Beheaded ancestor Russell Crowe goes back to “old fox”.
Jan 5, 2024, 11:47 p.m. Listen to article
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When conducting genealogy research, you can come across both positive and bitter things. The New Zealand actor Russell Crowe uncovers the latter in his research. An ancestor of Crowe is said to have been the last person to be beheaded alive in the Tower of London.
Anyone who undertakes genealogy research has uncovered many an unexpected relationship. So does the New Zealand Oscar winner Russell Crowe: On his official X account the 59-year-old actor revealed the results of his family tree research and revealed that he was related to a true legend.
Russell Crowe at a concert.
(Photo: picture alliance / Geisler-Fotopress)
On his father’s side he was able to locate a certain Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat. He not only earned the nickname “the old fox” through his actions, but also met a memorable end. Fraser was given the dubious honor of being “the last person to have his head chopped off alive in the Tower of London,” writes Crowe. His advice to his followers: “Do some research on him. He was quite a personality.”
Fraser is said to have laughed wildly as he was beheaded
In fact, there are numerous entries about Fraser on the Internet. He lived from 1667 to 1747 and was sentenced to death for treason for his role in the Jacobite rebellion in the 18th century. Apparently all of his possessions, titles and lands were confiscated from him by the crown. Probably also a reason why Crowe only now found out about his ancestor’s sad notoriety.
The legend part regarding Fraser’s beheading: Allegedly, shortly before the execution, a specially constructed stand collapsed, “killing nine onlookers,” according to Crowe. “When he was told this shortly before he was beheaded, he laughed. He laughed until the blade hit his neck.” This ultimately gave rise to the English saying “Laughing Your Head Off,” the equivalent of “laughing yourself to death.”
Actually, Crowe was initially primarily interested in his Italian heritage on his mother’s side. Here too he found what he was looking for. This is how he was able to identify the Italian Luigi Ghezzi as his great-great-great-grandfather. “Luigi had worked in Argentina, took a boat to India, was shipwrecked and ended up in Cape Town.” He later emigrated to New Zealand, where Crowe finally saw the light of day in 1964.
2024-01-05 23:44:27
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