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Niven,
Did you mean to say "The
first St. Clair to arrive in "ENGLAND" instead of France?
Don't we have records that
William the Seemly possessed Roslin by 1070? And how was it that the
Sinclairs were vassals of the de Morville? Who were they? How early
were these charters connected with the abbys of Dryburgh and Newbattle, the
Hospital of Soltre in Midlothian?
I believe that the
importance of Margaret was all in the imagination of the English awaiting the
arrival of her father, Edward the Athling. It was their desperate hope
that HE would be the replacement for the aging and childless King Edward the
Confessor. Margaret was a very small side issue in that it was expected
that she would marry Malcolm Canmore who would shortly be installed on the
Scottish throne.
I have
looked at the history of this period written by 3 authors and 2 separate
genealogical charts. There are some huge problems with the St. Margaret
and William the Seemly story that we have heard. Please believe me, I
didn't set out to invent a controversial story but the dates just don't seem to
remotely match up to the popular story. I am very open to proof that these
authors are incorrect but so far am not hearing otherwise. The story that
is developing is really more interesting than the usual "historical
shortcut" reporting. You will see that Margaret was not the usual
helpless pawn in the marriage mill of the royalty. I believe you will gain
some admiration for her and find that she is a more believable personage.
If no one changes my view point, the article that will appear in the Spring 2000
Yours Aye, could end my Clan Historians job.
I hope that you will sense in
the above message that I REALLY desire to work with whoever has real hard data
concerning these events. I am hoping to avoid a big confrontation just based on
legends that people have heard. This is not proof. Just repeating the same
legends over and over doesn't make them true and isn't good historial reporting.
The Saxon Chronicles are more reliable than stories written hundreds of years
later.
Sincerely,
Laurel
The earliest mention of the St Clairs is, of course, in France from where they took their name. Charles 'the Simple' of France offered Hrolf 'the Ganger' the Province of Neustria and his daughter Gizelle in marriage if Hrolf (known as Rollo in France) would cease his raiding of the French coast. That Treaty (912) was signed at Castle St Clair-sur-Epte and it is from that place the St Clairs take their name. Neustria soon became known as Norse -man's-land or Normandy. Hrolf soon added Brittany and the Channel Islands to his Duchy. His marriage to Gizelle was childless so all subsequent Dukes of Normandy (and St Clairs) are descended from Hrolf's first wife, Popa, the daughter of Count Berenger of Bayeux. Within three generations St Clairs are to be found in every Provinbce of France and Alsace. The first St Clair to arrive in France accompanied Margaret (later St Margaret) from Hungary in 1057. He was William 'the Seemly' St Clair. The English Sinclairs arrived in force with their 'bastard' cousin, William 'the Conqueror' in 1066 and, again within three generations, are to be found with land in 43 English Counties and in Wales. The word 'clan' simply means a family and, on that basis, the Sinclairs are certainly a Clan. However, they have always had a European dimension which they retain to this day and,with an estimated 250,000 Sinclairs worldwide, their Viking wanderlust has remained undiminished. The World is their oyster. Niven Sinclair |