Oliver St Clair (died 1523) was a Scottish noble and the 12th

Baron of Roslin Baron of Roslin or Rosslyn was a Scottish feudal barony held by the St Clair or Sinclair family. History No certain record exists but it is likely that the Sinclairs came from Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in Normandy. According to traditional history ...

Early life

He was the eldest son of the second marriage of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, 2nd Lord Sinclair and 11th Baron of Roslin to Marjory Sutherland, daughter of Sutherland of Duffus. His father had a son from his first marriage to Elizabeth Douglas, William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair, who although inherited the Lordship of Sinclair was apparently disinherited of the Barony of Roslin which went to Oliver and also of the earldom of Caithness which went to Oliver's younger brother, another William Sinclair.

Lands and estates

On 9 September 1476 Oliver St Clair received from his father the baronies of Roslin, Pentland, and Pentland Muir, the barony of Herbertshire, the lands of

Cousland Cousland is a village in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located east of Dalkeith and west of Ormiston, on a hill between the Rivers Tyne and Esk. History Cousland was a possession of the Sinclair family of Roslin from the late 12th century, and ...

, the barony of

Ravenscraig Ravenscraig is a housing development and historic village located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, north-east of central Motherwell. Ravenscraig was formerly the site of Ravenscraig steelworks; once the largest hot strip steel mill in western E ...

, Dubbo, Carberry and Dysart. This was confirmed by

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

from

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburg ...

on 10 September 1476. However, Oliver St Clair later gave to his brother, William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair who was also known as "of

Newburgh Newburgh (''"new"'' + the English/Scots word ''"burgh"'') may refer to: Places Scotland *Newburgh, Fife, a former royal burgh *Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, a village England *Newburgh, Lancashire, a village * Newburgh, North Yorkshire, a village ...

", the lands of Cousland, Dysart and Ravenscraig with the castles in return for William and his son Henry renouncing their claims to the Barony of Roslin.

Feud with Lord Borthwick

Oliver St Clair entered into a feud with

Lord Borthwick Lord Borthwick is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Alexander Nisbet relates that "the first of this ancient and noble family came from Hungary to Scotland, in the retinue of Queen Margaret, in the reign of Malcolm Canmore, ''anno Domini'' 105 ...

which lasted for several years after St Clair threw one of the Borthwicks over the drawbridge at

Roslin Castle Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn) is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the River Esk, Lothian, North Esk, only a ...

after dinner.

Rosslyn Chapel

Oliver St Clair completed the construction of

Rosslyn Chapel Rosslyn Chapel, also known as the Collegiate Chapel of Saint Matthew, is a 15th-century Scottish Episcopal Church, Episcopal chapel located in the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. The chapel was founded by William Si ...

, which had been started by his father.

Family

Oliver St Clair was married firstly to Christian Haldane, secondly to Elizabeth, daughter of

William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick Sir William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick (died 20 May 1503) was a Scottish nobleman, ambassador, and Master of the King's Household in 1485. The son of William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick (died c. 1483), the 3rd Lord Borthwick was knighted b ...

, and thirdly to Isabella Livingstone. He had the following children: #George St Clair,

fiar FIAR S.p.A. (Fabbrica Italiana Apparecchiature Radioelettriche) was an Italian avionics and radar manufacturer; the Eurofighter's current radar contains its technology. History It was formed on 31 July 1941, as a spin off from Compagnia Genera ...

of Roslin, who married Agnes, daughter of Robert Crichton, Lord Sanquhar. He died in 1510. # William St Clair, 13th Baron of Roslin. # Henry Sinclair, Bishop of Ross. # Oliver Sinclair, of Pitcairns. He commanded the Scottish army at the

Battle of Solway Moss The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish border in November 1542 between English and Scottish forces. The Scottish King James V had refused to break from the Catholic Chu ...

. # John Sinclair,

Bishop of Brechin The Bishop of Brechin is a title held successively, since c. 1150: (firstly) by bishops of the Catholic church until the Reformation of 1560; (secondly) by bishops of the Church of Scotland until that church declared itself presbyterian in ...

. #Alexander St Clair, who received a charter for lands from

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV a ...

in 1541. #Arthur St Clair, who received a charter for lands from

Andrew Durie Andrew Durie (died 1558), bishop of Galloway and abbot of Melrose, was the son of John Durie of Durie in Fife, and brother to George Durie, abbot of Dunfermline and archdeacon of St. Andrews. Biography Early career and abbacy of Melrose Both ...

Abbot of Melrose The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose in the Borders region of Scotland. The abbots of the earlier Northumbrian foundation from Lindisfarne are not included here. The secon ...

in 1539. #James St Clair, who received a charter for lands from Mr Henry St Clair, son of Oliver St Clair of Roslin. #Margaret St Clair, who married Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn.

References