Major James Fraser of Castle Leathers (or Castleleathers) (1670 – 1760) was a Scottish soldier who supported the British-Hanoverian Government during the

Jacobite risings , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

of the 18th-century and was an important member of the

Clan Fraser of Lovat Clan Fraser of Lovat ( gd, Friseal french: link=yes, Fraiser) is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gaine ...

, a clan of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

. He is also known for his quarrels with his clan chief,

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (c. 1667 – 9 April 1747, London), nicknamed the Fox, was a Scottish Jacobite and Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat, known for his feuding and changes of allegiance. In 1715, he had been a supporter of the Hou ...

who switched sides several times during the Jacobite risings.

Background and early life

James Fraser was born in 1670, son of Malcolm Fraser, 3rd of Culduthel and Anna Ballie. In the direct line he was paternally descended from

Hugh Fraser, 1st Lord Lovat Early life According to James Balfour Paul's 1908 volume 5 of ''The Scots Peerage'', Hugh Fraser, 1st Lord Lovat was the son of Thomas Fraser of Lovat but it is not known who Thomas's wife was. Hugh succeeded his father before May 1455 and as ...

(d.c. 1500), chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat.

Jacobite risings

In 1714 Major James Fraser of Castle Leathers was chosen by the principal men of the

to proceed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to plead with their

clan chief The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard c ...

, to return home and take possession of the family estates and he succeeded in doing this. James Fraser of Castle Leathers received his commission as a Major from Brigadier-General Sir Alexander Grant, the Lord-Lieutenant of the county of

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in popula ...

. He was a Major in Lord Lovat’s Battalion who were engaged in the service of the Government when Lovat returned from France in 1715 and he does not appear to have served in the regular army. At the time of the Disarming Act of 1716, James Fraser of Castle Leathers gave up 36 guns, 30 swords and one pair of pistols. With Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, James Fraser occasionally had very serious differences.

Manuscript

Major James Fraser of Castle Leather’s memoirs were published in 1889 as ''Major Fraser's Manuscript, His Adventures in Scotland and England, his Mission in France in search of his Chief, his services in the Rebellion and his Quarrels with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat 1696-1737''.

Portrait and tartan

A portrait of Major James Fraser of Castle Leathers which was painted by

John Vanderbank John Vanderbank (9 September 1694 – 23 December 1739)Waterhouse, Ellis. ''Painting in Britain 1530–1790'' (Penguin Books, 1957). was a leading English portrait painter who enjoyed a high reputation during the last decade of King George I ...

in about 1720 is available on the National Galleries of Scotland website. A

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

based on that shown in the portrait is officially recognized by the

Scottish Register of Tartans The Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT) is Scotland's official non-ministerial department for the recording and registration of tartan designs, operating since 5 February 2009. As a governmental body, SRT is headquartered at HM General Register Ho ...

Castle

James Fraser's castle, known variously as Castle Leathers, Castle Heather and other name variants was located near to the town of (now the city of) Inverness.

Family and descendants

Major James Fraser of Castle Leathers married Jean or Janet, daughter of Sir Robert Dunbar of Grange Hill, near

Forres Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There a ...

with issue: #Robert Fraser, heir of Castle Leathers. #James Fraser of

Mavisbank House Mavisbank is a country house outside Loanhead, south of Edinburgh in Midlothian, Scotland. It was designed by architect William Adam in collaboration with his client, Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, and was constructed between 1723 and 1727. The fir ...

, who had four sons all of whom died without issue and only one whom survived him: Simon Fraser, Lieutenant-Colonel in the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

. Major James Fraser of Castle Leathers also had several daughters, eleven children in all. He died at Inshoch Castle in 1760, aged 90 years

References

{{reflist

External links

Portrait of Major James Fraser of Castle Leathers in the National Galleries of ScotlandFraser of Castle Leathers Tartan in the Scottish Register of TartansMajor Fraser's manuscript; his adventure in Scotland and England; his mission to, and travels in France in search of his chief; his services in the Rebellion, and his quarrels with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, 1696-1737
archive.org. James of Castle Leathers Fraser, James Fraser, James