Maj. James St Clair, 14th Lord Sinclair (3 July 1803 – 24 October 1880) was a Scottish noble and representative peer.

Early life

St Clair was born on 3 July 1803. He was the eldest son of Charles St Clair, 13th Lord Sinclair, and his first wife, Mary Agnes Chisholm (d. 1814), the only daughter of James Chisholm of Chisholm. His paternal grandparents were Elizabeth ( Rutherfurd) St Clair (a daughter of John Rutherfurd, MP for

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

) and Andrew St Clair of Herdmanston, ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' 12th Lord Sinclair. Charles St Clair, ''de jure'' 11th Lord Sinclair (a son of Dr. Matthew St Clair, who was a younger brother of John Sinclair, 23rd Lord Herdmanston). His maternal grandparents were , and Eleanor ( Elliot) Rutherfurd (a daughter of the

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorr ...

Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, of Minto). His uncle, John Rutherfurd, was also an MP for Roxburghshire, and married Mary Ann Leslie (a daughter of Maj.-Gen.

Alexander Leslie Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (4 April 1661) was a Scottish army officer. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of field marshal in Swedish Army, and in Scotland became Lord General in comma ...

and granddaughter of Alexander Leslie, 5th Earl of Leven).

Career

Upon his father's death in 1863, he inherited the Lordship of Sinclair (which had been confirmed on his father by the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in 1782) He was an

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

with the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in 1822. He was made Lieutenant and Captain in 1826, and Major of the 92nd Foot in 1827. Lord Sinclair sat in the House of Lords as a Conservative

Scottish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the unicameral Parliament of Scotland, where all Scottish Peers had been entit ...

from 1868 until his death in 1880.

Personal life

On 14 September 1830, St Clair was married to Jane Little, eldest daughter of Archibald Little, of Shabden Park. Together, they were the parents of: * Charles William St Clair, 15th Lord Sinclair (1831–1922), who married Margaret Jane Murray, a daughter of James Murray, of Ancoats Hall, in 1870. * Archibald St Clair (1833–1872), a Commander of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. * James Chisholm St Clair (1837–1902), who served in the Madras Civil Service (later the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

) from 1857 to 1882. * Lockhart Matthew St Clair (1855–1930), who was Secretary to the Government, Central Provinces, India; he married Ellen Mary Margaret Rice, a daughter of Maj.-Gen William Roche Rice in 1881.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.A.:

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3628. * Mary Agnes St Clair (b. 1840) * Helen St Clair (1842–1849), who died young. Lord Sinclair died on 24 October 1880 and was succeeded in the lordship by his eldest son

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

. His widow died on 17 June 1887.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Sinclair, James St Clair, 14th 1803 births 1880 deaths Nobility from East Lothian James James Lord Sinclair, James St Clair, 14th Scottish representative peers