William Sinclair (died 1570) was a Scottish nobleman and the 5th

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 4th Lord Sinclair in descent starting from William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness and 3rd Earl of Orkney, but historian Roland Saint-Clair designates him as the 5th Lord Sinclair in descent from the father of the 1st Earl of Caithness and 3rd Earl of Orkney,

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 ...

, who is the first person recorded as Lord Sinclair in public records. Roland Saint-Clair references this to an Act of the Scottish Parliament in which the 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 William Sinclair was "in reality" the fifth Lord Sinclair.

Early life

He was the son of Henry Sinclair, 4th Lord Sinclair and Margaret, daughter of

Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes (after 1432 – 1479) was Sheriff of Berwickshire in April 1467, and had a charter of confirmation of Dunsyre in the sheriffdom of Lanarkshire, dated 13 October 1475, being thereafter designated 'of Dunsyre'. Family ...

and sister of

Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell (died 18 October 1508) was Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He rose to political prominence after supporting James IV against his father, and was proxy at the King's marriage. Career Patrick was the son of Adam ...

. Upon the death of his father in 1513, his mother Dame Margaret Hepburn held the Crown lands of Orkney for nearly thirty years without disturbance or interruption. Her husband, the 4th Lord, had in about 1489, been appointed one of the commissioners to collect the King's rents in Orkney and Shetland and in 1501 had taken a step towards regaining the Isles by obtaining a lease of the earldom for nineteen years. In 1514, it is recorded that the 4th Lord, then deceased, had sold to James IV of Scotland eight pieces of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

for £100 to be paid to his widow.

Orkney rebellion

In the second year of the widowhood of the mother of the 5th Lord, the Orcadians elected James Sinclair (son of William Sinclair of Wassatter or Warsetter) as their leader and virtual Governor, who, possessed all the wealth of his family despite being illegitimate. He was also a born and bred Orcadian. They withheld their rents to Lady Margaret Sinclair for three years from 1523 to 1525 and forced her son, William Sinclair, 5th Lord Sinclair, to surrender

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 ...

and escape to Caithness. The 5th Lord Sinclair appears on the Council of Nobles that was brought together by

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was 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 and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

after he had escaped from the Douglases in 1528. Possibly for his support, the King then gave the 5th Lord Sinclair the Letter of Four Forms which sanctioned the invasion of Orkney the following year to try and force James Sinclair to surrender the governorship. Lord Sinclair made an alliance with John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness who was a close kinsman. Together, they gathered a considerable military force and invaded Orkney but were defeated at the Battle of Summerdale where the Earl of Caithness and 500 of his followers were killed. Lord Sinclair was taken prisoner with others. James Sinclair had prior to the battle already killed some of the Lord Sinclair's friends and attendants in Kirkwall Castle and a week or two after the battle killed thirty men who had tried to find sanctuary in

St Magnus Cathedral St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built ...

. King James demonstrated his authority by renewing to Lady Sinclair her rights to the Isles until 1540. However, having defeated the invasion of Orkney, James Sinclair was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed by King James.Saint-Clair, Roland (1898). p
138
Retrieved June 14, 2021.

Royal relations

In 1543, the Queen Dowager instituted a suite against

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 ...

of Pitcairns and William Sinclair, 5th Lord Sinclair protested that he should not be connected with what Oliver Sinclair had done. In 1544, William Sinclair, 5th Lord Sinclair agreed to support the Queen-Mother as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of Scotland against the Earl of Arran.

Lands and charters

He received a charter for himself and his spouse Elizabeth Keith for the lands 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 ...

and the fishings of the river Ythan on 17 April 1524. He had

Sasine Sasine in Scots law is the delivery of feudal property, typically land. Feudal property means immovable property, and includes everything that naturally goes with the property. For land, that would include such things as buildings, trees, and unde ...

of the baronies of

Dysart, Fife Dysart ( ; gd, Dìseart) is a former town and royal burgh located on the south-east coast between Kirkcaldy and West Wemyss in Fife. The town is now considered to be a suburb of Kirkcaldy. Dysart was once part of a wider estate owned by the St ...

and

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 ...

in 1543. He received further charters to him and his wife for the lands of Wilstoun, Carberry and Balbeggy in Fife on 28 June 1547. In 1542, he received a remission under the Privy Seal of Scotland for having assisted the rebellion of

George Home, 4th Lord Home George Home, 4th Lord Home (died 1549) was a Scottish nobleman and Warden of the Eastern March. The son of Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home and his wife Nicola Ker, daughter of George Ker of Samuelston, he succeeded his brother, Alexander Home, 3 ...

and David Home of Wedderburn.

Family

William Sinclair, 5th Lord Sinclair married Lady Elizabeth Keith, widow of Colin, Master of Oliphant and daughter of William, 3rd

Earl Marischal The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland. History The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held b ...

. They had the following children: # Henry Sinclair, 6th Lord Sinclair, heir and successor. #Magnus Sinclair, of Kinninmonth, who according to ''The Scots Peerage'' was born from the 5th Lord Sinclair's second marriage to Mariota Bruce. #Margaret Sinclair.

References

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