Dear Niven
thanks for the reply.
I look forward to reading your full account in the future.
Cheers
Donald
-----Original Message-----
From: Niven Sinclair <niven@niven.co.uk>
To: sinclair@matrix.net <sinclair@matrix.net>
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 2:45 AM
Subject: Re: Sinclair Dates
>At 23:00 18/05/00 +1000, you wrote:
>>Dear List
>>Can anyone tell me what was the Battle of Somersdale in 1529 all about?
>>To lose 500 men it doesn't seem to be a mere skirmish.
>>I would think that this loss on top of the 600 lost at Flodden would have
>>had a serious impact on the the clan.
>>Regards
>>Donald Sinclair
>
>The Sinclairs have been involved in many "lost causes" and in many battles
>where the odds were stacked against them but perhaps the greatest tragedy
>to befall the Clan was at the Battle of Summerdale (1529) in which the
>Sinclairs of Caithness fought against the Sinclairs of Orkney at the
connivance
>of the James V, King of Scotland. The Sinclairs of Caithness were
slaughtered
>to a man. Only one Orcadian boy was killed - and that my cruel
circumstance.
>He had dressed himself in the fine clothes of one of the slaughtered
>Caithnessians
>and was returning to this own house in the evening when he was met by his
>mother
>who, not recognising him and believing him to be one of the 'enemy' who
>had managed
>to escape the general carnage, struck him a fatal blow on the head with a
>stone which
>she had put in the foot of one of his own stockings and was carrying in her
>hand as
>a defensive weapon.
>
>John III, the 43rd Earl of Caithness, had never forgotten that the
>Sinclairs were
>entitled to the Earldom of Orkney and, in 1529, he made an abortive attempt
to
>separate Orkney from the Crown so that he could declare himself to be an
>independent
>Prince. Strangely, in this open act of rebellion, he was abetted by James
>V who,
>once the Sinclairs of Caithness had been defeated, immediately appointed
>James Sinclair,
>the leader of the Orcadian Sinclairs, as Governor General of Orkney.
>
>It was the old question of 'dividing and ruling'.
>
>It wasn't the first time the Stuarts tried to destroy the power of the
>Sinclairs because Earl
>William Sinclair was commanded by James III to divide his huge Estates into
>three. It
>was this division which led to three distinct groups of Sinclairs ,
>namely: those of the Islands,
>those of Caithness and those of Rosslyn.
>
>Later on, I will be writing a full account of the Battle of Summerdale
>which, coming so soon
>after the Battle of Flodden Field (1513), took a swathe out of the
>Sinclair ranks and this was
>to be followed by Kringellen in Norway (1612) when another 600 fell in an
>ambush. If
>we add the Battle of Altimarlach (1679) when the Campbells defeated us on
>our home
>territory, it is little wonder that our power diminished. In less than two
>centuries, we had
>lost over 2,000 of our fittest and finest men. The cream of the Sinclair
>Clan had been skimmed
>off.
>
>I am always reminded of the following words which appeared in the preface
>of a book about
>the futility of war:
>
> "The Notice says:
> 'Do not pluck these blossoms'
> But it is useless
> Against a wind that cannot read".
>
>
>
>Niven Sinclair
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: John S. Quarterman <jsq@matrix.net>
>>To: sinclair@matrix.net <sinclair@matrix.net>
>>Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 5:32 PM
>>Subject: Sinclair Dates
>>
>>
>> >
>> > [1]Sinclair Dates: May 17.
>> > In 1756: French and Indian War,
>> > [2]Britain declared war on France, which in America became known as
>> > the French and Indian War..
>> > [3]Tomorrow: May 18.
>> > In 1699: Darien Council prepares to abandon, Colony hears of the
>> > English Proclamations against the Colony. The Council prepares to
>> > abandon the settlement.
>> > In 1529: Battle of Somersdale,
>> > [4]John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness dies in battle with 500
>> > between Sinclairs of Caithness and Sinclairs of Orkney led by James
>> > Sinclair.
>> > In 1529: Battle of Summerdale, Sinclairs of Caithness v. Sinclairs of
>> > Orkney; John Sinclair, third Earl of Caithness, dies.
>> >
>> >References
>> >
>> > 1. http://www.mids.org/sinclair/timeline.html
>> > 2. http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/tdgh-may/may17.htm
>> > 3. http://www.mids.org/sinclair/timeline.html
>> > 4. http://www.clansinclair.org/hist1.htm
>> >[ 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
>> >
>>
>>[ 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
>
>
>[ 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
>
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[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html