The acknowledged doyen of Scottish auctioneers in the boom days of the Transatlantic export trade in Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn bulls, Rowland (Roley) L Fraser, has died at the age of 91.
Roley was a descendant of JM Fraser who, with another auctioneer, founded the Perth auction firm of Macdonald Fraser in 1876.
The firm grew to become the leading auctioneers of pedigree cattle in Scotland, with spring and autumn sales at Perth, Aberdeen and Inverness, and weekly sales of commercial cattle and sheep at centres in central Scotland and at Inverness.
Roley, as he was always known, joined the firm in the 1950s, and succeeded to the management in the early 1960s following the retirement of his father, Lovat Fraser, and his uncle, Harry Fraser.
Boom time
During the post-war period, overseas buyers beat a path to Scotland to buy the top Aberdeen-Angus bulls at the spring sale in February, followed by Beef Shorthorn in the same month.
In those days, the Aberdeen-Angus sale attracted an entry of almost 1,000 bulls from all over the UK and the Beef Shorthorn breed somewhat fewer as the breed started its long decline.
A new record price for Aberdeen-Angus bulls was achieved every year over the four years from 1959 when Tom Brewis’ Elevate of Eastfield sold for 25,000gns, to 1963 when Sir Torquil Munro’s Lindertis Evulse realised the amazing price of 60,000gns, still a record for the breed to Black Watch Farms in New York State, managed by Jack Dick, who was to become a notorious figure in the Angus breed on both sides of the Atlantic.
Agricultural scandal
The sale of Evulse was subsequently shrouded in scandal when the bull proved infertile.
Roley Fraser was the lead auctioneer at these sales, along with Eddie Hutcheson and Jack Young, later to be joined by Iain Thomson.
However, Roley, who always sold the champions, missed out on the sale of Evulse, which was not one of the champions, and was sold by a dumfounded Mr Hutcheson.
He came close to matching the record price the following year when he sold the champion, MacRobert Farms’ Essedium of Douneside, for 54,000gns, again to Black Watch Farms.
Roley was later asked to act as auctioneer at a Black Watch sale in the USA, which was a singular honour for a Scottish auctioneer.
Despite the high prices for Aberdeen-Angus, Roley’s first love was the Beef Shorthorn breed and he and his wife, Dimps, had their own Shorthorn herd for many years on their farm at Scone.
But, while the sale of pedigree cattle at Perth and dispersal sales all over the UK was the icing on the cake, the selling of commercial cattle and sheep was the bread and butter of the business.
Lairg sheep
Roley always said his favourite sale of the year was the annual sale of sheep at Lairg in August which was started by his grandfather in 1875, originally on behalf of the Duke of Sutherland.
With his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, Roley went on to forge relationships with other auction companies, such as Speedie Brothers and Livestock Marts in Stirling and Corson of Oban, to create what became United Auctions (UA), with the Macdonald Fraser name disappearing and Bosomworth’s of Edinburgh later joining the group.
Roley was also instrumental in expanding the company’s activities to include property and insurance broking and Macdonald Fraser for many years acted as official auctioneers to the Royal Smithfield Show in London.
Redevelopment
A major move in 1990 saw the opening of a new mart on the outskirts of Perth following the sale of the old mart in Caledonian Road – home to the company’s most memorable high-priced bull transactions – for the development of a supermarket.
The mart has since been demolished and the site sold for housing with the decline in livestock in Perthshire resulting in the move of the auction business to Stirling.
Roley was pre-deceased by his wife, and daughter, Sarah-Jane, and is survived by daughter, Nina, and her husband, Walter Alexander, and two sons, Mark and Simon.
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