George Sinclair, previously of

Keiss Keiss ( gd, Cèis) is a fishing village at the northern end of Sinclair's Bay on the east coast of Caithness county in Scotland's Highland Council area. Keiss castle Keiss Castle, which is now partially ruined, is located less than 1 mile no ...

, died 1698, was a Scottish nobleman, 7th

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...

and chief of the

Clan Sinclair Clan Sinclair ( gd, Clann na Ceàrda ) is a Highland Scottish clan which holds the lands of Caithness, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians. The chiefs of the clan were the Barons of Roslin and later the Earls of Orkney and Earls of Caithness. Th ...

, a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official ...

of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

Early life

George Sinclair of Keiss was the son of Francis Sinclair of

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

, who in turn was a younger son of

George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness George Sinclair (died 1643) was a Scottish nobleman, the 5th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan based in northern Scotland. Early life George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness was the eldest son of John Sinclair, Mas ...

. His first cousin-once-removed was George Sinclair, 6th Earl of Caithness (d. 1676) who was the son of John Sinclair, Master of Berriedale and his wife Jean, daughter of

Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth (1596/97–1633), was a Highland clan chief and Scottish nobleman, possessed of vast estates and wealth. Origins Mackenzie, nicknamed "Ruadh" (i.e. "Red"), was the eldest son of Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st ...

. The 6th Earl of Caithness's paternal grandparents were William Sinclair, Lord Berriedale and Mary, daughter of Henry Sinclair,

Lord Sinclair Lord Sinclair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. According to James Balfour Paul's ''The Scots Peerage'', volume VII published in 1910, the first person to be styled Lord Sinclair was William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney and 1st Earl of Cai ...

. William Sinclair, Lord Berriedale was in turn the elder son of George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness.

Dispute to the Earldom of Caithness

George Sinclair, 6th Earl of Caithness married Mary, daughter of

Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell (March 160727 May 1661) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and peer. The ''de facto'' head of Scotland's government during most of the conflict of the 1640s and ...

, but had no children. He died at

Thurso Castle Thurso Castle (alternatively, Castrum De Thorsa, Castle of Ormly, and Castle of Ormlie) is a ruined 19th-century castle, located in Thurso, Caithness, in the Scottish Highlands. Situated in Thurso East, off Castletown Road, east of the River Thur ...

in 1676. The Earldom of Caithness being much in debt, he had transferred the estates and the title to his principal creditor, John Campbell of Glenorchy, who upon Sinclair's death was created

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

. This however was challenged by George Sinclair of

. On 13 July 1680, Campbell of Glenorchy took a force of 800 men north to evict Sinclair of Keiss, who was waiting for him with 500 men near

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

. Inflamed with drink, the Sinclairs attacked the force of Campbells and were routed in what is known as the

Battle of Altimarlach The Battle of Altimarlach was a Scottish clan battle that took place on 13 July 1680, near Wick, Caithness, Scotland. It was fought in a dispute between Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy and George Sinclair of Keiss over who had the right to the ...

. Legend has it that so many Sinclairs were killed that the Campbells were able to cross the river without getting their feet wet. However, in 1681 the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of ...

made a proclamation in favour of Sinclair of Keiss who became the 7th Earl of Caithness and Campbell of Glenorchy was created

Earl of Breadalbane and Holland Earl of Breadalbane and Holland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1681 for Sir John Campbell, 5th Baronet, of Glenorchy, who had previously been deprived of the title Earl of Caithness. Creation Sir John, as a princi ...

by way of compensation. George Sinclair of Keiss, 7th Earl of Caithness died in 1698 without issue and this brought an end to the male heirs of the 5th Earl. The Earldom of Caithness then devolved upon the male heirs of James Sinclair, 1st of Murkle, who himself was a son of John Sinclair, Master of Caithness (d. 1576), who in turn was a son of

George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness George Sinclair (died 1582) was a Scottish nobleman, the 4th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life He was the son of John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness and Elizabeth, daughter o ...

(d. 1582).Henderson, John W.S (1884). pp. 5-7. John Sinclair, eldest son of James Sinclair, 2nd of Murkle, then became the 8th Earl of Caithness.

References

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Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

Earls of Caithness

Early life

Dispute to the Earldom of Caithness

See also

References