Individual Details
William "3rd Earl of Orkney" Sinclair
(Abt 1404 - Bef Mar 1480)
[[Category:Scotland, Notables]]
[[Category: Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, Midlothian]]
[[Category: Earls of Orkney]]
[[Category: Earls of Caithness]]
[[Category:Lord Sinclair]].
[[ Category:Clan Sinclair]]
}
}
}
}
== Biography ==
}
}Sir William Sinclair (1404?-1480), third Earl of Orkney and first Earl of Caithness, was the only son of Henry Sinclair, second earl of Orkney, and Egidia or Giles Douglas. His maternal grandparents were Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale, and Robert II's daughter, Princess Egidia.Lee, S. ed. (n.d.). The Dictionary of National Biography. (Vol LII, pp.309-310). NY: Macmillan. [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Google Books].
In 1436, Sinclair was high admiral of Scotland. For a while, he was protector of young James Stuart, later James I of Scotland, and an ambassador to France.
In 1420, his father's earldom of Orkney was given to a trustee after death. William traveled to ask Eric II of Norway, to grant it to him. He was finally invested as Earl of Orkney in 1435.
In 1448, William fought English invaders, and from 1454 to 1456, he was chancellor of Scotland. When James II died in 1461, he was appointed as a Regent.
In 1471, Norway ceded the Orkneys to Scotland, and William relinquished rights to the Crown. In exchange, he received Ravensleigh and Dysart in Fife, and a yearly pension of 400 merks. He probably died around early 1480 since his pension was not paid after that time.
William had three wives, and at least 15 children. Two of his sons were named, William.
For complete biography see ''Dictionary of National Biography'' at [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Google] or ''Scots Peerage'' at [https://archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefou03paulgoog#page/n356/mode/1up Internet Archive].
===Early Life===: Father: Henry Sinclair 2nd Earl of Orkney (b: abt 1375 Rosslyn Castle, Roslin, Midlothian)'''Paul, James Balfour, Sir, 1846-1931 : The Scots Peerage :''' Founded On Wood's Ed. Of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage Of Scotland; Containing An Historical And Genealogical Account Of The Nobility Of That Kingdom : Free Download, Borrow, And Streaming : Internet Archive". 2020. Internet Archive.>[https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun02pauluoft/page/334/mode/2up William Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, Vol II, pps 332-6]
: Mother: Egida Douglas (b: ABT 1387 Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire)
===Family===
: m.1 '''Elizabeth Douglas''' (abt 1405 Douglas Castle, Douglas, Lanarkshire - abt 1451). Issue:
#[[Sinclair-191|William "the Waster" Sinclair]] (b. abt 1450 Caithnesshire)
# [[Sinclair-152|Catherine Sinclair]], Duchess of Albany (b: abt 1458)
: m.2 anti. 15 Nov 1456 '''Marjory Sutherland''' (b. abt 1441 Dunbeath Castle, Caithness). Issue: 13
#[[Sinclair-197|Elizabeth Sinclair]] of Orkney ( b.1440)#[[Sinclair-143|Eleanor Sinclair]] b: ABT 1457 Ravenscraig Castle, Kirkaldy, Fifeshire#[[Sinclair-154|William Sinclair]] 2nd Earl of Caithness (b.1458 Girnigoe Castle, Wick, Caithness)
#[[Sinclair-158|Oliver Sinclair]] b: ABT 1460 Ravenscraig Castle
#David Sinclair#[[Sinclair-167|John Sinclair]], Bishop of Caithness}
#[[Sinclair-170|Marjory Sinclair]]
#[[Sinclair-173|Robert Sinclair]]
#Alexander Sinclair
#George Sinclair
#Arthur Sinclair
#Katherine Sinclair
#Susan Sinclair
: m.3 '''Janet Yeman'''. No issue.
=== Rosslyn Chapel ===William founded the Collegiate Church at Rosslyn and built Rosslyn Chapel, which is pictured at the right. This Chapel was prominently featured in ''The Da Vinci Code'' and other recent books. In later years the Chapel has featured in speculative theories regarding Freemasonry and the Knights Templar. The chapel supposedly has many symbols of the Knights Templar. To read the Wikipedia article about Rosslyn Chapel, click [[Wikipedia:Rosslyn_Chapel|HERE]].
== Sources ==
See Also:* Burke, J. (1831). A General And Heraldic Dictionary of The Peerages of England, Ireland, And Scotland, Exitinct, Dormant, and in Abeyance. London: Henry Colburn And Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street. * Chisolm, W. G., (1985). Chisolm genealogy: Being a record of the name from A.D. 1254, with short sketches of allied families. (pp.81-84). New York: Knickerbocker Press. Ancestry.com. Note: Includes index.* Cokayne, G.E. (n.d.). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom (pp. II:477-478 ). Sutton Publishing Ltd.* Foster, J. (1885). "The Royal Lineage of Our Noble and Gentle Families together with Their Paternal Ancestry." n.p. [http://www.archive.org/details/royallineageofou02fost archive.org]* Genealogy of the Robertson, Small, and related families: Hamilton, McDougall, Livingston, Beveridge, McNaughton, Lourie, McDonald, Stewart. Author: Archibald Robertson Small Publication: Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Note: Preface signed: A.G. Small.|||Includes index. Repository: [[#R-1992163608]]* Lee, S. ed. (n.d.). The Dictionary of National Biography. (Vol II, pp.309-310). NY: Macmillan. [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Google Books].
*Mosley, C. (1999). Burke's Peerage & Baronetage. (106th ed).* Weis, F.L. (n.d.) Magna Charta Sureties, 1215 (4th ed, pp. 45-46, 48, 101,166). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing.* Weis, F.L. (1999) Magna Charta Sureties, 1215 (5th ed, 41c-10, 41f-10, pp 45-46). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing.*Henderson, John. ''[[Space:Caithness Family History|Caithness Family History]]'' (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1884) [https://archive.org/stream/caithnessfamilyh00henduoft#page/n35/mode/2up Page 1]*[http://www.fionamsinclair.co.uk/genealogy/Caithness/Earls.htm#Fifth Sinclair]
*[http://www.thepeerage.com/p10829.htm#i108286 Peerage.com]* Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:William_Sinclair,_1st_Earl_of_Caithness|William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness]]* The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair Saint-Clair, Roland William, 1862-[https://archive.org/stream/saintclairsofisl00sain#page/296/mode/2up Sinclair]The numbering depends upon who is called first Lord. The above genealogy has Henry (1375 – 1420 as first Lord Sinclair stating that he was the first bearer of the title in public documents. The book uses as a major source another book "Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn. Including the chartulary of Rosslyn by Hay Richard 1661-1735/6" (1835)*[http://www.fionamsinclair.co.uk/genealogy/Isles/LSR_03_William.htm William Sinclair]
* }
[[Category: Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, Midlothian]]
[[Category: Earls of Orkney]]
[[Category: Earls of Caithness]]
[[Category:Lord Sinclair]].
[[ Category:Clan Sinclair]]
}
}
}
}
== Biography ==
}
}Sir William Sinclair (1404?-1480), third Earl of Orkney and first Earl of Caithness, was the only son of Henry Sinclair, second earl of Orkney, and Egidia or Giles Douglas. His maternal grandparents were Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale, and Robert II's daughter, Princess Egidia.Lee, S. ed. (n.d.). The Dictionary of National Biography. (Vol LII, pp.309-310). NY: Macmillan. [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Google Books].
In 1436, Sinclair was high admiral of Scotland. For a while, he was protector of young James Stuart, later James I of Scotland, and an ambassador to France.
In 1420, his father's earldom of Orkney was given to a trustee after death. William traveled to ask Eric II of Norway, to grant it to him. He was finally invested as Earl of Orkney in 1435.
In 1448, William fought English invaders, and from 1454 to 1456, he was chancellor of Scotland. When James II died in 1461, he was appointed as a Regent.
In 1471, Norway ceded the Orkneys to Scotland, and William relinquished rights to the Crown. In exchange, he received Ravensleigh and Dysart in Fife, and a yearly pension of 400 merks. He probably died around early 1480 since his pension was not paid after that time.
William had three wives, and at least 15 children. Two of his sons were named, William.
For complete biography see ''Dictionary of National Biography'' at [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Google] or ''Scots Peerage'' at [https://archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefou03paulgoog#page/n356/mode/1up Internet Archive].
===Early Life===: Father: Henry Sinclair 2nd Earl of Orkney (b: abt 1375 Rosslyn Castle, Roslin, Midlothian)'''Paul, James Balfour, Sir, 1846-1931 : The Scots Peerage :''' Founded On Wood's Ed. Of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage Of Scotland; Containing An Historical And Genealogical Account Of The Nobility Of That Kingdom : Free Download, Borrow, And Streaming : Internet Archive". 2020. Internet Archive.>[https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun02pauluoft/page/334/mode/2up William Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, Vol II, pps 332-6]
: Mother: Egida Douglas (b: ABT 1387 Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire)
===Family===
: m.1 '''Elizabeth Douglas''' (abt 1405 Douglas Castle, Douglas, Lanarkshire - abt 1451). Issue:
#[[Sinclair-191|William "the Waster" Sinclair]] (b. abt 1450 Caithnesshire)
# [[Sinclair-152|Catherine Sinclair]], Duchess of Albany (b: abt 1458)
: m.2 anti. 15 Nov 1456 '''Marjory Sutherland''' (b. abt 1441 Dunbeath Castle, Caithness). Issue: 13
#[[Sinclair-197|Elizabeth Sinclair]] of Orkney ( b.1440)#[[Sinclair-143|Eleanor Sinclair]] b: ABT 1457 Ravenscraig Castle, Kirkaldy, Fifeshire#[[Sinclair-154|William Sinclair]] 2nd Earl of Caithness (b.1458 Girnigoe Castle, Wick, Caithness)
#[[Sinclair-158|Oliver Sinclair]] b: ABT 1460 Ravenscraig Castle
#David Sinclair#[[Sinclair-167|John Sinclair]], Bishop of Caithness}
#[[Sinclair-170|Marjory Sinclair]]
#[[Sinclair-173|Robert Sinclair]]
#Alexander Sinclair
#George Sinclair
#Arthur Sinclair
#Katherine Sinclair
#Susan Sinclair
: m.3 '''Janet Yeman'''. No issue.
=== Rosslyn Chapel ===William founded the Collegiate Church at Rosslyn and built Rosslyn Chapel, which is pictured at the right. This Chapel was prominently featured in ''The Da Vinci Code'' and other recent books. In later years the Chapel has featured in speculative theories regarding Freemasonry and the Knights Templar. The chapel supposedly has many symbols of the Knights Templar. To read the Wikipedia article about Rosslyn Chapel, click [[Wikipedia:Rosslyn_Chapel|HERE]].
== Sources ==
See Also:* Burke, J. (1831). A General And Heraldic Dictionary of The Peerages of England, Ireland, And Scotland, Exitinct, Dormant, and in Abeyance. London: Henry Colburn And Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street. * Chisolm, W. G., (1985). Chisolm genealogy: Being a record of the name from A.D. 1254, with short sketches of allied families. (pp.81-84). New York: Knickerbocker Press. Ancestry.com. Note: Includes index.* Cokayne, G.E. (n.d.). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom (pp. II:477-478 ). Sutton Publishing Ltd.* Foster, J. (1885). "The Royal Lineage of Our Noble and Gentle Families together with Their Paternal Ancestry." n.p. [http://www.archive.org/details/royallineageofou02fost archive.org]* Genealogy of the Robertson, Small, and related families: Hamilton, McDougall, Livingston, Beveridge, McNaughton, Lourie, McDonald, Stewart. Author: Archibald Robertson Small Publication: Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Note: Preface signed: A.G. Small.|||Includes index. Repository: [[#R-1992163608]]* Lee, S. ed. (n.d.). The Dictionary of National Biography. (Vol II, pp.309-310). NY: Macmillan. [https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-zigJAAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Google Books].
*Mosley, C. (1999). Burke's Peerage & Baronetage. (106th ed).* Weis, F.L. (n.d.) Magna Charta Sureties, 1215 (4th ed, pp. 45-46, 48, 101,166). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing.* Weis, F.L. (1999) Magna Charta Sureties, 1215 (5th ed, 41c-10, 41f-10, pp 45-46). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing.*Henderson, John. ''[[Space:Caithness Family History|Caithness Family History]]'' (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1884) [https://archive.org/stream/caithnessfamilyh00henduoft#page/n35/mode/2up Page 1]*[http://www.fionamsinclair.co.uk/genealogy/Caithness/Earls.htm#Fifth Sinclair]
*[http://www.thepeerage.com/p10829.htm#i108286 Peerage.com]* Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:William_Sinclair,_1st_Earl_of_Caithness|William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness]]* The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair Saint-Clair, Roland William, 1862-[https://archive.org/stream/saintclairsofisl00sain#page/296/mode/2up Sinclair]The numbering depends upon who is called first Lord. The above genealogy has Henry (1375 – 1420 as first Lord Sinclair stating that he was the first bearer of the title in public documents. The book uses as a major source another book "Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn. Including the chartulary of Rosslyn by Hay Richard 1661-1735/6" (1835)*[http://www.fionamsinclair.co.uk/genealogy/Isles/LSR_03_William.htm William Sinclair]
* }
Events
| Birth | Abt 1404 | Roslin, Edinburghshire, Scotland | |||
| Marriage | 1435 | Lady Elizabeth Douglas | |||
| Marriage | 15 Nov 1456 | Marjory Sutherland | |||
| Marriage | 1470 | Scotland - Janet Yeman | |||
| Death | Bef Mar 1480 | Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland | |||
| Reference No | 1356053 | ||||
| Reference No | 1379409 | ||||
| Reference No | 60 |
Families
| Spouse | Marjory Sutherland (1424 - 1480) |
| Child | Eleanor 'of Orkney' "Elinor Sinclair" Sinclair Countess of Athol (1457 - 1518) |
| Child | Sir William "2nd Earl of Caithness" Sinclair (1440 - 1513) |
| Child | John "Bishop nominate of Caithness" Sinclair (1445 - 1484) |
| Child | Robert Sinclair (1447 - ) |
| Child | Marion Sinclair (1449 - ) |
| Child | Sir Oliver Sinclair (1452 - 1520) |
| Child | Elizabeth Sinclair (1452 - ) |
| Child | George Sinclair (1453 - ) |
| Child | Alexander Sinclair (1454 - ) |
| Child | Lady Margaret Sinclair (1455 - ) |
| Spouse | Lady Elizabeth Douglas (1394 - 1451) |
| Child | Sir William "The Waster, 2nd Lord Sinclair" Sinclair (1437 - 1487) |
| Child | Catherine Sinclair (1440 - 1479) |
| Child | Elizabeth "Marjory" Sinclair (1451 - 1509) |
| Child | Susan Sinclair (1451 - ) |
| Child | Arthur Sinclair (1452 - ) |
| Spouse | Janet Yeman (1407 - 1483) |
| Father | Sir Henry Sinclair (1375 - 1419) |
| Mother | Egidia Douglas (1391 - 1438) |
| Sibling | Lady Beatrice Sinclair ( - 1463) |