Ref:

The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

2I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1)

Sir William was one of the many Anglo-Norman barons who settled in Scotland in the reign of David I. In the 1120's Hugh de Morville obtained a tenancy in Northamptonshire from King David I to the honour of Huntingdon, next to lands held by William de Sancto Claro. From King David William received a grant of the barony of Roslin, Mid-Lothian.

Issue-

Ref:

Rosslyn St. Clair Family- http://www.sinclairgenealogy.info/rosslyn-st-clair-family
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

3I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2)

Sir William got a confirmation of the barony of Roslin in 1180 according to Nesbet, however, no charter from this time survives.

Issue-

Ref:

Rosslyn St. Clair Family- http://www.sinclairgenealogy.info/rosslyn-st-clair-family
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

4I. HENRY (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3)

Sir Henry witnessed many charters of Alexander II and obtained a charter to Rosslyn from the king in 1244.

Issue-

Ref:

Rosslyn St. Clair Family- http://www.sinclairgenealogy.info/rosslyn-st-clair-family
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

5I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4)

d.c.1270

Sir William witnessed a donation from Alexander II to the monastery of Newbottle in 1243. He assisted King Alexander III in the capture of the Western Isles.

Issue-

Ref:

The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

6I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5)

m. AGNES/AMICIA DUNBAR- d. of Patrick Dunbar, Earl of Marche
d.c.1298

Sir William de St. Clair's Seal on the Ragman Roll- 1292

Sir William was appointed Sheriff of Edinburgh for life in 1271 as well as Sheriff of Haddington from 1264 until 1290, Linlithgow from 1264 until 1290, Dumfries in 1288 and was also Justiciar of Galwythie in 1288-9.

William was guardian to Prince Alexander from 1279 until 1281. The prince died before his father in 1283. On 8 Apr. 1280 William was granted a charter to the border lands of Innerleith by King Alexander and on 14 Sept. 1280 he had a grant to the lands and barony of Roslin. He was a the Parliament of Scone 5 Feb. 1284 and the same year he was one of the commissioners sent to France to obtain a wife for the King and brought back Joleta, daughter of Count de Dreux. Sir William was at Brigham 12 Mar. 1290 when the marriage of Pricess Margaret with Prince Edward of England was proposed and in the competition for the crown in 1292 he was one of the nominees for Baliol.

Sir William swore allegience to King Edward on 13 June 1292 and was present in Nov. and Dec. when Baliol paid homage to Kind Edward. On 28 Dec. 1292 Edward told him to pay certain sums to Eric, King of Norway. Sir William was summoned to go with Edward into France 1 Sept. 1294. He was one of the defenders of Dunbar Castle against the English and upon its surrender on 25 Mar. 1296 he was sent as a prisoner to the Tower of London.

Dunbar Castle

After his death "Amicia, widow of William St. Clair, dwelling in the county of Edinburgh" had two years of protection from King Edward on 7 Apr. 1299.

Issue-

Ref:

The Scots Peerage- James Balfour Paul- Vol. VI, pp. 567-71
Rosslyn St. Clair Family- http://www.sinclairgenealogy.info/rosslyn-st-clair-family
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

7I. HENRY (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5, WILLIAM 6)

m. ALICE de FENTON
d. before 28 Jan. 1335/6

Sir Henry swore allegience with his father to Edward I on 13 June 1292 and seems at first to have been on the English side, however, he was one of the defenders of Dunbar Castle with his father and was also taken prisoner and sent to the Tower and was exchanged in 1299. He then went back into the English camp as he was appointed Sheriff of Lanark by King Edward on 15 Sept. 1305. On 30 Sept. 1307 and 20 May 1308 letters were sent to him and others of Edward's friends in Scotland calling upon them to assist in suppressing "the rebels". Later, Sir Henry joined Robert the Bruce and fought against the English at Bannockburn. On 21 Oct. 1314 Henry was granted all the land in Pentland moor. On 28 Aug. 1317 he was granted a charter from Edward de Gourton of part of the lands of Gourton, occupied by Roger de Hauewood. He was one of the people who signed the Declaration of Arbroath, the letter to the Pope in 1320 asserting Scottish independance and he was one of the guarantees of a truce with the English 1 June 1323. Sir Henry held the office of Panetarius Scotiae or chief butler of the kingdom.

Issue-

Ref:

The Scots Peerage- James Balfour Paul- Vol. VI, pp. 567-71
The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

8I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5, WILLIAM 6, HENRY 7)

d. 25 Aug. 1330 Andalusia, Spain

King Robert the Bruce having been unsuccessful in hunting white deer in the Pentland Hills asked if anyone's dogs could catch the game which had escaped the Royal hounds. Sir William stated that his two favorite dogs "Help" and "Hold" would kill the deer before he crossed the March-burn. The King said that if he was successful he would given him the forest of Pentland moor. The King stationed himself on the best vantage point to watch the chase and Sir William let loose his slow hounds to tire the deer and after praying to St. Katherine he mounted his horse and went after the deer letting loose "Help" and "Hold". He arrived at the March-burn and Hold stopped the deer in the brook and Help drove the deer back to the winning side of the stream and killed her. The King then granted him the lands of Logan house and in gratitude for St. Katherine's help Sir William built the chapel of St. Katherine in the Hopes in the parish of Penicwick.

Sir William was granted a pension of �40 to accompany Sir James Douglas on his expedition to the Holy Land with the heart of Robert the Bruce. He and his brother John were killed with the Good Sir James fighting against the Moors in Andalusia, Spain 25 Aug. 1330. His tomb is in Roslin chapel and Sir Walter Scott in "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" says:

There are twenty of Roslin's barons bold
Lie buried within that proud chapelle
And each St. Clair was buried there,
With candle, with book, and with knell."

The Moors were so impressed by the courage of the Scottish Knights that they allowed the survivors to take their dead and the heart of Robert the Bruce, back home for burial.

Rosslyn Castle- Hugh Williams (1773-1829)

Roslin Castle is, of course, haunted. The Hound of Rosslyn can be heard howling on cold, stormy nights near the castle. The story goes that one of the invading English knights had a big dog and after his master was killed the dog attacked the Scot who then killed the dog with his sword and battle axe. That night the ghost of the hound appeared to a group of Scots who were relaxing at the castle, however, it never attacked... until one night when the knight who had killed his master was on duty alone. Suddenly there was a cry of terror and the snarl of the hound from the passage the knight struggled out of the passage, never spoke another word... and he died three days later.

And... there is the White Lady of Roslin Castle who was a maid to the children of the castle was was frightened by a mouse and dropped her candle and started a fire in which she died... she can be seen wandering the castle with her candle.

Ref:

The Scots Peerage- James Balfour Paul- Vol. VI, pp. 567-71
The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

9I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5, WILLIAM 6, HENRY 7, WILLIAM 8)

m. ISABELLA, d. of Malise, Earl of STRATHERN

Isabella was her father's heir and upon William's death their son Henry became the 42nd Earl of Orkney and was later the first Sinclair Prince of Orkney. He had a charter from King David II to the lands of Morton and Merchamyston in Midlothian on 10 Feb. 1357/8. He had a safe conduct to go through England on 6 May 1358 on his way to Prussia to fight in the foreign wars. On 17 Sept. 1358 King David confirmed on him the annuity which had been granted to his grandfather, Sir Henry S. Clair.

Ref:

The Scots Peerage- James Balfour Paul- Vol. VI, pp. 567-71
The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

11I. HENRY (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5, WILLIAM 6, HENRY 7, WILLIAM 8, WILLIAM 9)

b. 1345
m. JONETA HALIBURTON- d. of Walter de Haliburton of Dirleton.
killed 1401

Henry, along with his cousins Alexander de l'Arde, Lord of Caithness and Malise Sparre, Lord of Skaldale, were rival claimants for the earldom of Orkney. On 2 Aug. 1379 Sir Henry obtained the Earldom of Orkney from the Norse King, Haakon VI at Marstrand, near T�nsberg. In 1389 Henry attended the coronation of King Eric of Pomerania in Norway and pledged fealty. It is thought that in 1391 Henry and his troops killed his cousin Malise Sparre at Scalloway in the Shetland Islands.(1)

In addition to the titles inherited from his father Henry became Lord Shetland, Lord Sinclair, Lord Chief Justice of Scotland, Admiral of the Seas, Great Protector and Keeper and Defender of the Prince of Scotland.

The Sinclair Diploma states that "he retirit to the parts of Orchadie and josit them to the latter tyme of his life, and deit Erile of Orchadie, and for the defence of the country was slain there cruellie by his enemiis". Henry probably was killed during the English invasion of 1401.

Sir Henry's life took on an element of the legendary and a strong dose of mythology. "The New History of Orkney" states: "it has been Earl Henry's singular fate to enjoy an ever-expanding posthumous reputation which has very little to do with anything he achieve in his lifetime." Recently Henry has been connected with the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, the Freemasons and a voyage to America before Columbus!

This literary fantasy seems to have started with the publication in 1558 of the Zeno Narrative, supposedly a collection of letters listing the exploits of Nicolo Zeno's ancestors, Nicolo and Antonio Zeno, as given to a relative in Venice. The brothers link up with "Prince Zichmni" who was a great lord of the islands of Porlanda. The brothers voyage to the lands of Estotilanda and Drogeo in the far west and Zichmni sails with them and stays on Engrouelanda [supposedly Greenland] and builds a town named Trin and explores the coast there.

From that fantastic story comes the thought that Zichmni is a mis-spelling of Sinclair due to the transcriber of the old letters making mistakes deciphering Nicolo's handwriting.

In 1780... the plot thickens and they were said to have failed a landing in Newfoundland as they were driven off by the Indians and were forced to sail southwest for another 10 days dropping anchor in what is now Guysborough Harbour, NS. Seeing smoke, Zichmni and 100 of his soldiers go to investigate and found that the fire was from a spring from which flowed a black substance like pitch that ran into the sea in a place now known as Stellarton. A group wanted to establish a settlement there, but others wanted to return home before winter. A group returned home and Zichmni stayed and continue his exploration of the New World in Nova Scotia... New Scotland.

Then, in the 1880's the folks in Westford, MA found a strange "carving" on a rock which they thought was made by the Indians. In 1954 the carving was re-discovered and declared to be that of a medieval knight in full armour wearing a helmet, maille and surcoat and with his hand resting on his sword. This supposedly marks the grave of a cousin of Zichmni's, Sir James Gunn, who died on the voyage. However, Dr. Schafer from the Peabody Museum at Harvard states that this is nothing more than a "T" shaped engraving surrounded by glacial scratches and weathering marks which would have been in a forest under three feet of dirt in the 14th century.

The Westford Knight

Then there are those who think that some of the carvings in Rosslyn Chapel represent plants from the New World when they are simply stylised versions of common European plants.

Then comes Andrew Sinclair and his book "The Sword and The Grail" which claims that the Kirkwall Scroll proves that the Knights Templar had connections with the Sinclairs and that it was kept at Rosslyn Chapel and was moved to Kirkwall and that it dates from the 14th century. Unfortunately, the scroll dates from the mid-18th century and was a rug painted by William Graham about 1785.(2) Having the family associated with the Knights Templar would be odd given the fact that Henry and William Sinclair were among those who testified against the Templars at their trial in 1309!

Then there are some Native historians who claim that Glooscap, the mythic hero of the Micmac Indians is a depiction of an early European explorer, most likely Henry Sinclair!(1)

Be sure to have a look at Brian Smith's article Earl Henry Sinclair's Fictitious Trip to America in the "New Orkney Antiquarian Journal" from 2002 at: http://www.alastairhamilton.com/sinclair.htm

In the end I think we find that Henry was your average Scottish earl who probably did little, if anything, remarkable during his life... and certainly didn't travel to America or have dealings with the Templars. But, the stories make for interesting reading! Seems like this is another place where we should conjure up Gustave Anjou and ask his opinion!

Beatrix, who married James Douglas "the Gross", was most likely the sister of Henry, 2nd Earl of Orkney and not his daughter as Henry married Egidia Douglas, grand-daughter of Archibald "the Grim" who was James "the Gross'" father... not likely that Beatrix would have married her mother's uncle.(3)

Ref:

(1) Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkeny- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Sinclair,_1st_Earl_of_Orkney
(2) Orkneyjar- The Heritage of the Orkney Islands- http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/historicalfigures/henrysinclair/index.html
(3) Some Corrections to the Sinclair Pedigree- Andrew MacEwen, "The Genealogist"- Vol. II, No. 1, p. 51 (spring 1981)

The Scots Peerage- James Balfour Paul- Vol. VI, p. 569
Rosslyn St. Clair Family- http://www.sinclairgenealogy.info/rosslyn-st-clair-family
The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

12I. HENRY (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5, WILLIAM 6, HENRY 7, WILLIAM 8, WILLIAM 9, HENRY 10)

m.c.1407 EGIDIA, daughter of Sir William DOUGLAS, Lord of Nithsdale
d. before 1418

Sir Henry was Admiral of Scotland and Chief Attendant on Prince James when he was captured by the English off Flamborough Head on his way to France in 1405 on board the Maryenknyght. He was sent to the Tower of London and his brothers were permitted to visit him in Aug. 1405. In Sept. he was allowed to return to Scotland after paying his own ransom.

By his marriage to Egidia, Henry obtained the barony of Herbertshire and fiver other baronies, three marches and the lordship of Nithsdale.

See discussion above concerning Beatrix's parentage.

Issue-

Ref:

The St. Clair Family- Rosslyn Chapel web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/the-st-clair-family-I178/
The Scots Peerage- James Balfour Paul, Edinburgh, 1906- Vol. VI, p. 570
The Douglas Book- William Fraser, Edinburgh, 1885- Vol. I, p. 358
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

13I. WILLIAM (WALDERNE 1, WILLIAM 2, WILLIAM 3, HENRY 4, WILLIAM 5, WILLIAM 6, HENRY 7, WILLIAM 8, WILLIAM 9, HENRY 10, HENRY 11)

m.1. Lady Margaret Douglas (d. 1452)
2. MARJORY, daughter of Alexander SUTHERLAND of Dunbeath
d. 1484

William was one of the hostages when James I was allowed to visit Scotland 31 May 1421 and he had a safe conduct to meet him in Durham 13 Dec. 1423. As Admiral of Scotland he took Princess Margaret to France in 1436 for her marriage with the Dauphin.

Rosslyn Chapel- 1693

In 1446 he founded Roslin Chapel and heavily endowed it. "William, with his age creeping upon him... came into his mind to build a house for God's service, of most curious work... that it might be done with greater glory and splendour."(1) The church was dedicated in 1450 as the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew with a provost, six prebendaries and two choristers to pray for the soul of the founder and his family and to spread intellectual and spiritual knowledge.

William was Lord High Chancellor of Scotland from 1454 until 1458. He had a grant of the Earldom of Caithness 28 Aug. 1455 in compensation for a claim he had to the Lordship of Nithsdale through his mother. By his marriage to Princess Margaret, James III received the Orkney and Shetland islands and in 1470 the Earldom of Orkney and Lordship of Shetland were purchased from William by the King and in 1471 they were annexed to the crown. As compensation the King granted William the castle of Ravenscraig overhanging the sea at Dysart, Fife along with the adjoining lands by charter 17 Sept. 1470. From 1471 unto 1473 William was ambassador to England. He resigned the Earldom of Caithness in favor of his son William II 7 Dec. 1476.

Ravenscraig Castle- Thomas Allom- 1837

The magnificence and hospitality for which the early knights of Roslin were renowed was exceeded by Sir William in the reigns of James I and II. Father Hay, a member of his household, speaks of him as: "a prince... at his palace of the castle of Roslin where he kept a great court and was royally served at his own table in vessels of gold and silver, Lord Dirleton being his master of the household, Lord Borthwick his cupbearer and Lord Fleming his carver... He had his halls and other apartments richly adorned with embroidered hangings. His princess, Margaret Douglas, was served by 75 gentlewomen, whereof 53 were daughters of noblemen, all clothed in velvet and silks with their chains of gold and other ornaments, and was attended by 200 riding gentlemen in all journies, and if it happened to be dark when she went to Edinburgh where her lodgings were at the foot of Black Fryars wynd, 80 lighted torches were carried before her."

The St. Clairs of Roslin were hereditary Grand-Masters of Masonry in Scotland being confirred on Sir William by King James I. William and his successors assembled their Grand Lodges in Kilwinning, Ayrshire.

Tomb of William Sinclair- Rosslyn Chapel

Issue-first two children by Margaret

Ref:

(1) Building Rosslyn Chapel- Rosslyn Chapel Trust web site at: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/p/building-the-chapel-I90/

Rosslyn St. Clair Family- http://www.sinclairgenealogy.info/rosslyn-st-clair-family
"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880