Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | Andrew Frazer (Major) or Andrew Fraser (Major) |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | 1746 |
| Died: | 1792 |
| Bio Notes: | Andrew Frazer or Fraser was born in 1746, the son of George Frazer, Deputy Auditor of Excise in Scotland. He was trained in the drawing office in the Tower of London before joining the Royal Engineers as an Ensign in 1759. In the 1760s he worked with the engineer J P Desmartez at Dunkirk. In 1778 he was appointed Chief Engineer in Scotland. In June 1781 following his success with the design for St Andrews Church, he was made a burgess of the city in recognition of 'his services to his King and Country in general and to this city in particular in the line of his profession'. On 20 June 1783 Frazer wrote to Sir James Grant, East Hermitage. He tells him that he can do nothing for Andrew Grant in Gibraltar; he suggests that James or Robert Adam, Adelphi, will hire the carpenters; he also mentions that work under his (Frazer's) care in Scotland has been stopped when the Duke of Richmond left the Ordnance. In 1788 he was sent to the West Indies but was recalled in 1791 for carrying out works that had not been authorised. He was cashiered in 1792. He died en route for Geneva in the summer of that year. There is a portrait of Frazer by Johann Zoffany in Houghton Hall, Norfolk. It can be seen online via the Bridgman Art Library. |
Buildings and Designs
| This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | |||||||
| Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | |
 | 1781 | Fort Charlotte | Lerwick | Mainland | Shetland | Scotland | Repair work and new barracks |
| 1782 | St Andrew's Parish Church | Edinburgh | Scotland | Frazer generously relinquished his prize for winning this competition in favour of a drawing master, Robert Kay whose design had been commended. | ||
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Colvin, Howard | 2008 | A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 | London: YUP. 4th edition | ||
| DNB | Dictionary of National Biography | ||||
| Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M | 1984 | Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland) | Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd | ||
| Scottish Record Society | 1933 | Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses | p60 | ||
Periodical References
| The following periodicals contain references to this : | |||||
| Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | |
| Scots Magazine | 1781 | 43 | p119 | |
Archive References
| The following archives hold material relating to this : | ||||
| Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | |
| British Library | Add MSS | Add, MS 50008 B. | Military plans. |
| National Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO) | Gifts and deposits | GD248/358/3 | |