Re: Sinclair Engrailed Cross

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

At 08:55 17/05/00 +0000, you wrote:
>Niven, the discussion on engrailed crosses was trying to tie together the
>Sinclairs of Normandy and the town of Gisors. Find an extract of the 
>discussion
>below. I've looked up my book on Scottish Heraldry which while not mentioning
>the Sinclairs directly does indicate that the Engrailing of cosses was a 
>fairly
>standard heraldic device.
>
>Regards
>
>John
>
> >>I've been tracing the appearance of Lux Crosses, or Light Crosses, that are
>sprinkled throughout this mystery. Often this entails a vison of a Light Cross
>or a Fiery Cross in a vision or a dream, which then leads to the establishment
>of whatever...
>
>I came across an extremely vague reference to a vision of a Lux Cross 
>which led
>to the establishment of the chateau at Gisors and it is said that this
>visionary Lux Cross was represented by the inclusion of an ENGRAILED CROSS in
>the Gisors coat of arms. I have been really struggling to confirm that the
>village of Gisors' coat of arms contains an engrailed cross... I came across
>one very vague reference on an ancient France website, but nothing solid.
>
>I find the idea of an engrailed cross representing a visonary Cross of Light
>extremely intriguing. The Sinclair device is comprised of an engrailed cross,
>of course, but I have seen this engrailed cross in other places, such as
>Southwark Cathedral here in London, so I KNEW it couldn't be specific to the
>Sinclairs alone.
>
>In the Dossiers Secrets, for instance, the early PoS and the Ormus offshoot is
>associated with the Lazarists at Orleans at the Cathedral of the Sainte
>Cross... the Abbey at St Germain des Pres which originally included St Sulpice
>was called Sainte Cross and there is a monastery outside of Lyon which was
>called Sainte Cross because is was founded after a vision of a Light Cross
>(sorry, I'm doing this off the top of my head at work, so I can't give exact
>references).
>
>In fact, I'm wondering if, by looking at the Sinclairs themselves, we might
>actually not be seeing the woods for the trees... maybe we should be 
>connecting
>the engrailed crosses instead?
>
>Anyway, can you check anywhere and see if the village of Gisors ever displayed
>this engrailed cross on their coat of arms? I would be eternally greatful...<<


The Sinclairs were associated with Gisor.  There is a St Clair Chapel in 
the Castle there.
The  engrailed cross is also part of the coat-of-arms of the City of Paris 
because the
Sinclairs protected Paris from their Castles to the North.  (The Sinclairs, 
the Gisors
and the Chaumonts were inextricably interwoven).

Where I have found engrailed crosses it has been in the heraldry of those 
families
who have inter-married with the Sinclairs.

Whilst it may not be exclusively Sinclair in origin, it has become the 
symbol and
emblem of the Sinclairs.  It appeared on their shields, on the sails of 
their ships,
on their Castles and can be seen in profusion in their Chapel of Rosslyn.

Southwark Cathedral, where there is a red engrailed cross, was also a Sinclair
territory following the Conquest.  As Governors of Colchester, Dorchester and
Dover Castles the Sinclairs held the 'gateways' to London on behalf of the 
Conqueror.

Niven Sinclair



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