Lt.-Col. Charles St Clair, 13th Lord Sinclair (30 July 1768 – 30 September 1863) was a Scottish noble and representative peer.

Early life

Charles Sinclair was born on 30 July 1768. He was the eldest son of Elizabeth ( Rutherfurd) St Clair (–1783) and Andrew St Clair of Herdmanston, ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'' 12th Lord Sinclair. His paternal grandfather was Charles St Clair, ''de jure'' 11th Lord Sinclair (a son of Dr. Matthew St Clair, who was a younger brother of

John Sinclair, 23rd Lord Herdmanston John Sinclair, Lord Herdmanston, (14 February 1632 – 13 July 1666) was a Scottish noble of the 17th century. Early life John was baptized 14 February 1632. He was the eldest son of John Sinclair, 22nd Lord Herdmanston, and Elizabeth Sincl ...

). His maternal grandparents were

John Rutherfurd John Rutherfurd (September 20, 1760February 23, 1840) was an American politician and land surveyor. He represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1791 to 1798. Early life John Rutherfurd was born on September 20, 1760 in New York C ...

, MP for

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

, and Eleanor ( Elliot) Rutherfurd (a daughter of the

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...

Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, of Minto Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, (of Minto) (16 April 1766) was a Scottish lawyer, politician and judge from Minto in the Scottish Borders. From 1763 until his death 3 years later, he was Lord Justice Clerk, the second most senior judge in Sco ...

). His uncle,

, was also an MP for Roxburghshire, and married Mary Ann Leslie (a daughter of Maj.-Gen.

Alexander Leslie Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (15804 April 1661) was a Scottish soldier in Swedish and Scottish service. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of a Swedish Field Marshal, and in Scotland b ...

and granddaughter of

Alexander Leslie, 5th Earl of Leven Alexander Melville (also Alexander Leslie), 5th Earl of Leven (28 May 1695 – 2 September 1754) was a Scottish aristocrat. Early life He was the son of David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven (1660–1728) and Lady Anne Wemyss (1675–1702). His mo ...

Career

His claim to the Lordship of Sinclair was confirmed by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

on 25 April 1782. He was an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

with the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

in 1784. He was made Lieutenant of the

17th Foot The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both ...

in 1788. He raised an independent company in 1790, which became part of the

15th Foot 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious nu ...

. He became Captain in 1791, Major in 1795, and Lt.-Col. in 1799 before his retirement in 1802. He also served as a Lt.-Col. in the Berwickshire Militia from 1803 to 1805. Lord Sinclair in the House of Lords as a Tory

Scottish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the Parliament of Scotland, where, as a unicameral legislature, all Scottish P ...

from 1807 to 1859.

Personal life

Lord Sinclair was twice married. His first marriage was on 13 February 1802 to Mary Agnes Chisholm (d. 1814), the only daughter of James Chisholm of Chisholm. Before her death on 16 July 1814, they were the parents of: *

James St Clair, 14th Lord Sinclair Maj. James St Clair, 14th Lord Sinclair (3 July 1803 – 24 October 1880) was a Scottish noble and representative peer. Early life St Clair was born on 3 July 1803. He was the eldest son of Charles St Clair, 13th Lord Sinclair, and his first wif ...

(1803–1880), who married Jane Little, eldest daughter of Archibald Little, of

Shabden Park Shabden Park is a nature reserve in Chipstead in Surrey. It is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust and is part of the Chipstead Downs Site of Special Scientific Interest. This is a working farm which has w ...

, in 1830. * Elizabeth St Clair (1804–1812), who died young. * Susan St Clair (1806–1856), who married Francis Dennis Massy-Dawson, eldest son and heir of James Hewitt Massy-Dawson MP, of Ballynacourte, in 1829. * Matthew St Clair (1808–1827), who served with 84th Regiment. * Charles St Clair (1809–1810), who died young. * Charles St Clair (1811–1863), who married Isabella Jane Home, a daughter of William Foreman Home, in 1840. After her death in 1852, he married Anne Crawfurd Pringle, a daughter of Sir John Pringle, 5th Baronet, in 1854. After the death of his first wife, he married Isabella Mary Chatto (d. 1875) on 18 September 1816. Isabella was the youngest daughter of Alexander Chatto of Mainhouse, Roxburgh. Together, they were the parents of: * Eleanor St Clair (1818–1898), who died unmarried. * Jane Elizabeth St Clair (1822–1904), married the Rev. William Leyland Feilden, Rector of Rolleston, in 1853. * John St Clair (1820–1842), who died unmarried. Lord Sinclair died on 30 September 1863 and was succeeded in the lordship by his eldest son

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

. His widow died on 5 June 1875.

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Sinclair, Charles St Clair, 13th 1768 births 1863 deaths

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

Lord Sinclair, Charles St Clair, 13th Scottish representative peers Eldest sons of British hereditary barons