Oliver (Sinclair) Sinclair VIIth of Roslin (abt. 1457 - 1520)

Born about 1457 in Roslin, Edinburghshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Isabel (Livingston) Sinclair — married before 1508 in Scotland

Descendants

Died 1520 at about age 63 in Scotland [uncertain]

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Biography

Oliver (Sinclair) Sinclair VIIth of Roslin is Notable.

Oliver (Sinclair) Sinclair VIIth of Roslin is a member of Clan Sinclair.

Oliver was the eldest child from the marriage of William Sinclair and Margaret Sutherland and a Minor Baron (feudal).^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

According to the charter conveying the feudal barony of Roslin etc., to him, dated 10th December 1476, Oliver was already an adult and a knight. Likewise in charters dated November 1486.^[5]

George Sinclair, eldest son and heir-apparent of [this] Sir Oliver Sinclair of Roslin, had a fee charter under The Great Seal, upon his father's resignation, from King James IV: "Georgio Sinclair apparenti de Roslin, terrarum baronie de Roslin et Herbertshire", &c.,' confirmed 5th January 1491, of which Sir Oliver reserved for himself the superiority. George, still a child, however, died before his father.^[6]

In the archives is an 18th century transcript of a charter of donation by William, Earl of Caithness, along with [this] Oliver Sinclair, Knt., Alexander Sinclair, George Sinclair, Robert Sinclair, Arthur Sinclair, his brothers, and Elenora Sinclair, Countess of Atholl, Elizabeth Sinclair, Lady of Poustoun, Margaret Sinclair, Lady of Bermutt [?Boswell], Katherine Sinclair, Sufrana Sinclair, Marie Sinclair, Mariota Sinclair, his sisters, all legitimate sons and daughters of deceased William, Earl of Orkney and Caithness and Lord Sinclair, of the lands of Scumbrough and pertinents, to their brother Sir David Sinclair Knt., dated 3rd December 1498.^[7] (Very poor transcription of the ancient script.)

It is clear that all the baronies and other properties invested (in fee) in Sir Oliver's son George had reverted to Oliver, his father, by April 1510. George appears to be dead (v.p.) as his wife has remarried Andrew Ker, and Sir Oliver, George's father, had a reversion of everything settled upon George back to himself with the consent of his son William, brother and heir of the said George; erected into a new free barony of Herbertshire.^[8]

He married firstly, Margaret Borthwick.^[9][10][11] They had issue:

1. George, the heir-apparent^[1][9][10]
2. William, eventual heir^[12]
3. Henry,^[13][10][14]
4. Oliver^[12][9][10]
5. John^[12][9][10]
6. James, of Stevenston,^[9] d. at the Battle of Pinkie Clough^[15]
7. Robert^[16]
8. Alexander^[17][18]
9. Margaret (see her biography)

He married secondly, Isabel Livingston/^[11] They had issue:

1. Arthur^[1][15]

Heis said to have had at least two natural children:

1. James^[15]
2. Matthew^[15]

Research Notes

Both Anderson and Douglas only give him Margaret Borthwick for a wife, with five sons.^[9][5] However it is self-evident that they had at least nine children. It is also clear that both Nisbet (1722) and Douglas (1774) have the numbering of what children they show, wrong. Nisbet, for instance, fails to mention the son and heir-apparent, George (possibly because he died v.p.) Douglas gives William, the eventual son and heir as the son of George, despite charter evidence showing them brothers. As William is the second son (not Henry) this throws all the numberings out.

James 'of Stevenstoun' is clearly given by Douglas as the son of Sir Oliver and Margaret Borthwick. In addition he is given in a charter of those lands as "brother-german of Henry Sinclair".

There is a charter of Isobel Levinstoun, [second wife] relict of Oliver Sinclair, Lady of Roslyn, to Master Henry Sinclair, her son, of the £10 lands in Over Libertoun, and one mark land called Soytor land, in all 16 marks of land dated 5th December 1537. Her seal is appended: three mullets, impaling a cross indented S Issabel Levingstoun.^[16] Henry is presumably her stepson.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. VIII, p 1045
2. ↑ William's first wife didn't die until 1451, and this second marriage is said to have taken place before 15 November 1456. (How long before is unclear.)
3. ↑ Cokayne, George Edward, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, London: St. Catherine Press, 1912, Ed. 2 Vol II, Archive,org, p. 478
4. ↑ 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, 1906, Vol. III, Archive.org, p. 334
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Douglas, Robert, The Baronage of Scotland, Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Gentry of that Kingdom. Collected from the Public Records and Chartularies of this Country, the Records and Private Writings of Families and the Works of Our Best Historians, Edinburgh: 1798, Google Books, p. 247
6. ↑ Douglas, Bt., Sir Robert, The Baronage of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1774, p.247.
7. ↑ National Records of Scotland GD50/186/4/1/1.
8. ↑ The Great Seal of Scotland, no.3444, confirmed 11th April 1510.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5} Anderson, William, The Scottish Nation; or The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland, Edinburgh: A. Fullerton & Co., 1867, Vol. III, Archive.org, p. 460
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4} Nisbet, Alexander, System of Heraldry, Speculative and Practical, Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1816, Vol. II, Archive.org, Appendix: p. 165
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Hay, Father Richard Augustin, Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn, Edinburgh: Thomas G Stevenson,1835, Archive.org, p. 108; N.B. refers to Margaret as Elizabeth
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. VIII, p 1046
13. ↑ The Great Seal of Scotland nos:3767 & 3802; and 527 dated 17 Dec 1527.
14. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1906, Vol. III, Archive.org, p. 226
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3} MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. VIII, p 1049
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} National Records of Scotland GD122/1/319.
17. ↑ MacGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Scotland, private, 2022, Ed. 3, Vol. VIII, p 1047.
18. ↑ Anderson, Rev. John, editor, Calendar of the Laing Charters 854 - 1837, Edinburgh, 1899, number 564, p.147.

• Cokayne, George Edward, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, London: William Pollard & Co, 1945, Ed. 2 Vol X , p.96n

See also:

• Wikipedia: Oliver Sinclair, 12th Baron of Roslin

• Wikidata: Item Q75444440, en:Wikipedia