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

80
HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE
' MS. Hist. Fra-
sers, Adv. Lib. 203.
' Ibid. 205.
t Memorabilia of
Inverness.
A. D. 1531.
" Geneal, Hist.
Suth. 110.
W^dlaw M9S.
glers of a band of notorious robbers, led by one Robert Stran, who
had been executed some time before at Perth, ■" The turbulent nature
of the times calling for the utmost vigilance around baronial residences,
Lord Lovat^ fortified the castle of Lovat with a strong double oaken
gate, crossed with iron bars, and surrounded tlie platform in front of
the house with a ditcli and rampart of earth. He repaired the chapel,
which had been nearly destroyed by fire in his father's time. He esta-
blished Cross Fair at Beauly, on the 3d of May, and procured an act of
Parliament for a weekly fair every Wednesday. Fairs were then held
in Glen Convent. The fair of St Mauritius in Downey, All Saints in
Kilmorack, and Michaelmas, at Beauly. Lord Lovat's retinue, on the
occasions when he rode to proclaim the fairs, were very numerous. On
one occasion he is said to have had in his train three lords, and six ba-
rons, with all their followers, in full armour. Such parade was not without
its use. The ferocity of the clansmen required a curb, and orderwas rarely
settled without bloodshed. The following instance may suffice : The
district of Petty, whicli had been held of the Earl of Moray, in lease, by
tlie M'Intoshes, having been given by him to the Ogilvies, the M'ln-
toshes, in revenge, attacked Hall-Hill, in Petty, the residence of Ogilvy,
laird of Strathern, and killed 24 of his followers. For this outrage, the
Earl of Moray quartered the leader of the M'Intoshes, and hanged 200
of his followers in one day ! '
On Queen Mary's accession to the throne. Lord Lovat was appointed
her justiciar in the north." In the year 1544, several tribes, taking ad-
vantage of the distracted state into which the nation was plunged, com-
mitted great excesses. To restrain theii- boldness, George, Earl of
Huntly, was sent into the Higlilands with a considerable force ; and, by
his exertions, restored to the Lords of Lovat and Laird of Grant, several
lands of which they had been dispossessed by the Clan Cameron and the
people of Glenco, Mudiard and Knodiard ; but the inaccessible nature
of the fastnesses into which these spoilers retreated, greatly impeded his
operations, and finally forced him to return. Lord Lovat, going to take
the lands, recovered from the enemy, into his own hands, was waylaid,