CLAN FRASER SOCIETY  
OF CANADA

FOUNDED IN CANADA IN 1868

FAMILY TIES

In the Preface of  The Frasers of Philorth, Lords Saltoun  (1879)  Alexander Fraser 17th [now 18th]  Lord Saltoun  (1820-1886)  makes the following observation:

“The representatives of the respective lines of Philorth and Lovat were nearest of kin to each other in 1464, with the exception of the six sons of the Philorth line of that date ;  and such has been the extinction of the male descendants in the various branches of the line of Philorth, that at the present time,  with the exception of my own two sons, my two brothers, and their four sons,  numbering eight persons in all,  Lord Lovat is my nearest legitimate male connection to the Fraser name.”  

After the death of Hugh Fraser 5th Lord Lovat on New Year’s Day 1576, in his 29th year, his younger brother,  Thomas Fraser of Knockie became tutor-at-law and guardian to Hugh's young son and heir, Simon, who was then only a child.  Somewhat wild and unruly in his youth, in 1586 Simon ran away from King’s College in Aberdeen and went to Ireland,  where he was entertained by the Earl of Antrim.   His uncle, Thomas Fraser of Knockie, prevailed upon Simon to execute an inhibition in 1587 to the effect that he would do nothing to hurt the interests of his family or prejudice his  heirs, without the consent and advice of his three curators,  one of whom was Sir Alexander Fraser, 8th laird of Philorth.  

The 8th laird's uncle,  Thomas Fraser of Strichen,  had been attacked and slain by Gordon of Gight on Christmas Eve 1576 over a dispute of Isobel Forbes'  rights to the Strichen estates as widow of her first husband,  William Chalmers [held jointly by her and her second husband, Thomas Fraser of Strichen, by charter obtained in 1573].  Isobel,  now a widow for the second time,  to avenge her cause and the death of her second husband, turned to the Tutor of Lovat,  Thomas Fraser of Knockie, then in Stratherrick,  who took up her cause and married the widow.  

To prevent future disputes, Knockie purchased the claims of the Chalmers family on his wife’s estate,  and then bought the interests of his two step-daughters.   He entered into a contract with Katherine and Violet Fraser,  the heirs of his wife’s second marriage,  with the consent of their guardian, Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth,  whereby they were served heirs to their deceased father in the estate and barony of Strichen and immediately divested themselves of the same in favour of Thomas Fraser of Knockie and his male heirs,  begotten by him and his wife Isobel.  Thomas Fraser of Knockie assumed the designation of  “Fraser of Knockie and Baron of Strichen”  or Fraser of Knockie and Strichen,  for which he received a charter under the Great Seal of James VI in 1591.

This Feature Page was updated June 18, 2007, and has previously been published in Canadian Explorer.

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