Rosslyn St. Clair descendants
The following descendant table of the Rosslyn St. Clairs is based on the assumption that the first of their name arrived in Scotland in 1174 with William the Lion, king of Scotland, after his release by the English king, Henry II. The following is recorded in Scalacronica by Sir Thomas Gray of Heton, kt. (1272-1363), a chronicle of England and Scotland from 1066 to 1362:
Pur quoi il enprist od ly en Escoce plusours dez fitz pusnes dez seygnours Dengleterre qi ly estoient beinuoillauntz, et lour dona lez terres dez autres qy ly estoient rebelis. Si estoint ceaux dez Baillolse, de Bruys, de Soulis, et de Mowbray, et les Saynclers; lez Hayes, lez Giffardis, lez Ramesays, et Laundels; lez Bifeys, lez Berkleys, lez Walenges, lez Boysis, lez Mountgomeris; lez Vaus, lez Coleuyles, lez Frysers, lez Grames, lez Gourlays, et plusours autres;
The only St. Clairs in England who would have had foreknowledge of William the Lion attending Henry II’s court on his way back to Scotland would have been the sons and grandsons of Hugh de St. Cler. Henry de St. Clair, who founded the Herdmanston St. Clair line, may well have been one of his grandsons.
Three main lines of descent originated with William, Earl of Orkney, Earl of Caithness, Lord St. Clair and Lord of Rosslyn, who died in 1480. The Lords Sinclair descended from William (the Waster), his only son from his first marriage, the Earls of Caithness descended from William, his first son from his second marriage and the Barons of Roslin descended from Sir Oliver, the latter William’s brother. Using Roland Saint-Clair’s ‘Saint-Clairs of the Isles’ as a template, archive documents and charters have been checked where available, to ensure the following tree is as up to date and accurate as possible. Where they cannot be confirmed, they have been marked (?).
Nina Cawthorne
Descendant table
Gregory de St. Clair ‘of Berwickshire’ [seal on Ragman Roll 1296 with 3 boar’s heads]
Alexander de St. Clair [squire, captured at Dunbar 1296]
Reginald de St. Clair [squire, captured at Dunbar 1296]
Annabella ( -bef. 1304) m. (1) Sir Robert Bisset of Upsettlington (Berwickshire) ( -abt. 1290) m. (2) Sir David Wemyss ( -1332) of Wemyss (Fife)
Thomas ( -1296) [standard bearer for the Scots army, died at battle of Dunbar]
Unnamed dau., m. c.1304, Henry de Brade, Lord of Braid (Midlothian)
Sir Henry, Baron of Roslin ( -bef. Sep 1337) m. c.1306, Alicia de Fenton, dau. of Sir William de Fenton of Baikie (Angus) and Cecilia Bisset of Beaufort (Inverness)
Margaret Sinclair ( -aft. 1361), m. (1) Sir John Sinclair of Herdmanston
Sir William Sinclair ( -bef. 1367), Baron of Roslin, m. Isabella ( -abt. 1418), dau. of Malise of Strathearn (Perthshire), Earl of Orkney and Caithness, and Marjory, dau. of William, Earl of Ross
Henry I Sinclair ( -bef. 1402), 1st Earl of Orkney, Baron of Roslin,
William ( -bef. 1469), m. Agnes(?) Chisholm [ancestor of St. Clair of Dryden]
Beatrice, m. 1411, Sir William Borthwick of that ilk
Elizabeth, m. (1) Sir John Drummond ( -1428) of Cargill and Stobhall (Perthshire), m. (2) Patrick Dunbar, Master of March
Jonet, m. (?) Sir James Sandilands of Calder (West Lothian)
Jean, m. Sir John Forrester ( -1448) of Corstorphine (Edinburgh, Midlothian)
Unnamed dau., m. (?) William (or Alexander) Cockburn of Skirling (Peebleshire)
Unnamed dau., m. (?) Unnamed Heron of Marieton (Kirkcudbrightshire)
(?) Catherine, m. Sir Alexander Ramsay ( -1402) of Dalhousie (Midlothian)
Unnamed dau., m. (?) Unnamed Tweedie of Drumelzier (Peebleshire)
Mary, m. Thomas Somerville of Carnwath (Lanarkshire)
Marjory, m. 1409, Sir David Menzies (1377-1449) of Wemyss (Fife)
Margaret, m. James Cragy of Huip, Stronsay (Orkney)
(?) Unnamed dau., m. Unnamed Hay, Lord of Erroll (Perth and Kinross)
Henry II Sinclair (c.1375-1 Feb 1420), 2nd Earl of Orkney, 10th Baron of Roslin, Lord Sinclair and Pantler of Scotland, m. c.1407 Egidia, dau. of Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale and Egidia Stewart
William Sinclair (c.1407-bef. 21 May 1480), 3rd and last Earl of Orkney, 1st Earl of Caithness, 2nd Lord Sinclair, 11th Baron of Roslin, Lord Chancellor of Scotland,
Catherine, m. 1469 (div. 1478), Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany
Elizabeth ( -1508), m. (1) Sir Andrew Leslie, Master of Rothes
m. (2) Sir John Houston of that Ilk (Renfrewshire)
Eleanor ( -21 Mar 1518), m. Sir John Stewart of Balveny, Earl of Atholl
Margaret, m. 1480, David Boswell of Glasmont and Balmuto (Fife) ( -1493)
Mr. Alexander ( -aft. Feb 1508/9), priest at Pentland
George ( -aft. 1498)
Robert ( -aft. Feb 1506/7, Edinburgh)
Arthur ( -aft.1504)
Euphemia ( -aft.1498)
Marjory ( -aft.1498)
Catherine ( -aft.1498)
Mariota (or Marion)
John ( -c.1484), canon of Glasgow, bishop-nominate of Caithness
Sir Oliver St. Clair( -c.1536), 12th Baron of Roslin,
m. (1) Christian Haldane (?), dau. of Sir James Haldane of Gleneagles
m. (2) Margaret Borthwick, dau. of William, 3rd Lord Borthwick
m. (3) bef. 1513, Isobel Livingston ( -bef. 1552)
Dr Henry (1508-Jan 1565, Paris, France), Bishop of Ross
Sir Oliver (1498-abt. 1567) of Pitcairns (Perthshire) and Whitekirk (East Lothian), m. abt. 1538, Katherine, dau of Patrick Bellenden of Auchinoull
Dr John ( -Apr 1566), Bishop of Brechin
Robert of Over Liberton (Midlothian)
James [the James naturalised in 1508?]
Arthur ( -aft. 1543) [granted land in Over Liberton by Isabella Livingston]
Margaret ( -c.1558), m. (1) Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburne (Dumfries) ( -1515), m. (2) Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass (East Lothian)
George St. Clair ( -Apr 1510), ‘fiar’ of Roslin, m. Agnes ( -aft. 1563), dau. of Robert Crichton, Lord Sanquhar (Dumfries)
Alexander ( -aft. 1547)
Arthur ( -aft. 1546)
Sir William St. Clair ( -May 1554), 13th Baron of Roslin, m. aft. 1516, Agnes Hume
Patrick
Alexander ( -aft.1542) of Cuthilton and Little Denny (Stirlingshire)
Oliver ( -aft. 1598) of West Ravensneuk (Midlothian)
Sir Mathew ( -aft.1573)
Edward of Eday, Orkney [charter from Oliver of Pitcairns, 1563]
Elizabeth ( -aft. 1547) m. Sir William Cunningham of Glengarnock (Ayrshire)
Sir William ( -1583), 14th Baron of Roslin, Justiciar of Lothian and Tweedale, m. Isabel, dau. of (?)Sir Walter Ker of Cessford
Isobell
Helen
Beatrix m. 1578, Magnus Sinclair of Kininmonth (Aberdeenshire) son of William, 4th Lord Sinclair and Mariota Bruce
Margaret m. 1575, John, son of William Drummond of Smithston
Henry, natural son [?prebend at Rosslyn chapel, 1571]
Edward ( -1582), Baron of Roslin (signed the barony over to his brother), m. 1574, Christian, dau. of Sir George Douglas of Parkhead, Governor of Edinburgh Castle, no issue
William Sinclair (c.1561-c.1628), 15th Baron of Roslin, m. (2) Jean Dobie
George Sinclair (c.1613-aft. 1633) of Ballyloughmaguiffe, Co. Tyrone, Ireland
Elizabeth (natural dau.), unmarried
Henry
Patrick
Charles, d. abroad
Robert, d. young
George, d. young
Rachael, m. George Home, Laird of Foord (nr. Haddington)
Margaret, d. young
Helen ( -c.1710) m. (1) 1664, Sir John Rollo ( -1666) of Bannockburn, m. (2) 1672, William Stirling of Herbertshire, m. (3) Colin McKenzie, brother of the Earl of Seaforth
John ( -1690), 17th Baron of Roslin, no issue
Sir James ( -1699), 18th Baron of Roslin, m. c.1667, Jean, dau of Sir Henry Spottiswood, Sheriff of Dublin
James (1671-1690), d. at battle of the Boyne, Ireland
Anna (1674-1683)
Thomas (1676- ), m. Elizabeth, dau. of Capt. Francis Wauchope, brother of Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie (Midlothian)
Francis ( -aft. 1764), Colonel in Spanish army at Naples
William (1700-1778), the last and 20th Baron of Roslin, m. Cordelia, dau. of Sir George Wishart, 1st Baronet of Cliftonhall (Midlothian)
Sarah ( -c.1781), m. Sir Peter Wedderburn of Chesterhall (East Lothian)