"The fraises are quartered with three antique crowns, and here again authors differ, most writers saying they are for Bisset. Even Nisbet makes this error, although on another page he gives the arms of Bisset of Beaufort as 'Azure a bend argent!' Others say they were granted to Sir Simon Fraser, the 'Flower of Chivalrie,' the friend of Wallace and Bruce, for having three times re-horsed his king at the Battle of Methven, in 1306. This may be their origin, but if so they were probably granted to or adopted by his grand nephew and heir, Sir Andrew Fraser, for Sir Simon Fraser was taken prisoner at this very battle, conveyed to London and beheaded. It is worthy of note, however, that the Grants, near neighbors and often allied to the Frasers, bear three antique crowns, though of a different tincture. Hugh, fifth Lord Lovat, married a daughter of the Laird of Grant, by whom, however, he had no issue. He died 1544."
In another note Mr. Dixon says: "The court language of Scotland, at the time this family took their arms, which are totally different from those of the French house of Frezeau or Frezel, was a medley of Teutonic and French."
In the Lowlands of Scotland.—But whether the derivation be from the Romance fraysse, 'an ash tree,' or the Gaelic frith, 'a forest,' we find the chief of the name firmly established as a powerful Scottish noble, manifesting the patriotism and national sentiment to be looked for in a native born baron, as early as 1109.
His name was Gilbert de Fraser, who, in the year named, witnessed a charter known as the Cospatrick Charter. It is generally conceded that he is the first with whom documentary history begins. That there were Frasers in Tweeddale and Lothian before him is certain, and the names of some of them have survived, but with this Gilbert begins the unbroken record of lineage which comes down to our own day. The lands possessed by the Frasers in the south of Scotland were extensive, and the family power was great, as will be indicated in the course of the brief reference to it which will be here made. Gilbert had three sons, Oliver, Udard and another whose name is not now known.
Oliver succeeded his father and built Oliver Castle, by which his name survives. There are many interesting descriptions of this old stronghold; that in the Ordnance Survey Report I quote on account of its brevity: "An ancient baronial fortalice in Tweedsmuir parish, S. W. Peeblesshire, on the left side of the river Tweed . . . Crowning a rising ground which now is tufted with a clump of trees, it was the original seat of the Frasers, ancestors of the noble families of Lovat and Saltoun, and passed from them to the Tweedies, who figure in the introduction to Sir Walter Scott's Betrothed, and whose maternal descendant, Thomas Tweedie-Stodart (b. 1838; suc. 1869), of Oliver House, a plain modern mansion hard by, holds 1144 acres in the shire. . . Oliver Castle was the remotest of a chain of strong ancient towers, situated each within view of the next all down the Tweed to Berwick, and serving both for defence and for beacon fires in the times of the border forays. It was eventually relinquished and razed to the ground." Oliver died without issue, and, his brother Udard, evidently having predeceased him, the succession went to Udard's son,
Adam, who was succeeded by his son,
Lawrence, on record in 1261, and who was in turn succeeded by his son,
Lawrence. The second Lawrence had no male issue, but had two daughters, one of whom married a Tweedie, carrying with her Fraser lands, and the other of whom married a Macdougall. The succession in the male line now reverted to Gilbert's third son, whose name is lost, but who had two sons,
Simon and Bernard. Both these succeeded to the chiefship, Simon's issue being female. It was after this Simon that Keith-Simon was named.