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James Fraser Murray is the eldest child of Ian and Jenny Murray. He is most commonly referred to as Young Jamie, to avoid confusion with his uncle and namesake.

Personal History[]

Young Jamie was born in 1741 while Jamie was away and named after him.

Events of the Novels[]

Outlander[]

Upon Jamie's return to Lallybroch with Claire, Young Jamie's existence is a matter of great contention between Jamie and Jenny. Jamie had been told by Dougal that Jack Randall had raped Jenny and gotten her with child.

Jenny and Ian quickly put that lie to rest telling Jamie they married in November 1740 and Young Jamie is Ian's son.

Dragonfly in Amber[]

To protect Lallybroch and his family if he should be tried for treason, Jamie signs the property over to Young Jamie, with signatures from Claire and Murtagh as legal witnesses.

Voyager[]

Young Jamie's youngest sibling Young Ian is born in 1752. When the English soldiers arrive and Jenny has to tell the soldiers that her baby died because the elder Jamie has Ian hidden in the armoire with him, Young Jamie believes this to be true and flies into a grief-filled rage. It is his behavior that drives the soldiers away and prevents his uncle from being discovered.

In 1755, the elder Jamie sends a coded letter to Jenny and Ian telling them about the seal's treasure and where he has hidden it. Lallybroch has had two years of failed harvests and the Jacobites in exile in France have also been asking for support as they are in danger of starvation. Ian sends word to Jamie, who replies that as the treasure was intended for Prince Charles's supporters, they should use some of it to support those in exile.

Ian and Young Jamie go to the seals' cove but do not hire a boat as they don't wish to draw attention to themselves. Young Jamie swims to the island and extracts two gold coins and three of the smaller gemstones. Young Jamie and Ian go to France and with Jared's help change the treasure into cash and distribute it to the Jacobites in exile.

When Claire returns through the stones in 1766, Young Jamie is married with three children. Young Jamie's wife gives birth to a fourth child a week before Jamie and Claire return to Lallybroch with Young Ian. They name the new baby Benjamin.

Personality[]

As an adult, Jamie is the confident and capable owner of Lallybroch. He has firm opinions on what is proper behavior for a woman, in keeping with the social norms of the time.

Physical Appearance[]

Described as having black curly hair like Jenny but shares Ian's facial features and brown eyes.[3]

When Young Jamie is four years old, Jenny describes him as being the spitting image of his father, but she thinks he will be of a much bigger build, like his namesake. Claire notes that he also appears to be left-handed like his uncle.[4]

As an adult he has grown into a tall, broad-shouldered man with "a deep-brown voice like well-aged ale".[5]

Relationships[]

Name[]

  • James is the English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus which was derived from Ιακωβος (Iakobos), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name Ya'aqov (Jacob). Thus, the names James and Jacob derive from the same source. Possible meanings of the name Jacob include "holder of the heel", "supplanter", or "may God protect".[6][7]
  • Alexander is the Latinized form of the Greek name Αλεξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, help" and ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος).[8]
  • Gordon is from a Scottish surname which was originally derived from a place name meaning "spacious fort".[9]
  • Fraser may be derived from Fredarius, Fresel or Freseau. The earliest recorded versions of the name, from the 12th century, are de Fresel, de Friselle and de Freseliere, which appear to be Norman.[10] Another suggestion is that the Frasers were a tribe in Roman Gaul, whose badge was a strawberry plant.[11]
  • Murray is derived from the region in Scotland called Moray meaning "seaboard settlement".[12]

Trivia[]

  • His name showed as James Jacob Fraser Murray in Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 46
  • In Cross Stitch he was born in January, and in Outlander he was born in August as January doesn't fit in with Jenny's statement that he was conceived six months after Jack Randall's visit.[3]

TV Series[]

Actor Aaron Wright portrays Young Jamie in Season One and Season Two of the Outlander television adaptation. Rhys Lambert portrays Jamie at age 10, and Conor MacCarry as an adult in Season Three.

Appearances[]

Season One

Season Two

Season Three

References[]

  1. The Outlandish Companion, Appendix I: Errata. In the OC, Vol. I, Young Jamie's birth date is corrected from August 1741 (per Outlander chapter 26) to January 1741, with a brief explanation why - see "Page 584: Young Jamie's date of birth" under Outlander in the Errata section.
  2. Age as of the end of Written in My Own Heart's Blood.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Outlander, chapter 26.
  4. Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 33.
  5. Voyager, chapter 38.
  6. Behind the Name: James – Accessed 19 April 2015.
  7. Behind the Name: Jacob – Accessed 19 April 2015.
  8. Behind the Name: Alexander – Accessed 19 April 2015.
  9. Behind the Name: Gordon - accessed 16 June 2016
  10. House of Names: Fraser – accessed 19 May 2015
  11. Way, George and Squire, Romily. Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 142 - 143.
  12. Behind the Name – Surnames: Murray – Accessed 17 March 2014
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