| Notes |
- St. Clare in Pont d'Eveque in Normandy is generally thought to be the
birthplace of this great northern clan.
The family received a grant of the Barony of Roslin in Midlothian
during the twelfth century. Through marriage, the family obtained the
Earldom of Orkney, and in the next century received land in Caithness.
The earldom or kingdom of Orkney was later resigned by order of James
III.
The chief of Clan Sinclair at this time split the family lands, giving
the lands of Caithness to his elder son, and the lands at Roslin to
his younger son. It was around this point that the spelling "Sinclair"
came into general use, although the Earls of Roslin still prefer to
use the older form of "St. Clare".
The Earls of Caithness engaged in a long succession of feuds with
their neighbours and within the family. This resulted in the 4th Earl
imprisoning his son in Girnigoe Castle, where he starved to death.
Much of the Sinclair lands in Caithness had to be sold off to pay
debts. Within the family, rights to estates were disputed and
culminated in a battle between the Sinclairs and the Campbells on the
banks of Altimarlech, near Wick. It is said that, as a result of this
battle, "so many Sinclairs were killed that the Campbells were able to
cross the water without getting their feet wet".
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Abt 1680 - Yes, date unknown