Dear Friends,
Frankly I am getting rather tired hearing about Earl Henry Sincalir -
particularly when the discussion seems to have degenerated into one or two
line comments about modern celebrations. Why not analyse, insofar as it is
possible, a far greater member of the Clan Sinclair - the third Sinclair Jarl
of Orkney, Earl William St Clair, founder, architect and builder of Rosslyn
Chapel.
I find it rather bizarre that when so many Sinclairs talk about Rosslyn, when
the wordld-wide brotherhood of Freemasons regard that building as their
core-church and visitors flock from all over the world to view its carvings,
no-one seems the least bit interested in the character or mind of the Genius
who built it.
Earl William was a contemporary of Renee D'Anjou and corresponded with him.
Willima was noted as 'one of the illuminati', as grandmaster of the hard and
soft guilds of Scotland, a great builder of churches and palaces and as a
collector of books and rare manuscripts.
No-one who stands in Rosslyn chapel and looks carefully and thoughtfully at
the vast array of carved symbols that decorate its walls, pillars and niches
can fail to be amazed at the mind that concieved it all. William strode like a
collossus across the divide hat seperates the medival era and the Renaissance.
Yet we seem to ignore him. Why? Surely if there are any Sinclairs of real note
in your clan's history, he stands head and shoulders above them all.
Why the silence?
Is it because our limited intellects cannot even begin to grasp the vast span
of ideas, philosophies and beliefs he celebrated in such an ecumenical fashion
within Rosslyn chapel? Or, is it because we have all become obsessed with his
grandfather Earl Henry St Clair of Orkney. Of the two, Earl William was by far
the greater man. His achievements are still there to wonder at, Henry's are
far less tangible and have had no discernable impact on world history.
Nearly seven hundred years after the foundations of Rosslyn were laid we are
still amazed at this great man's genius. But, for reasons that I cannot
fathom, list members would rather speculate about the details of Henry's
voyage, which after all as he was following in the wake of his Viking
ancestors was hardly an original venture, than study the towering genius of
Eral William whose extant works are still a source of on-going intrigue and
beauty.
I hope I have given some of you food for thought.
Best wishes
Tim
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