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Barony of Roslin

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Baron of Roslin or Rosslyn was a Scottish feudal barony held by the St Clair or Sinclair family.

Sinclair, Baron of Roslin coat of arms
Rosslyn or Roslin Castle, seat of the Sinclairs who were Barons of Roslin, reconstruction image

History

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No certain record exists but it is likely that the Sinclairs came from Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in Normandy.[1] According to traditional history, William of Saint-Claire accompanied Saint Margaret of Scotland, daughter of Edward the Exile to Scotland in 1068, where she eventually married Malcolm III of Scotland. In return for his efforts, the king supposedly granted Sinclair the barony of Roslin "in free heritage".[2] However, according to late 19th century historian Roland Saint-Clair, it is not known if the people who held the estate of Roslin before William St. Clair (died 1297), who is by tradition the 6th Baron, were actually of the same surname, and that he arrived in Scotland from Normandy in the 13th century.[3] William Sinclair (died 1480) who was the 11th Baron of Roslin was also the 3rd Earl of Orkney, 1st Earl of Caithness and 2nd Lord Sinclair. He divided his estates: his eldest son from his first marriage, William, inherited the title of Lord Sinclair, while he left the Barony of Roslin to his eldest son from his second marriage, Oliver, and the earldom of Caithness to his second son from his second marriage, another William, from whom descend the chiefs of the Clan Sinclair.[4] The family of Roslin or Rosslyn prefer the spelling "St Clair" whilst the family of Caithness prefer the spelling "Sinclair".

Although the Rosslyn Chapel tourist website refers to the early Barons by the spelling of Rosslyn,[5] most historic sources refer to them by the spelling of Roslin which is also used for the castle.[6][7] The later Earls consistently appear with spelling of Rosslyn in accordance with the name of the chapel. The Rosslyn Chapel tourist website also refers to several of the early Barons as Princes of Orkney,[5] whereas most of the historic sources refer to them as Earls of Orkney.[8][9][7]

It is not known if the Sinclairs or St Clairs of Roslin share a common origin with the Sinclairs or St Clairs who held the title of Lord Herdmanston.[10] Herdmanston in East Lothian had been held from the 12th century, when Henry St Clair received a grant of the lands of Herdmanston, from Richard de Morville, Constable of Scotland.[2] According to the website sinclairgenealogy.info, the fact that the first proven Baron of Roslin, William St. Clair (died 1297) was made sheriff of Haddington in East Lothian where Herdmanston also is, suggests that he was appointed there to cover his own home area, and given that the name William appears frequently in the St Clair of Herdmanston family suggests that he may have been part of their extended family.[11] However, according to the website clansinclairusa.org, William St Clair of Roslin was probably unrelated to the St Clairs of Herdmanston.[12] According to Archibald Allan writing in 1900, Henry St Clair of Herdmanston appears to have been a son of the first William de St Clair of Roslin of the 11th century,[13] but this William's existence cannot be proved by contemporary evidence and according to Roland Saint-Clair, William St. Clair who died in 1297 was the first proven Baron of Roslin.[3]

Barons of Roslin

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Barons in traditional history

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  • William "The Seemly" St Clair, 1st Baron of Roslin[5]
  • Henry St Clair, 2nd Baron of Roslin (knighted by King Malcolm)[5]
  • Henry St Clair, 3rd Baron of Roslin (knighted by David I of Scotland)[5]
  • William St Clair, 4th Baron of Roslin (succeeded c.1214 and died 1243)[5]
  • Henry St Clair, 5th Baron of Roslin (succeeded 1243 and died c.1270; assisted Alexander III of Scotland in capturing the Western Isles)[5]

Barons recorded by contemporary evidence

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References

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  1. ^ Way, George of Plean; Squire, Romilly of Rubislaw (1994). Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. Glasgow: HarperCollins (for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 322–323. ISBN 0-00-470547-5.
  2. ^ a b Maclean-Sinclair, Rev. A (1901). The Sinclairs of Roslin, Caithness and Goshen. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: The Examiner Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014.
  3. ^ a b Saint-Clair, Roland William (1898). The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair. Auckland, New Zealand: H. Brett. pp. 278-284. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  4. ^ Saint-Clair, Roland William (1898). The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the Sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair. Shortland Street, Auckland, New Zealand: H. Brett. p. 297-299. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "The St Clair Family". rosslynchapel.com. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  6. ^ Saint-Clair, Roland William (1898). The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair. Auckland, New Zealand: H. Brett. pp. 278-293. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b Anderson, William (1878). The Scottish Nation; or, The Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, and Biographical History of the People of Scotland. Vol. 3. 13 Blair Street, Edinburgh and 45 Ludgate Hill, London: A. Fullarton & Co. p. 458. Retrieved 12 June 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. ^ Paul, James Balfour (1909). 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. Vol. VI. Edinburgh: David Douglas. p. 564-571. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  9. ^ Paul, James Balfour (1905). 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. Vol. II. Edinburgh: David Douglas. p. 332-337. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  10. ^ Saint-Clair, Roland (1898). The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the Sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair. Shortland Street, Auckland, New Zealand: H. Brett. p. 311-316. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Scotland". sinclairgenealogy.info. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Origins of the Sinclairs in Scotland" (PDF). clansinclairusa.org. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  13. ^ Allan, Archibald (1900). History of Channelkirk. 54 and 55 South Bridge, Edinburgh: James Thin. p. 72. Retrieved 18 July 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
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