Henry Sinclair (abt. 1528 - 1601)

Ancestors

Husband of Janet (Lindsay) Sinclair — married Jun 1547 (to 1569) in Scotland

Descendants

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Biography

Henry Sinclair was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Henry Sinclair was the eldest son and heir of William Sinclair, 4th Lord Sinclair, and his first wife, Elizabeth Keith,^[1] and was born in 1527 or 1528.^[2] He held the title of Master of Sinclair, until he succeeded his father as 5th Lord Sinclair in 1570.

He married firstly, about June 1547, Janet Lindsay, second daughter of John Lindsay, 5th Lord Lindsay of the Byres, and his wife, Helen Stewart.^[3] She died on 8 April 1569, her will being confirmed at Edinburgh 15 April that year.^[4][5]

They had the following 5 children^[6]

1. James Sinclair, Master of Sinclair, born about 1557^[7], but died before his father having married and had issue;
2. Patrick Sinclair, of Balgriggie, perhaps born about 1559^[8] married and had issue and was ancestor of line of Sinclairs of Balgriggie;
3. Sir Andrew Sinclair, moved to Denmark, and was a member of the Danish Parliament (Rigsdag or Rigsraad), died 1625, having married Kirstine Kaas, and had issue;
4. Magnus;
5. Helen, married (contract dated 5 November 1570), Andrew Kinninmont of that Ilk, she died before 19 March 1580 without issue;

Henry married secondly Elizabeth Forbes, born 10 November 1545, second daughter of William Forbes, 7th Lord Forbes, and his wife, Elizabeth Keith.^[9] The date of their marriage is unknown; the first mention of Elizabeth as his wife is when she entered into a contract on 26 March 1588, with her daughters Jane and Barbara to buy the lands of Corskie, but the marriage must have taken place much earlier, perhaps in 1570 or a few years after.

They had 6 children (probably not in birth order);^[10]

1. Henry Sinclair, buried 17 May 1589 at Dysart;
2. Captain Laurence Sinclair, served heir to his mother in property in Dysart 7 January 1626; he complained to the Privy Council on 20 May 1613, of an intended assault on him and his wife, by his half-nephew, Patrick, 8th Lord Sinclair;
3. William Sinclair, first mentioned 26 September 1598^[11] and was slain at Ostend in 1608;
4. Elizabeth Sinclair, had a charter with her mother, of the lands of Idvies and Auchlyne, from John Forbes, Master of Forbes, confirmed under the Great Seal on 16 August 1591; she married (contract 7 & 20 October 1597), Sir Duncan Campbell, of Glenorchy, and died in October 1654;
5. Jane or Jean, entered into the contract with her mother and sister Barbara 26 March 1588, as mentioned above, married George Seton of Parbroath;^[12]
6. Barbara, also entered into contract with mother and sister 26 March 1588, there seems to be no further details known.

Sources

1. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. "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", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1910, Vol. VII, Archive.org, p. 573
2. ↑ Recorded as being aged 61 in 1589 - Cokayne, vol. 11, p. 739, note e
3. ↑ Cokayne, vol 11, p. 740; Paul, vol. 7, p. 574 has her father as Patrick, Lord Lindsay of the Byres, but Paul, vol. 5, p. 398 lists her as daughter of John Lindsay, 5th Lord, which seems to be correct
4. ↑ Cokayne, vol. 11, p. 740
5. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. "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", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1910, Vol. VII, Archive.org, p. 574
6. ↑ from Paul, vol. 7, pp. 574-575 unless otherwise indicated
7. ↑ aged 36 when he died in 1593 - Paul, vol.7, p. 574
8. ↑ he was admitted as a burgess of Dysart on 1 February 1580, which might indicate he was an adult - Paul, vol. 7, p. 574
9. ↑ Cokayne, vol. 11, p. 740
10. ↑ also from Paul, vol. 7, pp. 575 unless otherwise indicated
11. ↑ as a creditor in the testament of Grissel Meldrum, spouse of John Melville, of Raith
12. ↑ Paul, vol. 9, p. 157

• Cokayne, George Edward, The Complete Peerage: or a history of the House of Lords and all its members from the earliest times, 2nd ed., vol. 11, revised and edited by Geoffrey H. White, London: St Catherine Press, 1949. Published in electronic form by ABC Publications, London, 2003.

See also:

• http://www.fionamsinclair.co.uk/genealogy/Caithness/Earls.htm#Fifth
• http://www.fionamsinclair.co.uk/genealogy/Isles/LSR_06_Henry.htm
• The peerage.com
• Fionamsinclair