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Fw: Prince Henry St Clair, The Reply you Requested



The following, is the message I sent to Mr Labehotierr, in an attempt to end the long drawn out. was he, wasn't he, a Prince, it is the text which I sent to him, the readers can make up their own minds as to the creditability of the remarks of the Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records at Lord Lyon's Office, please read it carefully and draw your own conclusions, you will certainly get no brow beating from me.

I 


  YOUR QUESTION TO ME,      "WHY WAS HENRY CALLED PRINCE"?

  You wanted the answer, well here it is, the Clan Sinclair Study Centre, have had the information for some time, but because of your intransigence and aggression,I decided not to share it with you until you were ready, I think that time is just about now.
   There has been a lot of discussion and increasing acrimony about the title of 'Prince' Henry Sinclair, Niven had offered a perfectly rational explanation for the use of Prince, but you refused to accept it, so, you might just be interested in the following. It is an extract from a letter from the Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records at Lord Lyon's Office. 

  He is the ultimate source of anything ancestral or heraldic in Scotland.
   
  " It is quite clear that in a number of works, including writings by Father Richard Augustine Hay in 'Genealogie of the St. Clairs', people have referred to Henry as Prince of Orkney. Quite why, I do not know, except that at an early period, it was thought that these powerful Earls were almost of Princely status and indeed in formal documents, an Earl can still be described as 'The Most High and Puissant Prince' but so far as I can see there is no statement or use of the words 'Prince of Orkney' in official Carters, etc. I wonder if it has something to do with the Norse Predecessors to the Earls of Orkney. I see, for instance, that Sigurd Magnusson was created King of Orkney and the Isles in the spring of 1099 by his father, King Magnus III of Norway, and thus in Norse times there was certainly at least one King as well as many Jarls of Orkney. The use of the word 'King' among the lands held by Norway, or under the influence of Norway, have been fairly widespread. There were those described as King of Man and King of the Isles. These descriptions, appear fairly regularly throughout the Sagas."
   

   That use of the word 'King' together with the semi-Regal status of the Rulers of Orkney,  is what lead to them describing the Sinclair Earls as Princes."
   The title of 'Prince' was essentially an honorific given to a man who walked in Royal circles; who was related to Royalty; who controlled 200 islands (i.e. Principality just as Wales is a Principality).and who, by his demeanour and stature was a "Prince of men".
  It also allows us to distinguish this outstanding man from the other "Henry Sinclairs" who help to make up the Sinclair/StClair family history.

  Ian of Noss Head