games . Where the oighreachd (land owned by the clan elite or fine ) did not match the common heritage of the dùthchas (the collective territory of the clan) this led to territorial disputes and warfare. The fine resented their clansmen paying rent to other landlords. Some clans used disputes to expand their territories. Most notably, the Clan Campbell and

12672-628: The most Gaelic part of Ireland, the Plantation of Ulster tried to ensure stability in Western Scotland by importing Scots and English Protestants. This process was often supported by the original owners; in 1607 Sir Randall MacDonnell settled 300 Presbyterian Scots families on his land in Antrim. This ended the Irish practice of using Highland gallowglass , or mercenaries. The 1609 Statutes of Iona imposed

12800-653: 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". The name Fraser may be an altered form of the French patronymic Fresel . The French surname Fresel meant "ribbon, braid" in Old French and was probably the nickname for such merchants. In fact, the surnames Fresel and Frezel are now centred on Normandy and Artois/French Flanders and not in Anjou because Fresel/Frezel were historically Plantagenet. It sounds like

12928-591: The national cause against the English . For example, the Clan MacDonald were elevated above the Clan MacDougall , two clans who shared a common descent from a great Norse-Gaelic warlord named Somerled of the 12th century. Clanship was thus not only a strong tie of local kinship but also of feudalism to the Scottish Crown. It is this feudal component, reinforced by Scots law, that separates Scottish clanship from

13056-407: The natural environment of Scotland. Clan affiliations aren't solely based on ancestry; people with no Scottish lineage can also be affiliated with a clan, commonly known as "Clan Friends." Rents from those living within the clan estate were collected by the tacksmen . These lesser gentry acted as estate managers, allocating the runrig strips of land, lending seed-corn and tools and arranging

13184-483: The ordinary clansmen rarely had any blood tie of kinship with the clan chiefs, but they sometimes took the chief's surname as their own when surnames came into common use in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Thus, by the eighteenth century the myth had arisen that the whole clan was descended from one ancestor, perhaps relying on Scottish Gaelic clann originally having a primary sense of 'children' or 'offspring'. About 30% of Scottish families are attached to

13312-471: The original clan symbol. However, Thomas Innes of Learney claimed the heraldic flags of clan chiefs would have been the earliest means of identifying Scottish clans in battle or at large gatherings. Clan Fraser of Lovat The Clan Fraser of Lovat in Inverness-shire has historically dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict involving Scotland . It has also played

13440-412: The original markers were merely specific plants worn in bonnets or hung from a pole or spear. Clan badges are another means of showing one's allegiance to a Scottish clan. These badges, sometimes called plant badges, consist of a sprig of a particular plant. They are usually worn in a bonnet behind the Scottish crest badge; they can also be attached at the shoulder of a lady's tartan sash , or be tied to

13568-427: The other. James VI took various measures to deal with the resulting instability, including the 1587 'Slaughter under trust' law, later used in the 1692 Glencoe Massacre . To prevent endemic feuding, it required disputes to be settled by the Crown, specifically murder committed in 'cold-blood', once articles of surrender had been agreed, or hospitality accepted. Its first recorded use was in 1588, when Lachlan Maclean

13696-585: The parents that it is difficult to convince them that it can be any benefit to their children to learn Gaelic, though they are all anxious ... to have them taught English". The second phase of the Highland clearances affected overpopulated crofting communities which were no longer able to support themselves due to famine and/or collapse of the industries on which they relied. "Assisted passages" were provided to destitute tenants by landlords who found this cheaper than continued cycles of famine relief to those in substantial rent arrears. This applied particularly to

13824-472: The permission of the clan chief; and the Lyon Court has intervened in cases where permission has been withheld. Scottish crest badges, much like clan-specific tartans , do not have a long history, and owe much to Victorian era romanticism , having only been worn on the bonnet since the 19th century. The concept of a clan badge or form of identification may have some validity, as it is commonly stated that

13952-560: The prevalence of the name Simon throughout clan history, as all Frasers (by descent) would have the knight Simon Frezel as a distant but common ancestor. There are other suggested links with France, but these are more in the realm of myth than history: Around the reign of William the Lion (r.1165–1214), there was a mass of "Norman" immigration into Scotland. Thomas Grey , a 14th-century English knight , listed several "Norman" families which took up land during William's reign. Among those listed,

14080-522: The road back towards Inverness, with pipes playing and colours flying. There are however varying traditions as to what happened at the bridge which spans the River Ness. One tradition is that Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat intended to hold the bridge until he was persuaded against it. Another is that the bridge was seized by a party of the Campbell of Argyll Militia who were involved in a skirmish when blocking

14208-478: The romantic highlands was further popularised by the works of Walter Scott . His "staging" of the royal visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 and the King's wearing of tartan, resulted in a massive upsurge in demand for kilts and tartans that could not be met by the Scottish linen industry. The designation of individual clan tartans was largely defined in this period and they became a major symbol of Scottish identity. This "Highlandism", by which all of Scotland

14336-436: The royal standard of the recently deposed King James VII on the hilltop of Dundee Law . Many of the Highland clans rallied swiftly to his side. The chief of the Clan Fraser, Hugh Fraser , tried to keep the members of his clan from joining the uprising, to no avail: The Clan marched without him, and fought at the Battle of Killiecrankie . During the Jacobite rising of 1715 , Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat "the Fox" , Chief at

14464-400: The territories in which the chiefs and leading gentry of the clan customarily provided protection. This concept was where all clansmen recognised the personal authority of the chiefs and leading gentry as trustees for their clan. The second concept was the wider acceptance of the granting of charters by the Crown and other powerful landowners to the chiefs, chieftains and lairds which defined

14592-481: The time, supported the British Government and surrounded the Jacobite garrison in Inverness. The Clan MacDonald of Keppoch attempted to relieve the garrison, but when their path was blocked by the Frasers, Keppoch retreated. The Inverness garrison surrendered to Fraser on the same day that the Battle of Sheriffmuir was fought, and another Jacobite force was defeated at the Battle of Preston . In 1719 during

14720-485: The traditional three cinquefoils , or fraises ( strawberry flowers), as they have come to be known, in the first and fourth positions and three crowns in the second and third positions. Only the Lord Lovat is allowed use of these arms plain and undifferenced . Castles that have been owned by the Clan Fraser of Lovat have included amongst others: Frasers have always been known for their fighting spirit and their skill in

14848-535: The unfortunate princess went to Inverness in 1562: "as soon as they heard of their sovereign's danger, a great number of the most eminent Scots poured in around her, especially the Frasers and Munros, who were esteemed the most 'valiant of the clans inhabiting those countries in the north.' " These two clans took Inverness Castle for the Queen. The Queen later hanged the governor, a Gordon who had refused her admission. In

14976-582: The wars between the Irish Gaels and the English Tudor monarchy in the 16th century. Within these clans, there evolved a military caste of members of the lesser gentry who were purely warriors and not managers, and who migrated seasonally to Ireland to fight as mercenaries. There was heavy feuding between the clans during the civil wars of the 1640s; however, by this time, the chiefs and leading gentry preferred increasingly to settle local disputes by recourse to

15104-417: The world. It is a common misconception that every person who bears a clan's name is a lineal descendant of the chiefs. Many clansmen, although not related to the chief, took the chief's surname as their own either to show solidarity or to obtain basic protection or for much needed sustenance. Most of the followers of the clan were tenants, who supplied labour to the clan leaders. Contrary to popular belief,

15232-423: Was Bruce's chamberlain. He married Bruce's sister Mary . Alexander Fraser's younger brother was another Sir Simon Fraser , from whom the chiefs of the Clan Fraser of Lovat are descended. One of Simon Fraser's grandsons was Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie and Durris. This Alexander Fraser acquired a castle now called Cairnbulg Castle and the lands of Philorth by marriage to Joanna, younger daughter and co-heiress of

15360-476: Was identified with the culture of the Highlands, was cemented by Queen Victoria 's interest in the country, her adoption of Balmoral Castle as a major royal retreat from and her interest in "tartenry". The revival of interest, and demand for clan ancestry, has led to the production of lists and maps covering the whole of Scotland giving clan names and showing territories, sometimes with the appropriate tartans . While some lists and clan maps confine their area to

15488-469: Was made up of everyone who lived on the chief's territory, or on territory of those who owed allegiance to the said chief. Through time, with the constant changes of "clan boundaries", migration or regime changes, clans would be made up of large numbers of members who were unrelated and who bore different surnames. Often, those living on a chief's lands would, over time, adopt the clan surname. A chief could add to his clan by adopting other families, and also had

15616-491: Was much more fortunate. He fought at Bannockburn, married Bruce's sister, and became Chamberlain of Scotland . The Frasers of Philorth who are chiefs of the senior Clan Fraser trace their lineage from this Alexander. Alexander's younger brother, another Sir Simon Fraser , was the ancestor of the chiefs of the Clan Fraser of Lovat. This Simon Fraser was killed at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, along with his younger brothers Andrew and James. As most all Highlanders ,

15744-399: Was promulgated by the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott after influence by others. Historically, tartan designs were associated with Lowland and Highland districts whose weavers tended to produce cloth patterns favoured in those districts. By process of social evolution, it followed that the clans/families prominent in a particular district would wear the tartan of that district, and it was but

15872-610: Was prosecuted for the murder of his new stepfather, John MacDonald, and 17 other members of the MacDonald wedding party. Other measures had limited impact; imposing financial sureties on landowners for the good behaviour of their tenants often failed, as many were not regarded as the clan chief. The 1603 Union of the Crowns coincided with the end of the Anglo-Irish Nine Years' War , followed by land confiscations in 1608 . Previously

16000-737: Was raised by Col. the Hon. Archibald Campbell Fraser of Lovat, as a home guard in the event of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte . The Fraser Fencibles served in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 . The Lovat Scouts , formed in January 1900 by Simon Joseph Fraser , for service in the Second Boer War , saw extensive action during the Great War and the Second World War, and now consist of a platoon , Company C, of

16128-487: Was reported to have not given any heed to the decision, dismissing the matter as being beneath him. Since this decree, there has been much confusion as to who is the Chief of the Clan Fraser. Many believe that this decree made the Lady Saltoun the chief of the Clan. However, the Lord Lyon did not grant the chiefship of the Clan Fraser, just a description of "Chief of the name and arms." The Lord Lyon does not have power over

16256-524: Was soon redesignated as the 78th Fraser Highlanders in 1758, and retired as a fighting unit in 1763, but the unit is still active as a fund raising organization under the authority of the Lord Lovat. The 71st Fraser Highlanders formed in October 1775, and consisted of two battalions raised at Inverness, Stirling and Glasgow for service in North America. They were disbanded in 1786. The Fraser Fencibles Regiment

16384-503: Was then rescued by a British officer, Lord Boyd, who was sick of the slaughter. Another John Fraser, who was Provost of Inverness , tried to get fair treatment for the prisoners. As the first of the Jacobites fleeing from Culloden approached Inverness they were met by a battalion of Frasers led by the 11th Lord Lovat's son, Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat . Tradition states that the Master of Lovat immediately about-turned his men and marched down

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