Simon Fraser of Lovat (19 October 1726 – 8 February 1782) was a son of a notorious Jacobite clan chief, but he went on to serve with distinction in the British army. He also raised forces which served in the Seven Years' War against the French in Quebec, as well as the American War of Independence. Simon was the 19th Chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat.

Overview

Simon Fraser of Lovat (19 October 1726 – 8 February 1782) was a son of a notorious Jacobite clan chief, but he went on to serve with distinction in the British army. He also raised forces which served in the Seven Years' War against the French in Quebec, as well as the American War of Independence. Simon was the 19th Chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat. Master of Lovat Simon's mother was Margaret Grant, and his father Simon "the Fox" Fraser, Lord Lovat, chief of the Clan Fraser. As the first born boy (after several sisters) he was his father's heir, and hence the Master of Lovat. He grew up in the ancestral home of Castle Dounie, near Beauly, and was educated in Edinburgh and St Andrew's University. The '45 Simon 'would not have had any concern in this rebellion, had he been entirely left to himself', according to one of his father's secretaries of the period. This was confirmed by another, who noted that his father was a 'very strict man' with great power over his children. So, at his father's bidding, Simon led his clansmen out in favour of Charles Edward Stuart in December 1745. He was not present at the battle of Culloden. Instead, Charles Fraser of Inverallochy commanded about 300 Frasers, who were in the front of the Jacobite lines and reached the British front line after a short charge. However, confronted with a second line of Hanoverian troops, their impetus was lost and they retreated in some disorder, leaving many dead and wounded behind.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).