Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

THE FKASERS OF TOUCH- FKASEE, ETC., AND COWIE. 41
SIR ANDREW FRASER.
Immediately following the name of Sir Richard Fraser, upon two im-
portant occasions, appears that of Sir Andrew Fraser. It is impossible to
doubt that he was very closely connected with Sir Richard, for his son
Alexander was Sir Richard's successor in the estate of Touch- fraser, but,
unfortunately, no distinct record of the nature of that connection has been
preserved.
The constant warfare, which, commencing in 1296, lasted for many years,
and the numerous executions by order of Edward I. in 1306, cut off many of
the younger scions of Scottish families almost contemporaneously with the
decease of their relatives of the two preceding generations ; and where two
individuals of a family bore the same Christian name, this has been very
apt to mislead genealogists into confounding them together, and considering
them one and the same person. In this manner appears to have originated
the mistake into which it is believed that Mr. Anderson has fallen, 1
of regarding; this Sir Andrew Fraser as identical with a Sir Andrew Fraser,
son of Sir Gilbert, and brother of John Fraser, Sir Simon Fraser, Sheriff of
Traquair and Peebles, and William Fraser, Bishop of St. Andrews, and
therefore uncle to Sir Richard Fraser, of which a little reflection will show
the improbability, and, indeed, it might almost be said the impossibility.
It is not probable that the name of Sir Richard should precede that of
his uncle Andrew whenever they occur together, but a still stronger argu-
ment is drawn from the positions in which this Sir Andrew Fraser
is found. He was the father of a young family in 1296; — that his children
were then young is shown by the dates at which his sons subsequently
married, viz., — Alexander, in 1316 ; Simon, not mentioned as a married man
until 1329, though he probably was so a few years earlier; and James, in
1322. This by itself, though important, woidd not be conclusive, for an
aged man might have had a young family ; but this Sir Andrew will be found
to have been ordered by Edward I. to reside south of the Trent in 1296, and
to have been vigorous enough to accompany that monarch to Flanders during
1 History of the Family of Fraser, page 30.