Simon Fraser, 11th
Lord Lovat has been described as ‘the Fox’ and ‘the most devious man in
Scotland’, epithets which are probably justified, but this makes him arguably the
most colourful character of the ‘45. Born in 1667 he was the son of Thomas Beaufort,
the third surviving son of the 8th Lord Lovat. During his life Simon seems to have had
only one real loyalty - to his Clan and family, and as such this explains his actions for
much of his life with his obsession in gaining what he saw as rightfully his - the title
of Lord Lovat and his Clan lands. He was brought up at his lifelong home of Castle Downie.
There he is said to have kept a large number of retainers throughout his life, all seated
at the same table as himself but in a social pecking order - the lower end only got whisky
whilst Simon and his guests drank fine clarets. It could be argued that living like this
made Simon the last of the old-style feudal chieftains in the Highlands.
As stated, his obsession was with getting the title of Lord Lovat for himself and in 1697 his dishonest turn of mind cooked up the dangerous idea of kidnapping and marrying the widowed Amelia, Lady Lovat - an Atholl by birth - in order to gain what he saw as rightfully his. His retainers got her to a church where the service was carried out - with Simon’s ghillies slitting the lady’s stays with their dirks and his pipers playing to drown out her screams. By doing this he roused the fury of the Atholls, forcing him to flee the country, not least as he was tried for Treason as a result in his absence. He spent the next 6 years on the Continent, travelling as well as paying frequent visits to the Jacobite court. It seems that whilst at St Germain he learnt further lessons in intrigue and double-dealing, Madame de Maintenon describing him as ‘un homme ravissant’. Whilst in France Simon took the opportunity to convert to Catholicism and ingratiate himself with the Jacobite court, even laying down plans for a possible rising in Scotland. He then returned to Scotland in 1703, having hatched a new plot to cause trouble for Atholl and try to gain the title he coveted - his erstwhile ‘bride’ having had the marriage annulled and remarried in 1702. He took some unaddressed letters from the Jacobite court which he doctored to implicate Atholl to the Duke of Queensbury, the government’s chief man in Scotland, and sweetened the bait by adding the names of Queensbury’s political enemies. By doing this Simon hoped to disgrace Atholl and regain his title, but the plan backfired. Atholl was tipped off as to what was happening, Queensbury lost all credibility for a time and the government was embarrassed. Simon went back to his estates and bided his time, corresponding still with the Jacobites (asking for a Dukedom no less as the price of his help) whilst trying to ingratiate himself with the court in London.
During the 1715 Rising Simon stayed resolutely out of the action, whilst busy writing to both sides as usual to try and ingratiate himself. The government rewarded his ‘loyalty’ by issuing him with a pardon for his past activities, and Simon took advantage of the Rising to help himself to defeated Jacobites sequestered lands. In 1717 he again married, this time to one of the daughters of his neighbour Grant of Grant, who bore him 2 sons and 2 daughters. In 1719 Simon went one stage further with his plotting. When the 1719 rising started he wrote to the leader of the Jacobite Highland forces, the Earl of Seaforth promising to raise his Clan and join him. This was leaked to the government in London, but fortunately Simon was tipped off that he had been betrayed, and managed to wheedle his way out again. He gave orders to his clan to oppose the rising, then headed to London. His arrival at court, coupled with the news that Frasers had taken Seaforth’s lands and fought against the rising, brought him into such favour that King George I agreed to be his eldest son’s godfather ! Simon now spent the next decade in protracted legal wrangles to try and get what he saw as being rightfully his, and thinking up more ways to increase his power. In 1724 he wrote a paper addressed to the King ‘a Memorial on the State of the Highlands’, in which he advocated strengthening the legal and armed power of the Highland Chiefs in order to keep order in Scotland. This was rejected, but his suggestion of the raising of Highland Independent companies was taken up on, with him even commanding one for a time. In 1732 his wife died, but Simon remarried the following year, this time to Primrose, daughter of John Campbell of Mamore. Also in 1733 he finally won his legal wrangles and the title of 11th Lord Lovat. He still aided the Jacobites though, in 1736 helping John Roy Stewart to escape the country. When the ‘45 came around Lovat initially hedged his bets (see our section on Frasers in the ‘45). He belatedly joined the Jacobites, only then to hear of the defeat at Culloden, saying that ‘none but a mad fool would have fought that day’. The night after the battle Lovat and Charles met for the only time at Lovat’s house at Gorthlech on Loch Mhor, where Lovat advised Charles to return to France and then try another rising. Both men fled the following day, Lovat to an island on Lake Morar. He was captured there by Captain Fergusson, being found to be infirm and hiding inside a hollow tree. His bare legs were left uncovered and had given him away. He was taken in a litter to London, and then to the Tower, where he remained until 9th March 1747 when he was put on trial in Westminster Hall. He was convicted on 18th March on the evidence of John Murray of Broughton, who under Scots law should not have been able to give evidence against him, but the judges chose to ignore this. Lovat conducted himself with dignity, sitting for a portrait by Hogarth (see above, courtesy of Aberdeen University), and famous for his bon mots during the trial. Asked if he had any questions for Sir Everard Fawkener, he replied ‘No, only that I am Sir E.’ servant, and wish him joy of his young wife’. On April 9th 1747 he was beheaded in on Tower Hill, the last person to be so in Britain. In a final ironic twist, one of the wooden grandstands set up for Londoners to watch Lovat’s execution collapsed resulting in several deaths before Lovat himself went to the gallows...