FRASER, JAMES [SSNE 2290]
Text source
James Fraser was the 5th son of Hugh, 7th Lord Fraser of Lovat, by Isobel, daughter of Sir John Wemyss of that ilk. He is listed as one of the Scottish officers at Thorn city with Colonel William Cranston's [SSNE 2101]regiment between 1655-8. 22 gentlemen joined up from Stratharick, Abertarph, Aird and Strathglass. Balfour Paul erroneously says he was in Polish service at this point [although there appears to be another James Fraser in Poland at this time, see SSNE 5831] when in fact he was fighting the Poles. He died at Torn in 1659 having settled there after the peace. Only one of four Frasers returned to Scotland after the campaign -lieutenant Hugh Fraser of Clunvacky [SSNE 5229].
Sources: Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1656/10; Swedish Krigsarkiv, katalog over rullor, 1656 Preussen del II, vol.10, p.200; A.F. Steuart, Papers Relating to the Scots in Poland 1576-1793, (Edinburgh, 1915), pp.xxii; T. Fischer, The Scots in Eastern and Western Prussia (Edinburgh, 1903), p.135; Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage (8 vols., Edinburgh, 1904-1911), V, p.533; J. Fraser, Chronicles of the Frasers, ed. W. Mackay, (Edinburgh, 1905), p.424; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.80, 138.
Service record
- SWEDEN, WILLIAM CRANSTON, THORN/TORUN
- Arrived 1655-01-01, as LIEUTENANT
- Departed 1659-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- POLAND-LITHUANIA, THORN/TORUN
- Arrived 1658-01-01
- Departed 1659-08-31
- Purpose MERCHANT