Re: Re : Re the date of St. Clare"s death

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

At 05:15 06/06/99 +0100, you wrote:
>
>I photed the date I don't remember it but I do have a date for you once the
>photos are returned. The Mayor is sending me the name and correspondence
>from the Americans.  His English is not good, thankfully I had, God rest her
>soul, a French mother nee Jaquelin Jacquet D'Orleans.
>
>La Behottiere is a celebrated place in France Charles Ritz the hotellier
>wrote about it in his book "A Fly Fisher Life".  Erwin Rommel lived in the
>house before his sucide in Berlin. I was invited for this and certian
>British considerations to participate in carrying the Saint's remains.  I
>have drunk from the waters of the Holy well. I have touched the rock upon
>which St Clair was beheaded and I have given my hand and yours to M.
>Destouches, Mayor St Clair sur Epte.
>" My castles are my King's alone from turret to foundation stone but the
>hand of Sinclair is his alone"
>
>Today is a fete in France.  D-Day.
>
>For my Canadians cousins I came back to London via Dieppe the monument to
>the Hamilton Light Infantry stand proudly on the Beach and states if you
>will excuse my translation "To the two hundred officers and men of the
>Hamilton Light Infantry  who died crossings the beach and esplade so that we
>may live free"
>
>The matches for fire lighting now in Normandie have the statement on them my
>translation "With eternal thanks for the unique military genius of the
>Allied forces who landed on our beaches and gave us what France treasures
>most our Freedom" the boxes bear British, American and Canadian flags"
>
>St Clair sur Epte is not in Normandy it is in the Isle de France

>----- Original Message -----
>From: John S. Quarterman <jsq@mids.org>
>To: <sinclair@jump.net>
>Sent: 05 June 1999 21:36
>Subject: Re: Re : Re the date of St. Clare"s death
>
>I am forwarding the story of Clair's death (later St Clare or Claire) to
John Quarterman who
may wish to include parts of it on a web page.

Briefly. Clair was born in Kent in England of a noble family and,
naturally, his father wished
him to marry a rich heiress who lived close by. She, being aware of Clair's
austere and celibate life, used all her femine charms to try to seduce the
young man.  She failed miserably.  Being rich and accustomed to getting her
own way, her love turned to hatred.
She swore to revenge herself on this hapless young man.

Clair's only hope in escaping the murderous intentions of this female was
to seek refuge on the Continent.  He landed in Neustria (now known as
Normandy ) where he lived as a hermit.
His faame as a healer began to atttract attention and, although he moved
his hut from place
to place within the forest, it became the focus of attention for people
seeking cures.

Clair's abrupt departure from England further inflamed the  rich heiress
who sent her agents
to France with instrctions to find and kill him.

On the 4th November, in the year of our Lord 884, they found Clair in his
simple hut on the
edge of the River Epte.   His end was swift because one of the agents
beheaded Clair whilst
he knelt in prayer.  (That is why he is frequently depicted, like St Denis,
holding his head in his hands).  The blood flowed copiously from his neck
but a new spring came out of the ground and washed away all signes of it.

The manner of Clair's death increased his renoqn.  The simple hut was
transformed into a 
Chapel and eventually a Church was built on the spot.  ten years after the
murder enough
houses were built at the spot to establish a village which was named, St
Clair, after the martyr.

Another of your correspondents quite rightly points out that St
Clair-sur-Epte is situated on the left bank of the River Epte and was part
of ther Isle-de-France which belonged to to the
Chaumont-Quitry family with  whom the St Clairs were inter-related.

There has always been some 'confusion' as to which of the many places
called St Clair or St Clare in France, the St Clairs took their name from.
You have a wide choice but the distinct
branches of the family emanated from St Clair-sur-Epte, St Clair-sur-Lo and
St Clair d'Eveque.

I will give a list of the St Clairs of France when I can find that
particular file amongst the
numerous files in my possession.  In 1994 I sent a research team to France
to trace the
St Clairs there and the families with whom they were or became
inter-related such as the
Chaumonts, Gisors, d'Evreux, de Bar, de Courcy, Plantard, Blois etc.  The
St Clairs were the Earls of Senlis and Corbeil and protected Paris from the
North which is why that City has the St Clair engrailed cross in its
coat-of-arms.

Niven Sinclair
>> Sinclair de la Behottiere,
>>
>> You've been busy!
>>
>> Did the mayor have a specific date for the treaty of St. Clair-sur-Epte?
>> We're probably all agreed now that it was in 911, but what month and day?
>>
>> Looking forward to the pictures and further reports.
>> I've put your reports thus far in the web pages.
>>
>> >he has meet one other Sinclair, a family from the United
>> >States Minnosotta?
>>
>> Could that be the David Sinclair Bouschor family?
>>
>> John S. Quarterman <jsq@mids.org>
>> [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
>> [ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>
>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
>[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
> 

[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html