Flora Marjorie Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun (18 October 1930 – 3 September 2024), was a Scottish noblewoman and

Crossbench A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...

peer. Until her retirement on 12 December 2014, she was the only holder of a lordship of Parliament with a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

as an elected

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Early life

Saltoun was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

on 18 October 1930, the daughter of Alexander, Master of Saltoun (later 20th Lord Saltoun), and Dorothy Geraldine Welby (1890–1985). Her maternal grandfather was Sir Charles Welby, 5th Baronet,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP for Newark. She was raised at

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 ...

near

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 ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, which her father had purchased in 1934 after it had been sold by Frasers in 1613. She was educated at Heathfield School, Ascot, and St Mary's School, Wantage. She had an elder brother, Alexander Simon Fraser, Master of Saltoun (1921–1944), who was their father's heir apparent. He was killed in action in March 1944 while serving with the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, making Flora

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

Career

In 1979, Flora succeeded her father as 21st Lady Saltoun. She took her seat in the

as a

crossbencher A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...

. On 1 May 1984, a decree by the Court of the Lord Lyon, declared that Saltoun was the Chief of the Name and Arms of Clan Fraser and head of the Scottish lowland family, the Frasers of Philorth. As chief, she was heavily involved in clan activities, seeing herself as its "matriarch" She published a family history in 1997, maintained an extensive clan website and designed tartans. In 1997, she, with

Lord Lovat Lord Lovat () is a title of the rank Lord of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser by summoning him to the Scottish Parliament as Lord Fraser of Lovat, although the holder is referred to simply as Lo ...

, hosted a four day Fraser gathering, attended by 30,000 people. In the Lords, she sat on the ecclesiastical and procedure committees and spoke on policies such as the

Common Fisheries Policy The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fishery, fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which Member state of the European Union, member states are allowed to catch each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishin ...

and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

. She was a proponent of decorum in the house and was opposed to the removal of

s. For 25 years, she served as secretary of the Association of Scottish Peers. In 1999, when the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

removed 662 hereditary peers, Saltoun was one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the Lords. On 12 December 2014, she retired from the Lords under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014.

Personal life

Flora Fraser met Alexander Ramsay of Mar (1919–2000), son of the former Princess Patricia of Connaught, at the Perth Hunt Ball. They became engaged and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

gave her official consent to the marriage under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 on 19 August 1956. They were married on 6 October 1956 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church,

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

and Queen Ingrid of Denmark (her husband's first cousin) attended. As her father's heir, she kept her maiden surname after marriage. The couple had three daughters: * Katherine Ingrid Mary Isabel Fraser, 22nd Lady Saltoun (born 11 October 1957); married Mark Nicolson on 3 May 1980 and had issue. * The Hon. Alice Elizabeth Margaret Ramsay of Mar (born 8 July 1961); goddaughter of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, married David Ramsey on 28 July 1990 and had issue. * The Hon. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Ramsay of Mar (born 15 April 1963) As Ramsay's wife, she was considered a member of the extended

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. They frequently attended garden parties at the

Palace of Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has ...

and other major royal occasions. Her husband was also closely related to the Swedish and Danish royal families, and they attended the weddings of the future Queen Margrethe II in 1967 and King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976. After being widowed, the last major occasion she attended in Britain was the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. The couple inherited

Mar Lodge Mar Lodge is a sporting lodge to the west of Braemar and the principal building on the Mar Lodge Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was built in 1895, replacing an earlier building, by Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. Location Mar Lodge is a ...

near

Braemar Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee, sitting at an elevation of . The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' p ...

from his aunt, Princess Arthur of Connaught. They also resided at

and Inverey House, a mock baronial house they built near

Ballater Ballater (, ) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Ballater is a centre for hikers and known for its spring water, once said to cure scrofula. ...

. Saltoun died at home in Ballater on 3 September 2024, at the age of 93. A memorial service was held on 25 November 2024 at St Peter's Episcopal Church, Fraserburgh.

Bibliography

* Saltoun, Flora Marjory Fraser, 20th Lady, ''Clan Fraser: A History Celebrating over 800 Years of the Family in Scotland.'' Scottish Cultural Press, 1997.

Footnotes

References

External links

Lady Saltoun's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltoun, Flora Fraser, 21st Lady 1930 births 2024 deaths Nobility from Edinburgh Politicians from Edinburgh

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

Hereditary women peers Crossbench hereditary peers People educated at Heathfield School, Ascot 21 Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999 Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 Female hereditary members of the House of Lords