William Sinclair (1410–1480), 1st
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 ...
(1455–1476), last
Earl (Jarl) of Orkney (1434–1470
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
, –1472
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 ...
), 2nd
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 C ...
and 11th
Baron of Roslin was a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
and
Scottish nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
and the builder of
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, formerly known as the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, is a 15th-century chapel located in the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland.
Rosslyn Chapel was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Catholic collegiate church ...
, in
Midlothian.
In ''
The Scots Peerage
''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert ...
'' by
James Balfour Paul he is designated as the 1st Lord Sinclair,
but historian Roland Saint-Clair designates him the 2nd Lord Sinclair in reference to his father,
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney (c. 1375 – 1420) was the Jarl (Earl) of Orkney, Baron of Roslin and Pantler of Scotland. According to Roland Saint-Clair writing in the late 19th century, Henry Sinclair was also the first of his family t ...
, being the first person recorded as Lord Sinclair by public records.
Early life
He was the son of
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney (c. 1375 – 1420) was the Jarl (Earl) of Orkney, Baron of Roslin and Pantler of Scotland. According to Roland Saint-Clair writing in the late 19th century, Henry Sinclair was also the first of his family t ...
and Egidia Douglas, daughter of
Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale
Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale (c. 1370 – 1391) was a Scottish knight and Northern Crusader.
Early life
William Douglas was an illegitimate son of Archibald the Grim, 3rd Earl of Douglas and an unknown mother.
A man of apparently das ...
and maternal granddaughter of
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of St ...
. He was also the grandson of
Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, Lord of Roslin () was a Scottish and a Norwegian nobleman. Sinclair held the title Earl of Orkney (which refers to Norðreyjar rather than just the islands of Orkney) and was Lord High Admiral of Scotland unde ...
.
His father Henry, who had been a
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
Jarl of Orkney, died in 1420; William travelled to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in 1422 to establish his claim to the Jarldom, but David Menzies was appointed instead, to rule as William's guardian until he came of age. In 1424, William succeeded in wresting de facto control of the earldom from his guardian, but it was not until 1434 that he was acknowledged as Jarl of Orkney by
King Eric VII of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, sovereign of Orkney.
Earl of Orkney
![Rosslyn Chapel scotland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Rosslyn_Chapel_scotland.jpg)
On succeeding to the Earldom of Orkney, William had barely been in possession of it for a year when he was one of five earls selected to be among twenty hostages, proposed on 31 May 1421, for the redemption of
James I of Scotland
James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...
. When that redemption could not be obtained, he was then placed on the list of nobles who received a passport to visit James I, who was then a prisoner in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The earl received a safe conduct for himself and twenty-four persons. James I returned to Scotland in 1423 and he was met at
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
by the Earl of Orkney as well as the Earls of
Lennox,
Wigtown
Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. ...
,
Moray,
Crawford
Crawford may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia
* Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario
United Kingdom
* Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England
* Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...
,
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
,
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
and
Stratherne.
In 1423, David Menzies of Wemyss, chief of the
Clan Menzies
''For Menzies as a personal name, including its pronunciation and a list of famous people of that name, see Menzies.''
Clan Menzies (IPA: /ˈmɪŋɪs/ - ); gd, Clann Mèinnear, a member is a ''Mèinnearach'' is a Highland Scottish clan.
...
and uncle of William, was entrusted by King Eric with the administration of the
Isles, and the
Bishop of Orkney
The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.
Th ...
subscribed to this obligation as surety. However, due to disorder during the reign of Menzies, the government of the earldom was reinstated to the Bishop for seven years until the young Earl William could formally receive his investiture. However, the young William had taken the title of earl before receiving his investiture as he is styled as Earl of Orkney in 1426 at the assize in
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, and again in 1428 when he was present at
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
dealing with a complaint made by his mother regarding the spoilation of her
Nithsdale
Nithsdale (''Srath Nid'' in Scottish Gaelic), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost the ...
possessions.
In 1434, William crossed over to
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
and King Eric granted investiture to him for the Earldom of Orkney. Earl William was also to hold
Kirkwall Castle
Kirkwall Castle, also known as King's Castle, was located in Kirkwall, the main settlement in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Built in the 14th century, it was deliberately destroyed in 1614. The last ruins were cleared in the 19th century. The cas ...
for the king and his successors. In the same year James I of Scotland's daughter,
Margaret, was betrothed to
Louis, Dauphin of France and
Charles VII of France then arranged for Margaret to be escorted back to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. The King of Scotland ordered that all should be ready by 20 June, and William, Earl of Orkney had forty-six ships in readiness to transport Margaret and her train. The fleet that carried her to her future kingdom was commanded by the Earl of Orkney.
In 1446, the Earl of Orkney laid the foundation stone of the
Collegiate Church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...
of
St Matthew, commonly referred to as
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, formerly known as the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, is a 15th-century chapel located in the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland.
Rosslyn Chapel was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Catholic collegiate church ...
. In the same year the Earl of Orkney was called to the Norwegian
Riksråd
Riksrådet (in Norwegian and Swedish), Rigsrådet (in Danish) or (English: the Council of the Realm and the Council of the State – sometimes translated as the "Privy Council") is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that rule ...
to take the oath of
Christopher of Bavaria
Christopher of Bavaria (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union.
Biography
Coming to power
He was the son of John, ...
who was the successor of King Eric of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
After the death of childless King Christopher of Norway in 1448, Earl William was mentioned as a possible candidate for the vacant throne, as the jarl of Orkney was the highest ranking nobleman in Norway. However, there are no indications that he pursued this claim. The same year the Earl of Orkney appears obtaining the patronage of the chapel of
Saint Duthac
Saint Duthac (or Duthus or Duthak) (1000–1065) is the patron saint of Tain in Scotland.
According to the ''Aberdeen Breviary,'' Duthac was a native Scot. Tradition has it that Duthac was educated in Ireland and died in Tain.
A chapel was ...
in
Kirkwall
Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland.
The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
.
![Midlothian, UK - panoramio (42)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Midlothian%2C_UK_-_panoramio_%2842%29.jpg)
In 1454–55, the Earls of Orkney and Angus laid siege to
Abercorn Castle with 6,000 men because Lord Hamilton was in league with the rebel
Earl of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, so ...
. Hamilton was taken by the royal camp and the Earl of Orkney kept him in honourable captivity in
Roslin Castle
Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn) is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around 9 miles south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the fa ...
for a few days until he defected from the House of Douglas.
On 15 November 1456, the earl's father-in-law, Alexander Sutherland of
Dunbeath
Dunbeath ( gd, Dùn Bheithe) is a village in south-east Caithness, Scotland on the A9 road. It sits astride the Dunbeath Water just before it enters the sea at Dunbeath Bay.
Dunbeath has a very rich archaeological landscape, the site of numero ...
, made his will in the earl's presence at Roslin Castle. The earl had married Sutherland's daughter Marjory, by Sutherland's wife Mariota, daughter of
Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles
Donald, Lord of the Isles ( gd, Dómhnall; died 1423), was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but unde ...
.
James II of Scotland
James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...
died in 1460 and the Earl of Orkney was elected as one of six Governors for the government during the minority of the young
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 Roxburgh ...
.
In 1468, James III of Scotland married
Margaret, daughter of
Christian I of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Christian was unable to immediately provide a dowry. Instead, he promised that dowry would be provided at a later date, pledging the territory of the Jarldom of Orkney as security for his promise. The sovereignty of Orkney therefore transferred from Norway to Scotland.
In 1470, James III offered William the
castle and lands of Ravenscraig in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, in return for William
quitclaim
Generally, a quitclaim is a formal renunciation of a legal claim against some other person, or of a right to land. A person who quitclaims renounces or relinquishes a claim to some legal right, or transfers a legal interest in land. Originally a c ...
ing his rights in Orkney and Shetland, an offer William accepted.
The Norse jarldom technically remained in existence, but William now only had authority over the mainland parts - Caithness and Sutherland. In 1472, it having become clear that the dowry was unlikely to be paid, James declared the Jarldom's territory to be forfeit to
the Scottish Crown, to which it was annexed by an
Act of the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
, on 20 February. William now wielded his authority under the king of Scotland, rather than of Norway.
Earl of Caithness
Exchanging his inherited lordship of Nithsdale for lands in Caithness, William was granted the hereditary title
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 ...
in 1455.
He resigned the Earldom in favour of his second son from his second marriage,
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, in 1476.
William, Earl of Orkney died before 3 July 1480.
Family
![Rosslyn or Roslin Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Rosslyn_or_Roslin_Castle.jpg)
William Sinclair was married three times: firstly to Lady Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of
Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas; secondly to Marjory Sutherland (married 1456), daughter of Alexander Sutherland of
Dunbeath
Dunbeath ( gd, Dùn Bheithe) is a village in south-east Caithness, Scotland on the A9 road. It sits astride the Dunbeath Water just before it enters the sea at Dunbeath Bay.
Dunbeath has a very rich archaeological landscape, the site of numero ...
; and thirdly to Janet Yeman.
By Lady Elizabeth Douglas he had the following children:
#
William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair
William Sinclair of Newburgh, Aberdeenshire (died 1487) was a Scottish nobleman and the 3rd Lord Sinclair. In ''The Scots Peerage'' by James Balfour Paul he is designated as the 2nd Lord Sinclair, but historian Roland Saint-Clair designates him ...
who was reportedly disinherited by his father, only receiving
Ravenscraig Castle
Ravenscraig Castle is a ruined castle located in Kirkcaldy which dates from around 1460. The castle is an early example of artillery defence in Scotland.
History
The construction of Ravenscraig Castle by the mason Henry Merlion and the master ca ...
in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
.
#Lady Catherine Sinclair, who married
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany (7 August 1485), was a Scottish prince and the second surviving son of King James II of Scotland. He fell out with his older brother, King James III, and fled to France, where he unsuccessfully sought help. In 1 ...
.
#Elizabeth Sinclair, who married Andrew, Master of Rothes
By Marjory Sutherland he had the following children:
#
Oliver St Clair, 12th Baron of Roslin
Oliver St Clair (died 1523) was a Scottish noble and the 12th Baron of Roslin.
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 ...
, who received the
Barony of Roslin.
#
William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness
William Sinclair (1459 – 9 September 1513) was a nobleman, the 2nd Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Early life
William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness was born at Ravenscraig Cast ...
(b. 1460 - d. 1513)
#Alexander Sinclair (c. 1454)
#George Sinclair (c. 1453)
#Robert Sinclair (1447)
#Arthur Sinclair (c. 1452)
#Lady Eleanor Sinclair (b. 1457- d. 1518), who married
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (15 September 1512), also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador.
Life
He was the oldest child of Joan Beaufort, widow of James I of Scotland, and her second husband, Sir ...
.
#Lady Elizabeth Sinclair (b. c. 1455 - d. 1498), who married the Laird of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
.
#Lady Margaret Sinclair (c. 1450), who married David Boswell of Balmuto.
#Lady Katherine Sinclair (b. 1440 - d. 1479)
#Lady Susan Sinclair (c. 1451)
#Lady Marjory Sinclair (1455–80), married Andrew Leslie, Master of Rothes. With Andrew she had issue including
William Leslie, 3rd Earl of Rothes
William Leslie (died 9 September 1513), 3rd Earl of Rothes, was the son of Andrew Leslie, Master of Rothes, and Marjory (also known as Elizabeth) Sinclair, daughter of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness. He succeeded his elder brother George L ...
#Lady Mariota Sinclair (c. 1455)
#Lady Euphemia Sinclair (c. 1470), who married John Kincaid Laird of Warriston.
Illegitimate:
#Sir David Sinclair of Sumburgh, died 1507.
The earl's second son of his second marriage, William Sinclair, became the designated heir of the Earldom of Caithness, and continued that title. The Barony of
Roslin went to his first son by that marriage, Sir Oliver Sinclair.
References
*Charles Mosley, ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'', 107th edition.
*
Sir James Balfour Paul, ''
The Scots Peerage
''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert ...
: founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom''. Edinburgh 1904
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caithness, William Sinclair, 1st Earl of
1410 births
1480 deaths
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
Lord chancellors of Scotland
Lord High Admirals of Scotland
Scottish architects
Earls of Caithness
Norwegian earls
Scottish Roman Catholics
Scottish sheriffs
15th-century Scottish military personnel