Re: Surnames

[Niven Sinclair <niven@niven.co.uk>]

At 20:15 09/04/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Niven --
>
>After coming to appreciate your tremendous knowledge of all aspects of the
>Sinclair heritage , I thought that I would take a chance and see if you could
>provide any insight into my Sinclair line ??
>
>I am descended from a William B. Sinclair , who was born in "" England "" in
>1835 .
>
>I am curious as to whether you might have any guesses as to what surname the
>  "" B. " might represent ??
>
>Family elders seem to think he was Welsh ?
>
>I can say that he had a generally round face and dark ( black ? ) wavy hair ,
>not at all in keeping with a typically scottish appearance !
>
>I am hoping that the middle name may provide some clue as to his local
>birthplace or perhaps some other clues as to his lineage .
>
>Thank you ,
>
>Joe Greigg
>
>There is the Barony of St Clare in Wales although the town is now called
    St Clears which is on the A40 about 9 miles from Carmarthen.

    The Sinclairs were also well-entrenched on the other side of the Bristol
     Channel (in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset) where we find the township
     of St Cleer which is not far from Liskeard.

    The name St Clair/Sinclair/St Clere/Synclere etc. has been spelt in 70
    different ways.

    After the Conquest (1066) the Sinclairs were to be found in 43 English
    Counties and in Wales.  We were in Scotland slightly earlier than that
    (1057) but, of course, people of our blood had been in Orknmey since
    the 9th Century although they did not adopt the name Sinclair until
    Prince Henry Sinclair became the 'jarl' of the Northern Islands in 1379
    by which time 'surnames' had become a necessity.  Previously people
    had been identified by their physical peculiarities*, by their occupation
    or by the name of their holding.  *E.g. Campbell =  crooked mouth.
    Cameron = crooked nose. Canmore = big head.

   The "B" in William B Sinclair could stand for almost any name.  The le Beu
   family came from Calvados in France settled in the South West and in 
Orkney
   with the Sinclairs. The name became "Bews" but it could have been Bevin 
or Bevan
   which, as you know, are typical Welsh names (which means a 'wine drinker').
   William is likely to have married a Welsh lass.  They are very comely.
   Incidentally, the Sinclair of Argyllshire descent tend to be dark.  So, 
for that
   matter, are the Sinclairs of Ulbster in Caithness.  We are not all blue eyed
   blonds.  Some, as we have heard, are red haired throw-backs with green eyes
   (and very attractive, too) but most of us, alas, are a nondescript mousy 
brown.

  Niven Sinclair

   from some knowledge.  The language was not a problem.

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