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Hi Rory,
I used George F. Black's Surnames of Scotland, Their
Origin, Meaning and History as the basis for my article, as I'm sure was
obvious. George Fraser Black (1866-1948) held a PhD, and the above book
was published in 1946. Surnames of Scotland, of course, has
become the most authoritative source for Scottish surnames. This view is
held by Sharon L. Krossa, whom I also used as a source. Ms. Krossa is
affiliated with Aberdeen University and maintains a website called
"Scottish Names 101" at
I then used the LDS church's database of Scottish Church
Records as a means of sorting and collating information, while I also had
available to me on microfilm the original, hand-written parish
registers. Through the use of these, I was able to document the transition
of the name and "prove" (as far as possible at this point in time)
George F. Black's statements regarding Argyll Sinclairs.
Whether they were shinglers or tinklers is not terribly
important--what is important is that the Argyll Sinclairs (and those in the
Western Isles) had roots in the Clan mac na cearda (gaelic). The Scots
form of this name was McNokaird, and from approximately 1685-1750 the use of
McNokaird made its transition to the English Sinclair. I believe it's
important for Sinclairs who trace their roots back to Argyll to have this
information. However, I'm sure that not every single Sinclair in
Argyll were McNokairds--some undoubtedly originated in the traditional Sinclair
locales.
I agree with you that under the Restoration of the Clans
promoted by Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria
from 1790-1820, all Sinclairs can unite under the current Clan and Tartan with
pride!
I appreciate your interest and your
comments.
Karen Matheson
Hi Karen:
Just read your McNokaird
article and a nice piece of work it is. Congratulations! It is
really very good.
I would add as a codicil to your thesis, however,
the following:
Alexander
MacLean Sinclair was an amazingly well-connected, well-respected scholar
both in English and in Gaelic. His work was published both here and in
Scotland at the turn of the century (His 500 page tome on the MacLeans
is still in use today) and it is a remarkable achievement when one also
considers that the man grew up on an impoverished farm in one of the poorest
counties in Nova Scotia (still is). This does not mean that he could
not be wrong nor does it mean that we do not have new information that he
did not possess. But......I do not have the Gaelic and I do not know
if you do but it would be nervy of me to contradict Professor Sinclair (a
native Gaelic speaker and Gaelic academician) even 100 years after the fact
and state categorically "The Sinclairs of Argyll were not
shinglers". Similarly, I will not argue with your thesis
that they must have been smiths. "Craftmen" or "people
of the craft" I would like to think might include shinglers and if you
don't think there's an art to shingling, try doing your own roof next time
it needs one. There is veritable skill in roofing and I should know, I am a
contractor and I value my roofers as my
brothers.
Professor Sinclair, I think would agree with your general
thesis that the Argyll Sinclairs are a different "kettle of fish"
and the proof of that is his statement that they are "out-and-out
Highlanders". My opinion is, as I have said elsewhere, that a
connection may well be there between the Rosslyn-Caithness Sinclairs and
those of Argyll but that opionion and 5 cents would have bought you a coffee
in 1946. Whatever the truth of the connection or not, our Argyll
brothers and sisters are members of our family and nothing can change that.
Juli's remark is on the money when in response to
"Sinclair's by mistake" she responds that, looked at another
way, Norman Sinclairs have no claim to be Highland.
Yours
aye,
Rory
-----Original
Message-----
From: Matheson <zoo@uswest.net>
To:
Mailing List Sinclair <sinclair@jump.net>
Date:
Monday, May 10, 1999 7:16 PM
Subject: Re: Sinclairs by
mistake?
John,
I believe that is exactly what this means!
However, after the restoration of the clans and the return of the
"romance" of the Scots from about 1790-1820ish, Sinclairs from
everywhere can unite and claim affiliation with the Sinclair Clan (I
believe). :)
Sinclairs in Argyll were not
"shinglers." For more information,
read my article "McNokairds: The Early Sinclairs of Argyll"
found on the websites maintained by both Paul Sinclair (http://kingcrest.com/sinclair)
and John Quarterman (www.mids.org/sinclair/) under
Argyll "Origin of Argyll Sinclairs."
Karen Matheson
Alexander Sinclairs book
states
> The
Gaelic form of the name Sinclair is Singlear. The Sinclairs
of
>Argyleshire call themselves Clann-na-Cearda or the
Children of the craft or
>trade. It is probable that the
name was given them by their neighbours >would
naturally take
for gratned that Singlear meant shingler or >flax-dresser.
The
Sinclairs of Argyll are out-and -out Highlanders. >
Forgive me for being obtuse but does this mean that argyle
Sinclairs may have
no real clain to be descended from the
Norman/Scandiavian Sinclairs?
Yours Aye
john
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