Barony of Roslin

Baron of Roslin or Rosslyn was a Scottish feudal barony held by the St Clair or Sinclair family. The family are believed to have arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. Malcolm III of Scotland granted to them the Barony of Roslin or Rosslyn. The 11th Baron of Rosslyn also held the titles of Earl of Caithness, Lord Sinclair and Prince of Orkney. He left the Barony of Rosslyn to his eldest son from his second marriage, Oliver, and the Earldom of Caithness to his second son from his second marriage, William, from whom descend the chiefs of Clan Sinclair. The eldest son from his first marriage, also called William, became the Lord Sinclair.

History

No certain record exists but it is likely that the Sinclairs came from Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in Normandy.[1] 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] Roslin Castle was built beginning about 1390, under Sir Henry St Clair, 9th Baron of Rosslyn, 1st Prince of Orkney. Roslin Castle was destroyed in 1544, rebuilt in the late 16th century, but again and abandoned in 1688. The family of Caithness prefer the spelling "Sinclair" whilst the family of Rosslyn prefer the spelling "St Clair".

Barons of Roslin
  • William "The Seemly" St Clair, 1st Baron of Rosslyn. (Came to England with William the Conqueror.)[3]
  • Sir Henry St Clair, 2nd Baron of Rosslyn. (Knighted by King Malcolm.)[3]
  • Sir Henry St Clair, 3rd Baron of Rosslyn. (Knighted by David I of Scotland.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 4th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded c.1214 and died 1243.)[3]
  • Sir Henry St Clair, 5th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded 1243 and died c.1270. Assisted Alexander III of Scotland in capturing the Western Isles.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 6th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded c.1270 and died 1297. Captured at the Battle of Dunbar (1296) and died in the Tower of London the following year.)[3]
  • Sir Henry St Clair, 7th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1297 and died in 1331. He fought at the Battle of Bannockburn and was rewarded by Robert the Bruce. He was a signatory of the Declaration of Arbroath.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 8th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1331 and died in 1358. Married Isabella de Strathern, daughter of Malise, Earl of Caithness, Strathern and Orkney.)[3]
  • Sir Henry St Clair, 9th Baron of Rosslyn, 1st Prince of Orkney and Lord Sinclair. (Succeeded in 1358 and died in 1400.)[3]
  • Sir Henry St Clair, 10th Baron of Rosslyn, 2nd Prince of Orkney. (Succeeded in 1400 and died in 1420.)[3]
  • Sir William Sinclair, 11th Baron of Rosslyn, 3rd Prince of Orkney, 1st Earl of Caithness. (Succeeded in 1420 and died in 1484. He founded Rosslyn Chapel. He divided his estates: the Barony of Rosslyn went to his eldest son from his second marriage, Oliver, the Earldom of Caithness went to his second son from his second marriage, William, and the eldest son from his first marriage, also called William, received the Barony of Newburgh and became the Lord Sinclair.)[3] (Note: the family of Caithness prefer the spelling "Sinclair" whilst the family of Rosslyn prefer the spelling "St Clair".)
  • Sir Oliver St Clair, 12th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1484 and died in 1525.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 13th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1525 and died in 1554.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 14th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded c.1554 and died in 1602.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 15th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1602 and died in 1610. Brother of the former Baron, he made significant additions to Roslin Castle.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 16th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded c.1610 and died in 1650.)[3]
  • Sir John St Clair, 17th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1650 and died in 1690. Held out for a time when Roslin Caslte was besieged in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell's troops under General Monk but was eventually captured and sent to Tynemouth Castle, only returning to Rosslyn shortly before his death in 1690.)[3]
  • Sir James St Clair, 18th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1690 and died in 1706. Brother of the previous Baron. He had two sons, the eldest, James, was killed at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, leaving the son of his younger brother Alexander to succeed.)[3]
  • Sir William St Clair, 19th Baron of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1707 and died in 1778. All of his sons died young and he was succeeded by his daughter Sarah who married Sir Peter Wedderburn of Chester Hall. Their son was Alexander Wedderburn St Clair, 1st Earl of Rosslyn.)[3]
  • Alexander Wedderburn St Clair, 1st Earl of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1778 and died in 1805. Succeeded by his nephew, his sister Sarah's son, Sir James St Clair-Erskine.)
  • Sir James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1805 and died in 1837.)[3]
  • James Alexander St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1837 and died in 1866. He instructed David Bryce to carry out restoration work at Rosslyn Chapel.)[3]
  • Francis Robert St Clair, 4th Earl of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1866 and died in 1890.)[3]
  • James Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine, 5th Earl of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1890 and died in 1939. His son died in 1929 and he was therefore succeeded by his grandson.)[3]
  • Anthony Hugh Francis Harry St Clair-Erskine, 6th Earl of Rosslyn. (Succeeded in 1939 and died in 1977. Instructed significant works to the Chapel in the 1950s.)[3]
  • Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn. (Married in 1982 and has two sons and two daughters.)[3]
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References
  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. 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. "The St Clair Family". rosslynchapel.com. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
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