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

FAMILY OF FRASER.
Of the third son of Gilbert, the Peerage writers are totally sUent, al-
though they speak of his descendants, and the subject is ever likely to
remain in darkness. Abercromby and Crawford' mention a Simon 'Martial Achieve-
T-, 1--11 -iiii ,, ments, Vol. I. p.
iraser, who is said to have married the eldest daughter of Walter, first **6-
Great Steward of Scotland ; " but if he be not a fabulous personage, we 268.
have at least no clue but tliis vague and unsatisfactory statement to the ofne^of sSs!
period of his existence, to say nothing of the difficulties which have ^' ^^' ^^^' ^^^^'
puzzled the learned, in the history of Walter himself. *
We find, however, a Simon Fraser enjoying the lands of Keth, in
East Lothian, in the reign of David I. " Under Malcolm IV. we see - (^aiRdoma, i. 553.
him granting to the monks of Kelso the church of Keth, with some or/rs of i'tlre!
lauds, and the right of pasturage. " The grant is confirmed, both by l'^-!' i^l. chart
iMalcohn and his successor. " He appears again, in a charter to the ^^'"'' ^°- ^'^•
1/-/-I1T1V- ., ' Ibid. 90, 93.
monks of Coldingham, '' in 1 184, in the reign of William the Lion. His ' Do«gia«'s Peerage,
only daughter, Eda, married Hugh Lorens. Before 1165, " Hugo de ^"''^""'^ '• ^^^■
Lorens etEda uxor ejusjilia, et hares Symonis Fraser," made a grant of
the chm-ch of Keith to the Jbbaci/ of Kelso. = By her Hugh had a - Additional case
daughter, likewise caUed Eda, who married Hervey, son of PhUip, the Irheria^d^w l
king's mareschal, and by her Hervey obtained the lands of Keth-Syraon, Nol^sa^'""' '
thus named from Symon Fraser.
His great grand-father, Hervey de Keith, had a controversy with the
monks of Kelso about the allowance to be paid them for his chapel of
Keith Hervei. Joceline, bishop of Glasgow, and Osbert, abbot of
Paisley, decided the dispute, by ordering 20 shillings to be annually paid
to them, from the chapel and manor ; and Richard, bishop of St An-
di-ew's, the diocesan, confirmed the sentence. " Hovenden says this " Chart. Keiso, 97.
bishop died in 1180 ; but Chalmers makes it 1177. " It would appear ?c!ied. Voi 11
from Keith, ' that he is cor;-ect. P- 533.
1 he Old grants of Symon Fraser to the monks of Kelso wele now ^^^^p- ^^^
confirmed by Hervey, son of Philip—and by John de Keith, son of Her-
* He is said, by a MS. in the Advocates' Library, to have been the son of John
who tvas the eldest of the three brothers at Malcolm Ceaninore's Court, and who was pre-
sent at Alnwick, where that king was slain, A. D, 1093. — Page 15.