Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

196 THE FRASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
telling them how severe a master Lord Saltoun would prove to be if his sou
should marry the heiress of Lovat, and thanking them for their readiness to
support the pretensions of the Erasers of Beaufort to the succession. 1
After Lord Eraser's return home to Aberdeenshire he received a letter
from Thomas Fraser of Beaufort, and some of his party, about twenty-six in
number, containing a peremptory warning which he was to convey to Lord
Saltoun, not to come into that part of the country without their leave and
invitation, which he accordingly intimated to him. 2
Lord Saltoun, however, disregarded this threat, and in October 1697,
having visited the dowager Lady Lovat at Castle Downie, near Beauly, was
returning to Inverness, accompanied by Lord Mungo Murray, and with only
the usual attendants of gentlemen travelling, when they were met in the
wood of Bunchrew by Beaufort and his son Simon, at the head of above
fifty armed men, who attacked them, made them prisoners, dismounted them
from their horses, and putting them on country garrons, led them to Finellan
House, where they were imprisoned in separate rooms, and remained for
about five days, during which time Beaufort and his son, having assembled
a force of several hundred men, erected a gallows before the house, upon
which they threatened to hang their prisoners, unless Lord Saltoun engaged
to proceed no further with the marriage of his son to the heiress of Lovat.
From Finellan Lord Saltoun and Lord Mungo Murray were taken to the
rocky island of Aigas, in the Beauly river, and thence brought to Castle
Downie, of which Beaufort and his son had taken possession, where they
were at length released, John Fraser of Crechie, according to his own deposi-
tion, having been instrumental in saving their lives. 3
The atrocious conduct of Simon Fraser of Beaufort towards the dowager
Lady Lovat, who fell into his hands at Castle Downie, may be passed over
in silence (the young heiress, happily for her, had been placed in safety under
the care of the Marquis of Athole). It may be briefly mentioned that troops
being sent against Beaufort and his adherents, they were dispersed, and his
son Simon, not venturing to appear and stand his trial, was, in his absence,
with nineteen of his associates, sentenced to death on the 5th September 1698,
for the outrages they had committed. He afterwards had interest enough to
1 Depositions at the trial of Simon Fraser, March 169S. - Ibid. 3 Ibid.