William Fraser (1778 or 1779 Glen Cannich, Inverness-shire, Scotland – October 4, 1851 Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada ) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and the first Bishop of Halifax in Nova Scotia from 1842 until the splitting of the diocese into two dioceses effective September 22, 1844, when William Walsh took formal possession of the Diocese of Halifax. Bishop Fraser, however, remains a celebrated figure in the Canadian Gaelic Bardic poetry composed in his Diocese and is still remembered as a legendary strongman in both his native district of Scotland and in Nova Scotia. In both countries, many tales have been collected of his exploits.

Early life

William Fraser was born in Glen Cannich, part of the wider Strathglass region of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, as the eldest of the 12 children of Scottish Gaelic-speaking parents John Fraser and Jane Chisholm. Like many others throughout the region, his family still belonged to the illegal and underground Catholic Church in Scotland. After attending an underground Catholic school in his native district, he continued his education at the clandestine minor seminary at Samalaman in Moidart. In January 1794 he began his studies for the priesthood at the Royal Scots College in Valladolid, Spain. After being ordained to the priesthood on 8 Jan. 1804, he returned to Scotland soon after. According to the oral tradition of Strathglass, which was first written down and published in The Casket in 1908, Fr. Fraser's return from Spain in 1804 was not locally anticipated and he arrived in the middle of the local Highland Games. To the outrage of the local population, Fr Fraser, who was thought to be a "foreign youth", won all the honours in heavy events, including the stone put and the hammer throw. John Fraser, who did not recognize his own son, is said to have shouted, (, "Son of a bitch, if my son William were here, he would not have his way!")

Priestly ministry

Following his return to Scotland, Fraser's cousin, Bishop John Chisholm appointed him as an underground missionary in Lochaber. In this wide apostolate, Fraser's duties included overseeing the semi-underground Lismore Seminary and helping to organize what is now St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Fort William.

Legacy

In folklore

In Canadian literature