The Sinclairs are a vibrant Scottish Clan to this day.  Their founder came to Scotland from Normandy.  Within a few hundred years, one of his descendants built the the famed Roslin Chapel to house artifacts brought back from Jerusalem (as discussed in the novel The Davinci Code).  As a memorial of this special history, the family motto is "Commit Thy Works To God."  A grandson of Sir Henry (third person listed below), also named Sir Henry, is believed to have visited North America in the year 1398.  Their ties to the Barons of Wedderburn are numerous, as explained below, and the families fought together at the historic battle at Flodden.  

The Clan Sinclair section of the Quarterman Family History  Project is an excellent site.  The USA based Clan Sinclair Association also has an excellent site.

Most of the genealogy listed below comes from this Sinclair listing by StirNet Genealogy.

Four female Sinclairs tie into the Hume Barons of Wedderburn.  Their Sinclair lines are as follows:

Robert de Saint Clair of Normandy, founder of Clan Sinclair in Scotland (22nd Great Grandfather of the Cactus), father of:

Sir William Sinclair of Roslin, Sheriff of Edinburgh

Sir Henry Sinclair of Roslin (d. bef 1337)

 A) Sir William Sinclair of Roslin (d. 25 Aug 1330)

     William Sinclair of Rosline (d. aft 13 Sep 1358)

     Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney (d. 1404)

     Henry Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Orkney (abt 1375 - 1422)

     William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney, 1st Earl of Caithness, 1st Lord Sinclair,

     Chancellor (abt 1408 - 1480)

       a) Eleanor Sinclair (abt. 1456 - 21 Mar 1517/8)

          (14th Great Grandmother of the Cactus)

       b) William Sinclair "The Wastral", Lord Sinclair (disinherited by his father)

          (abt. 1430 - abt. 14 Jul 1487)

               Henry Sinclair, Lord Sinclair (abt 1459 - 9 Sep 1513, Flodden Battlefield)

               Agnes Sinclair of Morhan (abt. 1498 - 1572)

               (13th Great Grandmother of the Cactus)

       c) William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness (1459 - 09 Sep 1513, Flodden Battlefield)

               John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness (d. 18 May 1529, Somersdale)

               George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness (d. 9 Sep 1582)

               John Sinclair, Master of Caithness (1543 - Sep 1575, Girnigo Castle)

               Marie Sinclair (11th Great Grandmother of the Cactus) 

  B) John St. Clair (abt. 1323, Herdmanston - 1377, Herdmanston)

          John Sinclair of Herdsmanston (1356, Herdmanston - 1402, Polwarth)

          John Sinclair of Polwarth (abt. 1397, Polwarth - 20 Dec 1466 Herdsmanston)

          Mariota Sinclair (d. 1496, Wedderburn Castle)

          (14th Great Grandmother of the Cactus)

Marie Sinclair

Marie Sinclair married Sir John Home of Coldingknows.  Their daughter, Margaret Home, married David Hume, 7th Baron of Wedderburn.  This Hume match will probably end up on my list of Hume cousin matches, however I do not currently have her Hume ancestry documented. 

Eleanor Sinclair

The genealogy of Eleanor Sinclair takes us through two great Scottish families.  She married John Stewart of Balveny, the First Earl of Atholl.  His father was James "The Black Knight" Stewart of Lorn and his mother was Joan, the widow of King James I of Scotland, making him half-brother to King James II.  Like all Scottish families, our connections to the Stewarts are numerous and complex and I have not yet tried to make a web-page to make sense of it.

Their daughter, Jean Stewart (b. 1487) married James Arbuthnott, the 13th of Arbuthnott.  I discuss our connection with the Arbuthnott's here.  That page has a link to the Arbuthnott family website, holders of the Arbuthnott estate to this day.

Eleanor Sinclair is the ancestor of Catherine Morrison, who married George Hume (died Battle of Dunbar), son of David Hume, the 7th Baron of Wedderburn (also died Battle of Dunbar) and father of George Hume, the 8th Baron of Wedderburn.

Agnes Sinclair of Morhan

Agnes Sinclair married Patrick Hepburn "The Fair Earl", Earl of Bothwell.  His father died at Flodden Battlefield, nonetheless he was an agent of England most of his life.  An excellent article about him can be found here.  They divorced, nonetheless their son James often visited her when he was an adult.

Their daughter, Jane Hepburn, married John Stewart, Prior of Coldingham.  As well as being a Hume ancestor, he is an Eckhart cousin.  Their son, Francis Stewart, became the Earl of Bothwell.  He married Margaret Douglas.  Their son, John Stewart of Coldingham, had a daughter Margaret who married Sir John Home of Renton.  Their daughter Margaret Home married George Hume of the Wedderburn line, becoming one of Hume cousin matches mentioned previously.

Mariota Sinclair

Mariota Sinclair married George Home, the Second Baron of Wedderburn.

This page last updated 20 JUL 2004.

thecactus@loafingcactus.com