Search for Simon Fraser ends with headless twist

Dan Snow joined with the University of Dundee and Royal Society of Edinburgh to find the final resting place of Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat.

For many Outlander fans, Lord Lovat is the questionable, duplicitous grandfather of Jamie Fraser. The Old Fox had no qualms about telling Colum MacKenzie one thing and then allowing some of his men to join Jamie for the Jacobite cause.

This attitude and personality is based on reality. The real Lord Lovat was a staunch Jacobite, but didn’t send all his men off to fight. He tried to avoid getting into bed with traitors officially, despite wanting a Stuart king on the throne. Yet all the work didn’t pay off, as he became the last man to be executed for treason by the British state.

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His family has always said that Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat was returned home (as he wished) to be buried in the family crypt. Dan Snow teamed with the University of Dundee and the Royal Society of Edinburgh to learn whether he really was buried where stated. It turned out he wasn’t, but that’s not all.

There was definitely a body in the mausoleum. Someone had been placed in the grave that was always considered Lord Lovat’s. But who was it?

Dan learned a shocking twist to the story. Most of the bones were from a woman, who was headless. There were some other bones, but they were not of Lord Lovat. The researchers found that the pelvis was likely that of a woman between 25 and 35 years old, rather than the 80-year-old that Lord Lovat would have been at the time of his execution.

This has opened up a new mystery. Now all eyes are on the testing that is currently being carried out to find out if this woman was related to Simon Fraser in any way. Other questions will be harder to answer, including whether the body was used as part of a bigger ploy and why she is missing her head.

Next: Where does Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat's body really lie?

Did you watch the reveal live? Were you shocked to learn the truth about the body in the crypt? Share your thoughts below.

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