The Sinclair/St Clair line began early in the 1000s. Most European surnames derive from place, event, patronym, occupation, personal traits. Sinclair is from St Cler, a small Norman village still existing where the Seine and Epte Rivers join. St Clairs originated with the Viking invasion of Normandy led by Capt Rollo the Walker, too large to ride small Norse ponies and walked everywhere. His lineage and connection with Scandinavian royalty is another story. Rollo defeating the Franks took the St Cler castle. King Charles the Simple offered a treaty. Rollo would stop killing his citizens and become Christian. In return the King gave Rollo his daughter in marriage and made him 1st Duke of Normandy. Thus he became the 1st Sinclair of record as Rollo of St Cler. Intermarriage was common among kings, titled nobility, and wealthy families. Rollo's marriage established important alliances with powerful families in France, as succeeding generations did with leading European and English families. 1051 King Edward the Confessor had no heirs. William Duke of Normandy his cousin desired England's throne. Edward on his deathbed in 1066 proclaimed Harold to ascend. William, gaining support of his nobles and the Pope's blessing, crossed the channel to land unopposed at Pevensey while Harold fought Norsemen in Northern England. William moved east to Hastings. 9 Sinclair knights related to William the 7th Duke, the Conqueror, were with him at Hastings October 1066. Harold marched swiftly south to nearby hill of Senlac. With many losses Harold and his brother were killed. William conquered southern, then northern England.Chief commander Walderne Compte de Sancto Claro 1006 - 1075 head of the Sinclair family and father of William Sinclair, father of all Scottish Sinclairs, was granted the Barony of Rosslyn in Midlothian in 1138. Walderne is listed in the Roll of Battle Abbey along with 9 other Sinclairs and granted land on England's Medway River. His son William Sinclair 1028 - 1090 also fought at Hastings. After William the Conqueror became King of England William Sinclair, disenchanted over the King's aggressive expansion of his new kingdom, left England to become steward to Queen Margaret and King Malcolm III of Scotland. He became known as William the Blond and Seemly Sinclair. Starting with William, 1st baron of Rosslyn and cupbearer to the King and Queen of Scotland, many Sinclair generations and branches became Lords, Barons and lairds of Orkneys, Caithness and Fife properties.
Sir William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney, founded and built Collegiate Church in 1441. 1471 Sir William 1st Earl of Caithness relinquished the Orkney earldom to the King. Sinclairs of Roslin were Hereditary Grand Masters of Masons in Scotland 1437-1736 when the office became elective and William Sinclair was elected 1st Grand Master. Many Sinclairs fought against England and later in British forces. A Baron of Rosslyn and his two grandsons fought so well at Bannockburn King Bruce gave them honors and gifts of land. Gen Arthur St Clair of the fledgling United States Army campaigning in the northeast frontier secured our border, paving the way for Western expansion. He served with distinction under George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Sir John Sinclair of Uhlster studied farming in each Scottish district compiling records of improving productivity. Using statistics he traveled throughout Europe in the 1800s discussing his work with experts from many countries.
KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, a powerful, wealthy force throughout Europe, formed in the 1100s to protect pilgrims going to Jerusalem. In 1312 the King of France ordered them suppressed. Survivors escaped to Scotland, where King Robert the Bruce protected them, hiding treasure at Rosslyn Castle. There are many Templar graves in the Sinclair family cemetery.
IMPORTANT BATTLES
CASTLE ALNWICK 1093 Northumbria, England
First of many disastrous battles by Scots over northern English territory. 1100, Sir William Sinclair serving as Warden of the Marches commanded Scottish forces to defend their land, then led the Scottish attack into England at Castle Alnwick. After Scotland won an Englishman speared Scotland's king to death during a ceremony of receiving the keys to the castle. Today the castle retains impressive medieval fortification with a central keep and a massive encircling wall.ALLERTON 1136
When England's King Henry I died King Stephen renewed wars to reclaim land in Scotland. The Battle occurred across the River Tweed where Sir William Sinclair won high distinction defending England. Rewarded with the lands of Cardaine, Sinclair was later sent to England as Scottish Ambassador to resolve land disputes. Sinclair succeeded again by gaining back Northumberland for Scotland.LARGS 1263
Sir William Sinclair 1190 - 1270 led soldiers of King Alexander III of Scotland to repel the last Norman invasion. A column marks the spot. Every September a Viking festival celebrates the event.STIRLING BRIDGE 1297 aka Triple Battle, Battle of Roslyn Moor
37 mi N of Stirling. Castle recaptured from King Edward I by Scotland led by William Wallace repelling 30,000 English at Roslin Moor. Sir William Sinclair 1260 - 1305 one of Wallace's major commanders along with the Red Comyn and Symon Frazer.LEWES Sussex 1265
Simon of Montfort Earl of Leicester, England. Gained great influence over other barons and bishops. They drew up the Provisions of Oxford. King Henry III objected. Civil war broke out. Rebellious barons won, capturing the King. After years of conflict the Crown returned to his son Edward. King Alexander ordered Sir William Sinclair to assist King Henry III in a bloody victory. Sinclair escaped unharmed.BANNOCKBURN 1314 between Edinburg and Sterling
Roslyn Castle again the center of battle, for Scottish independence. Led by Robert the Bruce. Sir Henry Sinclair 1275 - 1329 8th Baron of Roslin fought impressively, his leadership rewarded with more land. Sir Henry also signed a truce seeking permanent peace between Kings Robert the Bruce and Edward II.HALIDON HILL September 1402
Prince Henry Sinclair 1340-1402 slain in battleFLODDON 1515 Coldstream, England
Just when Scotland's King James IV was at peace with his neighbors France was in conflict with the Holy League, which included England. Scots massed on Floddon Hill. Well organized English circled and attacked the Scotsmen from the North. 13 Scottish nobles and their men were slain as was King James, leaving as his heir a son, 1. Sir William Sinclair was one of the nobles fighting for King James. He had previously sat in Parliament. In battle King James observed Sir William leading his followers, all wearing green. The King asked and found they were of Caithness, led by the Earl. King James wrote the renewal of Sir William's Earldom on a drumhead, the only parchment available. The drumhead was carried by runner to Sir William's lady. Sir William died in battle the next day, leaving the Earldom to his son John.SOMERSDALE Orkney May 1529
John Sinclair 1490-1529 3rd Earl of Caithness died leading 500 men to help James Sinclair defend the Orkneys.CASTLE KIRKWALL 1614
Orkney waterfront built by Prince Henry 1390. Henry Sinclair Wadsetter 1570-1614 died leading 100 men to besiege the castle. He became paralyzed and died at night.WORCESTER England 1651
Oliver Cromwell, MP House of Commons, commanded English forces during the religious reformation. Cromwell attacked the Scottish army at Dunbar, capturing Edinburg. Next year at Worcester Cromwell overtook another Scottish army. Many Scots were slain or captured. John Sinclair 1612 - 1700 served in the Scottish army with his friend John Bean, whose records show Sinclair's footsteps. They were captured, indentured on the John & Sara. In Boston they indentured as lumberjacks, then settled in Exeter NH as freemen and active citizens.
ROSSLYN CHAPEL
Built in 1446 by grandson William 1410-1484 3rd Prince of Orkney, Earl of Rosslyn. Designated Collegiate Church of St Matthew. Construction stopped when William died. Stone carvings of Bible stories; of Indian maize and aloe cacti, carved from stone pre-Columbian. Prentice Pillar 13th column, crafted by an apprentice while his master mason studied in Rome. William gave the apprentice the OK to copy the model. The Master returning grew angry and jealous and struck the apprentice over the head and killed him. The apprentice's head is carved in the pillar's top NW corner. Other carvings depict Templar secrets and Green Man traditions. Vaults contain 20 St Clair knights in full armor, a privilege normally reserved for royalty but extended to St Clair in their capacity as Knights Templar and guardians of the Holy Grail. During the Reformation many ornaments and valuables were removed for safekeeping. Some may be in these vaults, sealed for centuries, now protected by English law.GREEN MAN
Welcomed by Gypsies in May and June in meadows below Rosslyn Castle. Plays feature a traditional Green man, a vegetation and fertility god, all things to all people, good and evil. The theme usually deals with the balance between disorder and harmony, part of daily life.Plant Badge - gorse or white clover
Pipe - Red Ribbon
Colors - white or silver and black as the cross of Sinclair
Tartan - Dress (red), hunting (green)
Badge - rooster surrounded by belt and buckle. Belt contains Sinclair motto Commit thy work to God
Born in 1345 and raised at Rosslyn Castle, Prince Henry Sinclair was well loved in the Orkneys. At 24 he became the first Prince of Orkney, Faeroe and the Shetland Islands; 7th Baron of Rosslyn; Jarl of Orkneys and Shetlands under the Danish King; 1st Earl of Caithness; Lord Admiral of Scotland; Lord of the Northern Isles; Lord of Zetland; Premier Earl of Norway; Duke of Oldenburg, Denmark; Baron of Rosslyn, Pentland, Pentland Moor, Cousland, Cardain, Gourton, Merton, Merchamstone, Hertford, Grahamshaw, Kirton, Cavers, Roxborough, Newburgh, Auchdale, Earncraig, Logan House, Easter & Wester Summer Hopes, Middlefield, Whitehaugh and Skippersfields. At 35 Sinclair built a fleet larger than Norway's navy and hired navigators Nicolo and Antonio Zeno, brothers of Carlo Zeno the Lion of Venice. 1398 after many delays he left for the New World with 12 ships, 300-600 men (including 200 men-at-arms), cannon; fellow Knights Templar and Cistercian farming monks. He followed Zenos' map to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to explore, colonize and claim territory for Queen Margaret of Norway.
5 ships were lost in the rough crossing. Markland (Newfoundland) tribes spoke 10 languages including Erse, Basque, Norse and Esquimeaux. One tribesman spoke Henry's language (Norse, or Zeno's Latin or Italian) Sinclair left for Estotiland (Nova Scotia) 2 ships were damaged. Valuables including cannons were salvaged. A reconnaissance party of 100 soldiers reported friendly Micmac Indians and plentiful food. Sinclair wintered peacefully with the Micmacs, exploring Massachussetts. Sinclair ordered Antonio Zeno to return the rest of the fleet to the Orkneys. Sinclair's shore party included knights, soldiers, carpenters, armorers, shipwrights, sailmakers and Cistercian monks chosen for farming and building skills.
In 1399 Sinclair builds a ship
Micmac legend says Sinclair built an island, planted trees on it (masts) and sailed away. Prevailing winds and tide took the ship across the Bay of Fundy to Massachussetts. Sinclair traveled farther down the East Coast. In 1400 Sinclair returning to the Orkneys was murdered by an English raiding party from a fleet commanded by Sir Robert Logan. Sinclair's body was returned to Rosslyn and buried in the family's Church of St Matthew. This church no longer stands but Sinclair's body may have been moved to specially constructed vaults under Rosslyn Chapel.ZENO NARRATIVES of Henry Sinclair's Voyage
1390 - 1404 Nicolo and Antonio Zeno logged their travels with Sinclair. The Narrative describes Nicolo Zeno's careful survey of Greenland for Prince Henry. It lay forgotten until a grandson found them in family archives. Zeno's map of the North was the most accurate, precise map in existence for 150 years. It showed 2 Estotilanda cities possibly founded by Sinclair at Louisburg Harbor and St Peter's. Zeno based his map on a much older chart drawn by Knights Templar in the Middle East, secretly carried by them for safekeeping to Rosslyn Castle.
EXCERPT We brought our barks and boats to land. On entering an excellent harbor we saw in the distance a great hill pouring forth smoke, giving us hope we should find inhabitants. Neither would Sinclair rest, though it was a great way off, without sending 100 soldiers to explore the country and report what sort of people the inhabitants were.
Nova Scotia was the only place on North America's coast with open pitch deposits described in the Narrative, at Pictou & Stellarton, where Micmacs lived in caves. Sinclair's year of exploration was determined by traditional naming discoveries from religious calendars and Trin Harbor anchorage. They arrived in early June. The only year between 1395 and 1402, the time frame of Sinclair's voyage, when Trinity Sunday fell in early June was 1398.
GLOOSCAP
No documents exist of 1300s Micmacs. Micmac legend records how Sinclair, whom they called Glooscap, wintered in Nova Scotia after Antonio Zeno returned to Orkney, and how the following summer Sinclair explored south to Massachussetts. Sinclair's winter base was Cape D'Or, where he built a new ship. Sinclair's kind, friendly manner won Micmac respect and affection. Sinclair treated them fairly and taught them useful crafts such as net fishing, an Orkney pastime. References to Glooscap abound in Nova Scotia. Micmacs still celebrate Glooscap every year. A ballad tells how Glooscap was "First and greatest To come to Nova Scotia."
Relics of Sinclair's Voyage
WESTFORD KNIGHT
A hillside ledge near Depot St in Westford MA has a carved outline of a medieval Knight holding a broken sword, symbol of death in the field. His shield bears the Gunn arms: above a ship, left to right: comet, star, sun. Helmet bascinet, North Breton 1375 - 1400. His sword size and type date to 1350 - 1400. Gunns are from Caithness, near Sinclair lands and related to the Sinclairs. The Knight represents Prince Henry's cousin and inseparable companion, Sir James Gunn, who died climbing Prospect Hill with a party to investigate rising smoke seen in the distance. A punched-hole memorial effigy outline shows Gunn's cloak of Military Orders (Knight Templar) Gunn's sword is dated around 1360.NEWPORT TOWER, Rhode Island
Sacred Knights Templar octagon measured in ancient Scottish ells (3 Norse feet) Similar in construction to round churches at Orphir and Egilsay in the Orkneys. Its 8 arches within a round tower resemble Ophir, Orkney's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.CASTLE AT THE CROSS, now in ruins
Atop Cadbury Hill and Gastonbury Tor 17 miles from Chester, Nova Scotia, built by 1300s Norsemen and Scots based on masonry designs. Found items include a pin, part of a sword blade, wooden cones, and parts of iron tools. The castle has guard towers, a main gate with pillars, and a dome or cone. Maybe a settlement of Prince Henry.CANNONS
Cannons were used for the first time in Europe at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. By 1381 Carlo Zeno, hero of Venice, used cannons on board his ships to win the Battle of Chioggia. Nocolo and Antonio Zeno could make these cannons. Prince Henry Sinclair needed this knowledge as well as their navigation skills. Found in 1849 on shoreline of Louisburg Harbor on Cape Breton Island this cannon from Sinclair's fleet has 8 rings around the barrel and a detachable breech with a handle. Similar cannons are at the Venice Naval Museum. These cannons are the same type used by Carlo Zeno, obsolete by end of the 1300s. Later cannons were a single piece with no barrel rings.OAK ISLAND in Mahone Bay of Golden River, Nova Scotia
One of 2 islands in group of 350 where oak trees grow. Believed a navigational aid to find the Castle at the Cross. From Oak Island looking towards Nova Scotia mainland, river on right leads to castle. Celtic word for Oak also means Right and Door.MONEY PIT
Deep hole at center of Oak Island. Source of gold panned from nearby Golden River? Or did Prince Henry Sinclair hide Templar treasures here? Was the Holy Grail placed here for safekeeping? Discovered in 1795 by 3 boys. 2 feet deep is a layer of stones. At 10 feet is the first of many oak log platforms set at 10 foot intervals. In 1802 the Onslow Company discovered more log feet. In 1849 the Truro Company drilled augur holes near the existing cavity. At 154 feet the drill went through a 5 inch oak platform, dropped 12 inches further to another oak platform, then went through 22 inches of metal scrap, including an ancient watch chain! Further down the oak reappeared followed by another 22 inches of metal fragments. After the next oak layer, 6 inches of spruce wood. Still other digs produced scraps of parchment with letters looking like VI in hand script. At 171 feet an iron plate appeared. In 1909 famous treasure hunter Franklin D Roosevelt purchased many shares in the Old Gold Salvage & Wrecking Co, which further explored the Money Pit in vain. Over $2 million was poured into this Money Pit in search of treasure!NORUMBEGA TOWER
Reconstructed from ruins along the Charles River in Newton MA. While local tradition dates this structure to Vikings it may be Sinclair's. A highway interchange now obliterates the spot.BOAT STONE in Westford Massachussetts library
Oval, 2 ft diameter. Carved with a 1300s ship, marks the distance to camp. Found by roadbuilding crew.1883 Westford Knight
Said carved by Indians in History of the Town of Westford by Rev Edwin R Hodgman1940 Description of Carvings published
1950 Sword believed 1300s Viking, arms of Sinclair cousin
1974 Voyage and Carving studied, findings published
1970s Granite monument erected beside the Carving
1990 Cloth rubbing reveals more detail than previously known
Sword of the North by Richard White