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Origins of Sinclair



Dear Bill,

Your email to the Sinclair List indicated your interest in the Sinclair Castle
"on a river'.  Here your answer:

No visit to Scotland would be complete without seeing the Rosslyn
Chapel and the Castle nearby, located in the outer suburbs of Edinburgh.  
The Castle (on the River Esk) was built by the first Sinclair to be in 
Scotland, William, in 1058 AD.  400 years later the Chapel was built. Its 
Medieval beauty has a world wide reputation.  Built in 1446 by Sir William
Sinclair, the 3rd Prince of Orkney and 6th Lord of Roslin, it is
a living monument to his motto "Commit Thy Work To God".  Truly,
this is an eternal shrine for all Sinclairs!

My wife and I spent some time in Scotland in 1988, studying our
Sinclair roots.  In our Edinburgh hotel we found a promotional
brochure, and indeed its enticing description of the beauty and
ornamentation of the Chapel was an understatement.

Located at the edge of the Pentland Hills at a distance of seven
miles south of Edinburgh, the town of Roslin sits on the bank of
the River Esk.  It's terrain is in the form of a glen, well
vegetated with trees and meadows.  From the town a short road
leads to the Chapel.  Nestled among the trees, centuries away
from our modern life, the gray stone structure catches your eye. 
The village is spelled Roslin, while the Chapel bears the Celtic
spelling of Rosslyn.

Pete Cummings
Clan Sinclair Genealogist