William Sinclair of

Newburgh, Aberdeenshire Newburgh is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village dates to 1261 AD, when Lord Sinclair wanted to establish a chapel in the area. Originally built as a school, somewhat later the chapel of Holy Rood was established. Geograp ...

(died 1487) was a Scottish nobleman and the 3rd

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 ...

. 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 Rober ...

'' by James Balfour Paul he is designated as the 2nd Lord Sinclair, but historian Roland Saint-Clair designates him the 3rd Lord Sinclair in reference to his descent from his grandfather,

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 ...

, the first Lord Sinclair. Roland Saint-Clair references this to an Act of the Scottish Parliament in which William Sinclair's son, Henry Sinclair, 4th Lord Sinclair, was made Lord Sinclair based on his descent from his great-grandfather, Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, the first Lord Sinclair.

Bernard Burke Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''. Personal life Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London an ...

, in his a ''Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire'', agrees with Roland Saint-Clair and says that Henry Sinclair was "in reality" the fourth holder of the title of Lord Sinclair.

Early life

He was the eldest son from the first marriage of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, 11th Baron of Roslin and 2nd Lord Sinclair to Lady Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas. William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair was reportedly disinherited by his father who had favored his two eldest sons from his second marriage to Marjory Sutherland: he passed the title and lands of the Barony of Roslin to the eldest son from his second marriage,

Oliver Sinclair Sir Oliver Sinclair of Pitcairnis (died 1576?) was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss. Another story tells how at the end of h ...

, and the

earldom 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 ha ...

to his second son from his second marriage, another William Sinclair. Various reasons have been given for this including that of

Father Richard Augustine Hay Father Richard Augustine Hay (1661-''c''.1736) was prior of St. Pierremont, France, and antiquary. Life Richard Hay was born in Edinburgh on 16 August 1661 and baptized in Tron Kirk. He was the second son of Captain George Hay; his paternal gran ...

in his 1690 manuscript history of the Sinclairs which states that the first marriage from which William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair was born, was unlawful, but this is disputed by historian Roland Sinclair, writing in the late 19th century. Another theory is that as his father's first wife was a Douglas and that as the

Clan Douglas Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. ...

were enemies of the Crown this meant that his father would not want to be identified with the Douglas family and did later take the side that opposed the Douglases. According to Roland Saint-Clair, the most likely reason is that William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair, whilst the Master of Orkney, having imprisoned

William Tulloch William de Tulloch (died 1482) was a 15th-century Scottish prelate. A native of Angus, he became a canon of Orkney, almost certainly brought there by his relative Thomas de Tulloch, Bishop of Orkney. He was provided to the bishopric upon th ...

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 ...

was the main reason why his father had lost the

earldom of Orkney The Earldom of Orkney is the official status of the Orkney Islands. It was originally a Norse feudal dignity in Scotland which had its origins from the Viking period. In the ninth and tenth centuries it covered more than the Northern Isles (' ...

. However, Roland Saint-Clair states that it is also questionable whether William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair was actually disinherited at all because he did possess

Newburgh, Fife Newburgh is a royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, at the south shore of the Firth of Tay. The town has a population of 2,171 (in 2011),Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Sc ...

which had previously belonged to David St. Clair who was the brother 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 ...

, who in turn was the great-grandfather of William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair.

Castles and lands

William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair, recorded as "of Newburgh" reached an agreement with his half brother Oliver Sinclair, in which William would receive 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, a ...

in the sheriffdom of Edinburgh, the barony of Dysart Castle and lands of

Ravenscraig Ravenscraig is a village and new town, located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, around 1½ miles east of Motherwell. Ravenscraig was formerly the site of Ravenscraig steelworks; once the largest hot strip steel mill in western Europe, the st ...

, Dulbo, Carbary, and Wilstoun in Fife in return for him and his son Henry renouncing their claims to the Barony of Roslin and it's attached lands.

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 ...

was the seat of the Lords Sinclair.

Family

William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair married Lady Christian Leslie, daughter of George Leslie, 1st Earl of Rothes, and they had the following children: # Henry Sinclair, 4th Lord Sinclair, heir and successor. #Sir William Sinclair of Warsetter and Orkney. # Elizabeth Sinclair, married as the second wife to John Glendonwyn. William Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair died in about 1487.

References

External links

* {{S-end Lords Sinclair Clan Sinclair 1487 deaths

Early life

Castles and lands

Family

See also

References

External links