About this artwork

The chief of Clan Fraser, Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat switched his support to and fro between the Jacobites and the government throughout his long life. Spectacularly unprincipled and guided solely by self-interest, this charming bigamist convinced everyone from Louis XIV and Mary of Modena, to William of Orange and George I. Eventually, in 1746, he was wrong-footed, having brought out his clan to fight for Prince Charles at Culloden. His execution, 9 April 1747, on Tower Hill, drew huge crowds. Hogarth went to see Lovat while he was in custody in St Albans, en route for his trial for high treason in London. The old chief is pictured counting the numbers of the clans who supported the prince on his fingers.

Updated before 2020

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