The Frasers of Philorth are a Scottish lowlands family, originally from the Anjou region of France. [1] Castle Fraser, their family seat, is in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. [2] Since the time of Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, the heads of the Philorth family are the Lords Saltoun. [3] The current head of the Frasers of Philorth is Katharine Fraser, 22nd Lady Saltoun, who is Chief of the Name and Arms of Clan Fraser. The family's arms are " azure, three cinquefoils argent "—three silver strawberry flowers on a field of blue. The heraldic cinquefoil is a stylized five-point leaf; the cinquefoils which appear on the Fraser of Philorth coat-of-arms are specifically strawberry flowers. Only the Lady or Lord Saltoun is permitted to display these arms plain and undifferenced.
Fraserburgh Alexander's grandson, also Alexander, married a daughter of the Earl of Ross, acquiring the lands of Philorth in Buchan, plus the castle of Cairnbulg, which has been the seat of the Fraser chiefs from that time forward.
In 1504, the family purchased a fishing community called Faithlie, by Kinnaird Head. [4] On coming into possession in 1569, Sir Alexander, 8th Lord of Philorth, began to build "a large and beautiful town". He laid the foundation of the Tower of Kynnairdshead, since called the Castle of Fraserburgh, and built a church. [4]
They created a burgh of barony in 1546. [4]
In 1592, Alexander was given a charter by James VI for Faithlie. He improved the harbour, making the area a thriving town, which soon became a free port and burgh called Fraserburgh, a rival of Aberdeen.
Around 1596, the family built Pittulie Castle. [5]
Fraserburgh was to have had a university, but the religious troubles and competition from Aberdeen stemmed the town’s growth. By building Fraserburgh Castle the Laird bankrupted himself, and had to sell the Philorth Castle, [4] which passed out of the family for over 300 years until Alexander Fraser, 19th Lord Saltoun, bought it back in 1934. Alexander, 9th Lord of Philorth, married the heiress of the Lord Saltoun, a title borne by the Clan Fraser chiefs since that time.
The Chiefship was in dispute between the Frasers of Philorth and another branch, which also came from Tweeddale, the Frasers of Muchalls. In the reign of Charles I, the Frasers supported his rule in Scotland, as his father had granted them the lordship. In the Anglo-Scottish war, the Frasers fought against Oliver Cromwell. This act of rebellion meant that title of Lord Fraser was not long-lived, as many of the Fraser family began immigrating to the Americas during Cromwell's reign as Lord Protector. Many of the 1st Lord Fraser's sons settled in the newly founded colonies of Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maryland under the name "Frizzell". Many of these descendants married into prominent families in the Colonies, including the Carters of Corotoman, Virginia.
As for those who stayed in Scotland, Andrew, the 2nd Lord Fraser, remained in Kemnay at Castle Fraser until his death in 1623. His eldest son, the 3rd Lord Fraser, Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, and his brothers took part in the 1650 Battle of Dunbar under David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark. One of these brothers, James Fraser, ended up in Massachusetts (US) as "James Frizzell." In 1670, following the ascension of Charles II of England, the 3rd Lord Frazer's (11th Lord Saltoun) title was ratified by Parliament. Following the death of the 3rd Lord Fraser in 1693, the title passed to his grandson, William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun. The peerage expired with the 4th Lord Fraser, who died in 1716 while on the run as a result of his participation in The Fifteen.
Fraserburgh, locally known as the Broch, is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population recorded in the 2011 Census as 13,100. It lies in Buchan in the northeastern corner of the county, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Aberdeen and 17 miles (27 km) north of Peterhead. It is the biggest shellfish port in Scotland and one of the largest in Europe, landing over 5,450 tonnes in 2016. Fraserburgh is also a major port for white and pelagic fish.
Lord Saltoun, of Abernethy, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1445 for Sir Lawrence Abernethy. The title remained in the Abernethy family until the death in 1669 of his descendant the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded by her cousin Alexander Fraser, the eleventh Lord. He was the son of Alexander Fraser and Margaret Abernethy, daughter of the seventh Lord Saltoun. The title has remained in the Frasers of Philorth family ever since.
Banff and Buchan is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland, covering an area along the northern coast of the council area. The main towns are Banff and Fraserburgh. Fishing and agriculture are important industries, together with associated processing and service activity.
Rosehearty is a settlement on the Moray Firth coast, four miles west of the town Fraserburgh, in the historical county of Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The burgh has a population of approximately 1,300 with about 25 per cent of pensionable age.
The villages of Inverallochy and Cairnbulg lie some 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Fraserburgh, in North East Scotland. It formerly consisted of the three fishing villages of Brandesburgh, Cairnbulg and Inverallochy, but the former village has since disappeared.
Kinnaird Head is a headland projecting into the North Sea, within the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, on the east coast of Scotland. The 16th-century Kinnaird Castle was converted in 1787 for use as the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, the first lighthouse in Scotland to be lit by the Commissioners of Northern Lights. Kinnaird Castle and the nearby Wine Tower were described by W. Douglas Simpson as two of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. The lighthouse is a category A listed building. and the Wine Tower. is a scheduled monument. The buildings around the base of the lighthouse are the work of Robert Stevenson.
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. Both clans have their own separate chief, both of whom are officially recognized by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
Clan Fraser of Lovat is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century.
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county town of the historic county of Banffshire.
Broadsea is a community situated in Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland. It is a long-standing fishing community at the north edge of Fraserburgh.
Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, was a Scottish peer and the 10th Laird of Philorth.
Fordyce is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that is slightly inland from the point where the Burn of Fordyce meets the sea between Cullen and Portsoy. It has existed since at least the 13th century. In 1990, Charles McKean wrote that Fordyce was "a sheer delight to discover, concealed as it is from the passing eye by hills and rolling countryside".
Cairnbulg Castle is a z-plan castle situated in Cairnbulg, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. It stands by the River Philorth and was originally known as Philorth Castle. The 17th-century Philorth Castle, an L-plan house consisting of a sizeable crow-stepped block, was demolished after a fire in 1915.
William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun, was a Scottish peer and the 11th Laird of Philorth.
Pitsligo Castle is a ruined castle half a mile east of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Modified in the 1570s by the Forbes of Druminnor, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire. It is listed by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.
Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo (1678–1762) was a Scottish Jacobite nobleman and refugee, also known as a writer.
Pittulie Castle is an oblong tower house probably dating from 1596, half a mile from Pitsligo Castle, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument. Built by the Frasers of Philorth, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire.
Alexander Fraser of Philorth was a Scottish landowner and founder of Fraserburgh.
Fraserburgh Town House is a municipal building in Saltoun Square, Fraserburgh, Scotland. The building, which was the headquarters of Fraserburgh Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building.
The University of Fraserburgh was a short-lived university founded in 1592 in Fraserburgh, Scotland by Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth.
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