Historical account of the family of Frisel or Fraser, particularly Fraser of Lovat

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HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE
' Reg. Mag. Sig.
L. in. No. 91.
' Ipid. L. III.
No. 92.
>• Douglas, Peer,
old Work, 428.
' Idid. Wood's
-Edit. Vol. II. p.
J. 56.
•^ Crawford's Peer.
271. Nisbet, Herald,
App. 116.
' Birrel's Diary
from 1532 to 1605,
p. 63.
justice, received a treatment similar to what he had inflicted. He was
then beheaded along with his associates. Whilst these events were ti*ans-
acting, Donald Baloch took refuge in Ireland, where the stroke of an
assassin terminated his career, and his head was dispatched as a present
to the King.
In the midst of his endeavours to regain tranquillity to the kingdom,
his Majesty was not unmindful of those friends who had assisted him in
his distress ; and the attachment which Hugh Fraser had shewn to his
sovereign in his voluntaiy exile, procured him many proofs of his re-
gard. He had a grant from the King as Comes Rossiae, of the lands of
Golfurd, Kynobody, and others within the county of Nau'n,*' and the
barony of Kinnell in Foifarsliii-e ; both charters dated 14th September,
in the 25th year of his Majesty's reign.^ He was constituted High
Sheriff of Inverness-shire, 1431 ;" and is said to have been created the
same year a Lord of Parliament.' *
From his time, it is certain that the family have been ranked among
the Scottish nobility."
For, on the 22d June 1605, a proclamation was made, that " Dukes,
Marqueses, Earls, Lordis and Baronis, should schaw yair evidents to the
effect yai may knaw quha is maist worthie, and every man to have his
awen place in Parliament, and uther proclamations, yat yai compear the
first of November, thair haill names being read out by the messenger." '
In consequence of which order, a decreet of ranking of the Scottish no-
bility, as authorised by King James VI., was given out, 5th March 1606,
narrating the citation of the different nobles, (Simon, Lord Fraser of
Lovat, being among the number,) and decerning the order of preference
+
• The MS. in the Advocates' Library, so often referred to, says Lord Lovat met James
I. at the Spey, on his way to Inverness, and was then created High Sheriff of the county,
p. 146. It speaks of a charter in the public records by John Hay of Lochloy, to John
Hay, his son and apparent heir ; the witnesses to which are Hugo Fraser de Lovet, vice'
comes de Inverness: Donaldus Calder, vicecomes de Nairn, and Johannes Nairn, de Crom-
dale, vicecomes de Elgin, but it neither mentions date nor record.