Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun
Encyclopedia
Marjorie Flora Fraser, 21st Lady SaltounIt has recently been determined that Margaret Abernethy succeeded her brother, Alexander Abernethy, 9th Lord Saltoun in 1668, but only survived him by about 6 weeks and had not been counted in the title's numbering. This new information has resulted in the ordinals in subsequent Saltoun Lords
being revised. As a result, Flora Fraser is sometimes listed as the 20th Lady Saltoun. (born 18 October 1930) is currently the only female holder of a lordship of Parliament
who has a seat in the House of Lords
as an elected hereditary peer
. Lady Saltoun is the Chief of the Name and Arms of Clan Fraser
since May 1, 1984, by decree of the Court of the Lord Lyon
. She is also the head of the Scottish lowland family Frasers of Philorth
. Through her marriage to a great-grandson of Queen Victoria she is furthermore regarded as a member of the extended British Royal Family
.
, Scotland
. She was the daughter of Alexander Fraser
and Dorothy Geraldine Welby. Her maternal grandfather was Charles Glynne Earle Welby. She had an elder brother, Alexander Simon Fraser. In 1933, her father became the 20th Lord Saltoun
. Her brother was killed in 1944, making Flora the heir presumptive to the Lordship.
In 1979, when Lord Saltoun died, Flora became the 21st Lady Saltoun, and also gained a seat in the House of Lords
. In 1999, because of the House of Lords Act 1999
, 662 hereditary peers were removed from the House. However, Lady Saltoun was one of the ninety hereditary peers who were elected to remain in the House.
On 6 October 1956 at Fraserburgh
, Aberdeenshire
, Lady Saltoun married Alexander Ramsay of Mar
(1919 – 2000), a grandson of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
, keeping her maiden surname after marriage. Queen Elizabeth II considers Lady Saltoun to be a member of the Royal family. Saltoun's children are:
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 great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter, the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded by her cousin...
being revised. As a result, Flora Fraser is sometimes listed as the 20th Lady Saltoun. (born 18 October 1930) is currently the only female holder of a lordship of Parliament
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
who has a seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as an elected hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
. Lady Saltoun is the Chief of the Name and Arms of Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
since May 1, 1984, by decree of the Court of the Lord Lyon
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
. She is also the head of the Scottish lowland family Frasers of Philorth
Frasers of Philorth
The Frasers of Philorth are a Scottish lowland family, originally from the Anjou region of France. Their family seat is in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Since the time of Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, the heads of the Philorth family are the Lords Saltoun. The current head of the...
. Through her marriage to a great-grandson of Queen Victoria she is furthermore regarded as a member of the extended British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
.
Life
Flora Fraser was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. She was the daughter of Alexander Fraser
Alexander Fraser, 20th Lord Saltoun
Alexander Arthur Fraser, 20th Lord Saltoun , a Scottish representative peer, was the son of Alexander Fraser, 19th Lord SaltounOn 8 June 1920, he married Dorothy Geraldine Welby and they had two children:...
and Dorothy Geraldine Welby. Her maternal grandfather was Charles Glynne Earle Welby. She had an elder brother, Alexander Simon Fraser. In 1933, her father became the 20th Lord Saltoun
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 great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter, the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded by her cousin...
. Her brother was killed in 1944, making Flora the heir presumptive to the Lordship.
In 1979, when Lord Saltoun died, Flora became the 21st Lady Saltoun, and also gained a seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. In 1999, because of the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
, 662 hereditary peers were removed from the House. However, Lady Saltoun was one of the ninety hereditary peers who were elected to remain in the House.
On 6 October 1956 at Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Lady Saltoun married Alexander Ramsay of Mar
Alexander Ramsay of Mar
Captain Alexander Arthur Alfonso David Maule Ramsay of Mar was the only child of HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught, who renounced her royal title and style when she married then-Captain the Hon. Alexander Ramsay in February 1919...
(1919 – 2000), a grandson of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, keeping her maiden surname after marriage. Queen Elizabeth II considers Lady Saltoun to be a member of the Royal family. Saltoun's children are:
- The Hon. Katharine Fraser, Mistress of Saltoun,Katharine is the heiress presumptiveHeir PresumptiveAn heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to her mother's peeragePeerageThe Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and the leadership of the Clan Fraser. Lord Lyon King Arms officially recognized her use of the surname Fraser in 1973. Her son was also given this surname. Katherine holds the title "Mistress of Saltoun" as the heiress to her mother's peerage. (born Katharine Ingrid Mary Isabel Ramsay) (b. 11 October 1957), Deputy LieutenantDeputy LieutenantIn the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of AberdeenshireAberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
since 2005, m. Mark Nicolson (b. 24 September 1954)- Louise Alexandra Patricia Nicolson (b. 2 September 1984)
- Juliet Victoria Katharine Nicolson (b. 3 March 1988)
- Alexander William Malise Fraser (b. 5 July 1990)
- The Hon. Alice Elizabeth Margaret Ramsay (b. 8 July 1961) m. David Alan Ramsey (b. 17 September 1960).
- Alexander David Ramsey (b. 17 December 1991)
- Victoria Alice Ramsey (b. 7 April 1994)
- George Arthur Ramsey (b. 28 September 1995)
- Oliver Henry Ramsey (b. 28 September 1995)
- The Hon. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Ramsay (b. 15 April 1963)
Titles
- Miss Flora Fraser (18 October 1930 – 19 June 1933)
- The Hon. Flora Fraser (19 June 1933 – 1944)
- The Mistress of Saltoun (1944 – 31 August 1979)
- The Rt Hon. The Lady Saltoun (31 August 1979 – )