>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.
OK, it's in a new page along with the recent reports from Normandy:
http://www.mids.org/sinclair/normandy.html
>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
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