The Clan Fraser in Canada: Souvenir of the First Annual GatheringFraser, Alexander
History
The Clan Fraser in Canada: Souvenir of the First Annual Gathering
Fraser, Alexander
Clans -- Canada; Fraser family
We see here the ease with which a MacCreggie could become a Fraser, and,
bearing in mind the principle noticed by Hill Burton, there is no
difficulty in accounting for the origin and growth of our Clan in the
Highlands. Whether we can tell the day of the month and the year on
which Andrew or Simon Fraser first gazed on the winding Beauly or
not--and the date can be approximately fixed--we, at all events, have no
deep, unfathomable problem to solve as to the formation of the Fraser
Clan. We know that the founder of the name in Inverness-shire arrived
there as the head of a powerful Lowland house, that he settled among the
native Caledonians of the country, assumed possession of the lands then
forming his estate; that the people, who were as Celtic as those in any
portion of the Highlands, bearing such names as Gille-Criosd,
Mac-Killweralicke, Gill' Aindrea, etc., rallied around him, accepted his
authority, became his followers, and gradually adopted the name. As has
been remarked, some of those who were thus absorbed were the Bissets and
the Fentons of the Aird; there were also the Haliburtons, the Corbets,
and the Graemes of Lovat, whose estates fell into the possession of the
Fraser family. From this beginning it is an easy matter to follow the
fortunes of the Clan down the centuries from 1296, or thereabout, until
the present day. But it is not as easy, nor is it as important, although
interesting, to deal with the origin of the name and the ancient seat of
those who bore it long, long ago. Yet the theories respecting the origin
of the name must be taken notice of as traditions of interest, at least
to the Clan.
We meet the name of "Fraser" in various spellings in Ragman Roll, which
dates A.D. 1292-97. Seventeen gentlemen of the family are on the roll,
and the spellings given are: Fraser, Fresar, Frisel, Frisele, Freshele,
de Fraser, and de Frisle. Whence derived? A Norman-French and a Celtic
origin have been ascribed to it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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