Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

THE FRASERS OF PH1LORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
193
AVILLIAM FRASER,
ELEVENTH OF PHILORTH AND ELEVENTH
LORD SALTOUN.
MARGARET,
DAUGHTER OF JAMES SHAKPE, ARCHBISHOP OF
ST. ANDREWS.
William Fraser, second son of Alexander Fraser, afterwards Master of
Saltoun, and the Lady Ann Kerr, was born on the 21st November 1654, 1 and
with his elder brother, Alexander, was educated at King's College, Aberdeen,
their names appearing together as having matriculated there in 1667. 2
At the decease of his elder brother in 1672, he became heir-apparent to
his father, and very shortly afterwards was deeply engaged with him in those
lawsuits to which allusion has been made in the latter part of the life of the
tenth Lord.
Though powerless to save his grandfather and father from the misfortunes
which overwhelmed them, he appears to have had much common sense and
prudence, which prevented his own utter ruin ; and he held fast the reversion
of the estates, to which he had become entitled by a deed of disposition, which
their necessities had compelled them to execute in his favour in 1676, and in
which he had prudently obtained infeftment by royal charter. 3
He was often, however, very hardly pressed in reference to his pecuniary
affairs, and in 1679 was forced to go abroad to France, where he remained for
about a year in great distress, returning to Scotland in September 1680, at
the request of his grandfather. 4
In November 1681 he obtained from the Duke of York the command of
a company of foot, and his father dying in 1682, he assumed the title of
Master of Saltoun, as heir- apparent to his grandfather. 5
On the 11th October 1683, at Scotscraig, in Fife, he married Margaret,
daughter of the venerable James Sharpe, Archbishop of St. Andrews, 6 who
was so barbarously murdered at Magus Moor, in Fife, on the 3d of May 1679,
by a party of Covenanters, headed by Balfour of Burley and Hackstoun of
Rathillet. It was the sister of Margaret Sharpe, who was with the good
1 Philorth Charter-room.
- Fasti Aberdon., p. 4S5.
;; Philorth Charter-room.
4 Memorandum
Charter-room.
5 Ibid.
by himself in Philorth
s Ibid.
2 B