Fraser, Simon

1667 - Simon Fraser called "The Fox", Chief of Clan Fraser and 11th Lord Lovat, is one of the strangest characters of the ‘45. Though an unprincipled man, he was a good chief, who declared, "There is nothing I place in balance with my kindred (the Fraser clansmen)".

1702 - He escaped to France. There he paid frequent visits to the Jacobite court. Whilst in France he converted to Catholicism and to please the Jacobite court laid down plans for a possible rising in Scotland.

1703 - He returned to Scotland and the Strathspey you are listening to was composed by his minstrel on this occasion.

1715 - He took no part in the Rising, but kept busy writing to both sides as usual to try and ingratiate himself. This earned him the government's pardon for his past activities and Simon availed himself of these events to help himself to defeated Jacobites sequestered lands.

1717 - He again married, this time one of the daughters of his neighbour Grant of Grant, who bore him 2 sons and 2 daughters.

1719 - Rising started, he wrote to the leader of the Jacobite Highland forces, the Earl of Seaforth promising to raise his Clan and join him.

1724 - He wrote a memorandum intented to the King: ‘a Memorial on the State of the Highlands’, in which he advocated strengthening the legal and armed power of the Highland Chiefs in order to keep order in Scotland.

1729 - He brought a reduction before the Court of Session of the decree, giving the heir female the title, and in virtue of a decree in his favour in 1730, became "Lord Fraser of Lovat".

1732 - His wife died, but he remarried, this time to Primrose Campbell of Mamore.

1733 - He finally succeeded in his legal wrangles and obtained, at last, the title of "11th Lord Lovat".

1736 - He still aided the Jacobites though, in helping John Roy Stewart to escape the country.

1747 - He was conveyed in a litter to London, and after a trial of five days (with evidence given against him by the fellow Jacobite John Murray of Broughton) sentence of death was pronounced on March. His execution took place on the 9th of April.