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Clan Fraser of Lovat is blessed with numerous impressive qualities, most notably, tenacity, bravery, and valour. Over the centuries, multiple characters from the clan have made their name in various ways, resulting in both fame and infamy!
Meet the Famous Frasers of Lovat
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat
You may be familiar with the Frasers of Lovat due to the much loved drama series, Outlander. While there is of course a lot of creative license used on the show, certain characters do seem to have been closely inspired by real people. Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, plays a key part in the second series of Outlander, and is as wily in the show as the 11th Lord Lovat was in real life.
Born around 1667, he rose from relative obscurity as the second son of a second son to become one of the most formidable and controversial Highland chiefs in history.
Known widely as ‘the Old Fox,’ Fraser’s reputation for duplicity was legendary. He alternated between supporting the exiled Stuart monarchy and pledging loyalty to the Hanoverian kings, acting as a double agent when it suited his interests. Born a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism to win favour with the Stuarts, yet at other points also served as a British army officer and government ally. His ability to charm allies and outmanoeuvre enemies allowed him to maintain power for decades in an extremely politically turbulent environment.
By the early 18th century, Lovat held power over vast amounts of Fraser territory, stretching from Inverness down along Loch Ness to the Atlantic coast, covering more than 500 square miles of land!
His eventual downfall came with his involvement in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Bonnie Prince Charlie, seeking to reclaim the British throne, offered Lovat supreme command of the Jacobite forces, theorising that the notorious chief’s support would rally thousands. Lovat, however, hesitated. He doubted that the Prince was sufficiently prepared and ultimately hedged his bets by sending his son and clan to fight while publicly lamenting their ‘disobedience.’ The Jacobite defeat at Culloden then sealed his fate.
Captured and convicted of high treason, Lovat became the last man in Britain to be executed by beheading when he died on Tower Hill on 9 April 1747.
Despite this, he managed to stay true to character, keeping the upper hand until the end.
Moments before his demise, a wooden stand collapsed on the spectators gathered to watch the beheading, killing many of them. Lovat is said to have burst out laughing and have still been chuckling as the axe landed. Some argue that this is where the expression, ‘laughing your head off’ comes from!
His life has since inspired historians and storytellers alike, and he certainly embodied all it is to be a Fraser of Lovat.
Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat
From one Lord to another, we’d now like to share the fascinating life of Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, who showcased the clan’s fighting spirit on the world stage. He was a notorious and charming character, with Winston Churchill even describing him as ‘the most beautiful man who ever cut a throat.’
Born in 1911, Lovat inherited the chiefship in 1933, using the position to work on his military skills. He joined the Lovat Scouts before transferring to the newly formed British Commandos, an elite force designed for daring raids and unconventional warfare. His natural charisma, fearlessness, and fierce loyalty to his men quickly set him apart. According to the Imperial War Museum, Lovat played a key role in early commando operations, including the 1942 Dieppe Raid, where he earned the Military Cross for gallantry.
He truly made his name, however, on D‑Day, on the 6th of June 1944. As commander of 1st Special Service Brigade, he led his men ashore at Sword Beach in one of the most audacious landings of the invasion. Iconically, Lovat marched at the head of his brigade accompanied by his personal piper, Bill Millin, who played Highland Laddie and The Road to the Isles amid the chaos of gunfire. This had actually been forbidden by the war office, but Lovat used his characteristic wit to argue against this, telling Millin, ‘ah, but that’s the English War Office. You and I are both Scottish, so it doesn’t apply.’
He and his troops advanced rapidly, and his impressive leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Order, adding to his earlier Military Cross. Even after being seriously wounded later in the war, Lovat remained a symbol of courage, eccentricity, and Highland resolve.
In his life following the war, he served as a Member of Parliament, wrote memoirs, and continued to champion the traditions of the Highlands. He devoted large amounts of time to maintaining the family’s 250,000-acre estate and acting as the chieftain of the Lovat Shinty Club.
The 15th Lord Lovat truly ensured that Clan Fraser’s fighting spirit would be remembered.
Laura Fraser
Finally, we’d like to introduce you to a modern descendant of the clan, who is internationally recognised for her acting prowess!
Laura Fraser was born in Glasgow on the 24th of July 1975 and developed a love for the arts as a student at Hillhead High School. She joined the prestigious Scottish Youth Theatre to hone her craft, before pursuing formal training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Her talent quickly made her a standout performer, and she got her big break in 1996 when she was cast in the BBC fantasy series Neverwhere. Her impressive performance invited widespread praise and helped her gain a steady stream of further film and TV roles.
By the early 2000s, she was appearing in major productions, including Titus (1999), Virtual Sexuality (1999), Kevin and Perry Go Large (2000), and the Hollywood hits, A Knight’s Tale (2001), and Vanilla Sky (2001). She showed a notable skill for switching effortlessly between genres, from period dramas to rom coms, though arguably her most iconic role came in 2012, with the acclaimed drama series, Breaking Bad. Her character, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, became one of the show’s most memorable faces, and she reprised the role in Better Call Saul from 2017 to 2020.
Fraser is still working steadily, most recently starring in the ITV crime drama, Patience, as the wily lead detective, channelling a certain amount of Fraser cunning!
Away from the screen, she lives in her home city of Glasgow with her husband and daughter. An international Scottish hero!
We hope you have enjoyed meeting a few of Clan Fraser of Lovat’s most accomplished members. We have been truly impressed by their perseverance, talent, and charm.
If you would like to learn more about this fascinating family, why not head over to our Clan Fraser of Lovat page, and make sure you keep an eye out for the rest of our Fraser of Lovat content coming up this month.
Image Sources:
Simon Fraser 'the Fox', 11th Lord Lovat by Godfrey Kneller - Unknown, Public Domain
Lord and Lady Lovat at Buckingham Palace, 1942 by ANL - Possibly Associated Newspapers Limited - Screenshot from unidentified source. Image is also available with watermark from https://www.rexfeatures.com/preview/printable/3777120001, Public Domain
Laura Fraser At Premiere of The Boys Are Back by Krn1.618 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
