Thank you for pointing out that the Sinclairs had been involved in the
Risings of '15 and '45.
The Sinclair whose portrait you saw at the Charleton home of Baron St Clair
Bonde was
that of John, Master of Sinclair, who wa attainted because of his part in
the Rising of 1715.
There is a whole book about his activities which he wrote himself and which
I have sent to
the Sinclair Library at Noss Head. Although he outlived his father, he
never took the title
of Lord Sinclair.
He died in 1750 and, although he married twice, he had no issue and was
succeeded by his
brother, James, who was a General in the Army and a distinguished
diplomatist. In 1735, he
purchased the ancient ancestral land of Rosslyn and added it to his own
Estates of Ravenscraig
and Dysart in Fife. He was the last Sinclair to own Rosslyn.
He also died without issue and his Estates passed to his nephew Colonel
James Patterson who
added St Clair to his name. He could not, however, assume the title of
Lord Sinclair and it was
because of this restriction that a new patent was created in 1677 when the
title of Lord Sinclair
passed to the Hermandston branch of the family. The current holder is
Murray Sinclair who served
with distinction in the 2nd World War (1939-1945) during which he was
severely wounded. His
son, Mathew Sinclair, is the present Master of Sinclair who lives in
Edinburgh.
Niven
[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html