Clan chief gifts 400-year-old 'Outlander' mausoleum to Scottish Highland community

Simon Fraser, who is the 16th Lord Lovat and Chief of the Fraser of Lovat, has handed over the giant key for The Wardlaw Mausoleum at Kirkhill, near Beauly, to Aird Community Trust.

The trust will continue to run and repair the mausoleum, which attracts around 4,500 visitors a year - around half of them Outlander fans.

READ MORE: 11 Outlander filming locations in Scotland that have driven a tourism boom

The mausoleum is where the coffin of Simon ‘Old Fox’ Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat who was beheaded in London for his role in the 1745 Jacobite Rising, can be found.

Known for his double dealings between the Jacobites and the state, the ‘Old Fox’ is portrayed as the grandfather of lead character Jamie Fraser in the hugely successful Outlander series.

Erik Lundberg, of the trust, said the members were “delighted” to have taken over the building, with ownership now transferred from Lovat Estates to the organisation.

He said: “Having 4,500 visitors a year is good for us, but compared to other Outlander attractions, we are minnows.

“Around half of our visitors are either on Outlander tours or are on family holidays visiting places, which they have read about as having an influence on the story.

“We don’t have the capacity to take it much beyond that as we are down a single track road. We would be happy with a modest increase in visitors.”

Mr Lundberg said visitors came to the mausoleum on a donation-only basis, and that guests were often “very generous”. The mausoleum opens on set days and for pre-arranged visits.

A recent report from VisitScotland found screen tourism was estimated to have a value of £161 million in Scotland. Around one in ten of all visitors (11 per cent) reported being inspired by a TV programme featuring Scotland, with Outlander named most frequently by visitors.

Restoration of the Wardlaw Mausoleum was earlier completed by the Wardlaw Mausoleum Trust and Mr Lundberg said repairs will continue, with fundraising to follow.

Lord Lovat said: “I am delighted to be able to help with securing the future of the mausoleum that was built by the Lovat Frasers of the day. I want to commend the work of Wardlaw Mausoleum Trust in restoring the building and am pleased that it is going to be looked after by a group from the local community.”

The mausoleum sits in the centre of Wardlaw Graveyard in Kirkhill and was the burial place of the leaders of Clan Fraser of Lovat. The structure was built on the end of the previous Wardlaw Church in 1634 and extended by the ‘Old Fox’’ in 1722.

There has long been a question over the final resting place of the old clan chief, the 11th Lord Lovat.

READ MORE: Exhumation in the Highlands to solve centuries-old mystery of final resting place of clan chief

Officially, he was buried at the Tower of London’s parish church following his public execution on April 9, 1747, with a brass plaque marking his interment at St Peter ad Vincula.

However, there is a long-held theory that his body was quickly moved by supporters and brought home to the Highlands, with a lead coffin at Wardlaw further deepening the mystery.

In 2018, the search for his remains got underway, but exhumation of the coffin by forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Balck, formerly of Dundee University, led to the discovery of a headless woman instead.