At 19:33 14/08/99 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 99-08-13 09:55:44 EDT, you write:
>
><< ``The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Earls occupied the Castle(s). George
> Sinclair of Keiss, who later became the 7th Earl, was responsible for
> the destruction of the Castles in about 1690, by the use of cannon,
> forcing Campbell of Glenorchy, who was occupying them, to withdraw.'' >>
>
>Okay, I appologize for beating this to death, but does that mean that George,
>the FOURTH George, was the SIXTH Earl of Caithness?
>
>What few brain cells I have left are in agony trying to work this out. Also,
>again, can anyone identify the flora in the pictures of Rosslyn chapel and
>castle?
>
>Johnnye,
>Your weak-minded cousin
>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
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George IV was the 44th Earl of Caithness.
Caithness is the oldest comitial dignity having existed for more then a
millennium.
The Sinclairs (as such) did not obtain the earldom until 1454 when it was
granted
to Earl William Sinclair, the grandson of Prince Henry Sinclair. He was the
39th
Earl of Caithness and held the Earldom between 1454 and 1476 (he transferred
the title before his death).
Thereafter, it went to Earl William's son, William by Marjorie Sutherland
(even although
he had had an earlier son, also called William, by his first wife,
Elizabeth Douglas).
This William fell at Flodden in 1513 when the Earldom passed to his son:
John III, the 41st Earl who held it between 1513 - 1529 was succeeded by
his second son,
George, because his first son, William had died before him. This George,
known as George II
reigned between 1529-1582 but, once more his eldest son, John, pre-deceased
him so the
title passed to his third son, George III who held the title between
1582-1643. (His second
son William had also pre-deceased him).
As his son and grandson also pre-deceased him, the title passed to his
great grandson,
George IV (1643-1676) who, as I have said was the 44th Earl of Caithness
but only the
6th Sinclair Earl to hold that title.
George V of Keiss was the 45th Earl of Caithness but he, too, died without
issue so the
title passed to his second cousin, Sir John Sinclair of Murkle.
I appreciate it is all very confusing particularly when there is (rarely) a
direct father to son
transfer.
Regarding the flora and fauna within Rosslyn Chapel, this is a task which
awaits someone
who has years of experience in this particular field. To the best of my
knowlege, no-one
has even attempted it although Andrew Sinclair ( author of "The Sword and
the Grail") did
say that he would
like to do it.
Niven Sinclair
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