John Sinclair, Master of Caithness

John Sinclair, Master of Caithness (b. circa 1543, d. September 1575) was the son of George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness and Elizabeth Graham. He married Lady Jean Hepburn, daughter of Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell and Agnes Sinclair, from 10 December 1565 to 16 January 1566/67. He and Lady Jean Hepburn were divorced on 17 July 1575. He died in September 1575, in captivity.

John Sinclair, Master of Caithness was styled as Master of Caithness. Between 1569 and 1575 he was imprisoned in Girnigo Castle by his father following a quarrel.

He was imprisoned by his father at Girginoe Castle for making peace with the Morays. He died a raving lunatic. One account says that his brother, in order to hasten his death, fed him heavily salted meat without giving him water to drink.

Children of John Sinclair, Master of Caithness and Lady Jean Hepburn

1. Marie Sinclair d. a 20 Feb 1582
2. George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness+ b. 1566, d. Feb 1642/43
3. 3.Sir James Sinclair+ b. a 1567
4. 4.Sir John Sinclair+ b. a 1567, d. b 21 Dec 1627

Citations

[S37] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 644. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.

[S37] Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.

[S2] Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 133. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV.

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The name Sinclair is derived from Saint-Clair-sur-Elle in Normandy. William de Sancto Claro, whose father had come over with William the Conqueror in 1066, came to Scotland with his wife. There were, however, other members of the St. Clair family who came north also. They became established near Edinburgh and were granted the barony of Rosslyn.

Sir William de St Clair was involved in negotiating the marriage of Yolande de Dreux with King Alexander III. Sir William signed the "Ragman Roll" of King Edward I of England in 1296. His heir, Henry, was initially loyal to the English king but then supported Robert the Bruce and fought at the Battle of Bannockburn. The king granted him lands in the Pentlands, south of Edinburgh. Sir Henry Sinclair died in Spain with Sir James Douglas as they took the heart of Robert the Bruce on a crusade.

Through marriage, the earldom of Orkney was obtained. Henry de St Clair was a notable seaman and probably reached North America a 100 years before Columbus. His son surrendered the Orkney earldom and was created Earl of Caithness in 1445 by King James II. It was Henry who constructed Rosslyn Chapel with its ornate carvings and it was around this time that the spelling "Sinclair" came into use, usually pronounced in Scotland as "Sinkler".

The Sinclair clan motto is "Commit thy work to God".

Surnames regarded as septs (sub-branch) of the Sinclair clan include Caird, Clyne, Linklater, Lyall and Mason.

Sinclair was the 79th most frequent surname at the General Register Office in 1995 - but in Orkney it is easily the most frequently found surname..

John Sinclair, Master of Caithness1

M, #20723, b. circa 1543, d. September 1575

Last Edited=4 Aug 2011

Consanguinity Index=0.09%

    John Sinclair, Master of Caithness was born circa 1543.2 He was the son of George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness and Lady Elizabeth Graham.3

He married Lady Jean Hepburn, daughter of Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell and Agnes Sinclair, from 10 December 1565 to 16 January 1566/67.1 He and Lady Jean Hepburn were divorced on 17 July 1575.1 

He died in September 1575, in captivity.2

He was styled as Master of Caithness.1 Between 1569 and 1575 he was imprisoned in Girnigo Castle by his father following a quarrel.1

Child of John Sinclair, Master of Caithness

• 1.unknown Sinclair+

Children of John Sinclair, Master of Caithness and Lady Jean Hepburn

• 1.Marie Sinclair3 d. a 20 Feb 1582
• 2.George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness+3 b. 1566, d. Feb 1642/43
• 3.Sir James Sinclair+3 b. a 1567
• 4.Sir John Sinclair+3 b. a 1567, d. b 21 Dec 1627

Citations

• 1.[S37] Volume 1, page 644. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
• 2.[S2] Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 133. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV.
• 3.[S37] See. [S37]
• Reference: GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index - SmartCopy: Feb 7 2022, 8:48:17 UTC