Alexander Fraser of Philorth (died 1623) was a Scottish landowner and founder of

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; ), locally known as the Broch, is a town in Aberdeenshire (unitary), Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census as 13,100. It lies in Buchan in the northeastern corner of th ...

He was the eldest son of Alexander Fraser (died 1564) younger of Philorth and Beatrix Keith, a sister of William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Their home at Philorth is now known as

Cairnbulg Castle Cairnbulg Castle is a z-plan castle situated in Cairnbulg, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. It stands by the R ...

. In March 1570 he started building a tower at

Kinnaird Head Kinnaird Head (, "high headland") is a headland projecting into the North Sea, within the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, on the east coast of Scotland. The 16th-century Kinnaird Castle was converted in 1787 for use as the Kinnaird Head Light ...

and a church nearby. He continued to develop the harbour at Faithlie, the modern Fraserburgh, and commenced building a new harbour in 1576. In 1592 he obtained a charter to found a college or university, which was confirmed in 1597, resulting in the short-lived

Fraserburgh University The University of Fraserburgh was a short-lived university founded in 1592 in Fraserburgh, Scotland by Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth. Despite ambitious plans and parliamentary support, the university ultimately failed to develop fully and cl ...

, which closed in 1605.

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

wrote to him in April 1589 asking for money to advance his projected marriage with

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

. He was knighted at the baptism of Prince Henry at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

on 30 August 1594. Fellow knights, including John Boswell of Balmuto had also contributed to the funds for the royal wedding. Most sources attest that he died on the 12th of April 1623, though some state July 1623. There is a portrait of him depicted around the year 1597, including a small dog. The

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...

has a pair of small miniatures of Alexander Fraser and his wife Magdalen Ogilvie. These were probably originally set within lockets of gold enamel work like similar Scottish examples.

Marriages and children

Fraser married Magdalen Ogilvie, daughter of Walter Ogilvie of Dunlugas. He married a second wife Elizabeth Maxwell in 1606, a daughter of John, Lord Herries, and widow of John Gordon of Lochinvar. Her son, Robert Gordon of Lochinvar was knighted at Stirling in 1594. The children of Alexander Fraser and Magdalen Ogilvie included: * Alexander Fraser of Philorth, who married Margaret Abernethy, a daughter of George Abernethy,

Lord Saltoun Lord Saltoun, of Abernethy, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1445 for Sir Lawrence Abernethy. The title remained in the Abernethy family until the death in 1669 of his descendant the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded ...

in 1595. He built a tower and courtyard at Pittullie near Fraserburgh.

Charles McKean Charles McKean FRSE FRSA FRHistS FRIBA (16 July 1946 – 29 September 2013) was a Scottish historian, author and scholar. Biography McKean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 July 1946. He was educated at Fettes College, the University of P ...

, ''Scottish Chateau'' (Stroud, 2001), pp. 151-2. Their eldest son was

Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun (March 4, 1604 – August 11, 1693), was a Scottish peer and the 10th Laird of Philorth. Life Fraser was born in 1604 in the young town of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His father was Alexander Frase ...

* Margaret Fraser, who married William Hay of Urie

External links

Pair of miniatures of Alexander Fraser and Magdalen Ogilvie, NMS

Sketch from the 1597 portrait of Alexander Fraser, NGS

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser Alexander 1623 deaths Court of James VI and I