THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE.

I. James Sinclair, First of Murkle, was the second son of John, Master of Caithness, and grandson of George, fourth Earl of Caithness. He is frequently, but erroneously styled Sir James; the only knight of the family having been his son and successor, Sir James.
The original estate of Murkle, as possessed by James Sinclair, and his wife, and their son Sir James, was acquired at various times between 1586 and 1637, chiefly from George, fifth Earl of Caithness, and his son William, Lord Berriedale; the Bishops of Orkney and Caithness; and the Earls of Sutherland. Without attempting to trace the various changes of possession which took place from time to time, it is sufficient to say that the family estate in which Sir James Sinclair was infeft consisted of Murkle, East and West, and Clairdon; one-half of Ormlie, Thurdistoft, Acharascal, and Carna- biud, Lybster, and Borrowstone, all held of the Earl of Caithness; one-half of Ormlie, held of the Bishop of Caithness; Pownreay, held of the Bishop of Orkney; and Broynach, held of the Earl of Sutherland. Subse-
THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE. 25

quently the following lands were acquired by the family, viz.-Isauld, in 1723, by Alexander Sinclair of Murkie, filth Earl of Caithness; and Brubster and Brims in 1726-27, by his brother, Lord Murkie, to whom Alexander succeeded, as heir of conquest.
James Sinclair, first of Murkie, married Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of Robert, Earl of Strathearn and Orkney, a natural son of King James V., and he had two sons and a daughter-
1. James, his successor.
2. Francis, who served in the German wars, and who is stated by Gordon to have held the rank of serjeant-major. In 16211 he had returned to Scotland, and married Janet, daughter of Alex- ander Sutherland of Forse, by whom he had a son, James, who left no issue. In a procuratory of resignation of Murkle by Sir James Sinclair in 1644, James Sinclair is mentioned as "eldest lawful son" of Francis, his brother, and in the Peerage case it was held that there was no other son of Francis.
1. Agnes, who married John M'Kay of Dirlot and Strathy.
James Sinclair had also a natural son, John Sinclair, first of Assery.- Vide Assery.2

 
 II. Sir James Sinclair, Knight, appears to have

1 Contract of Marriage, 19th July 1621.     2 Peerage case.

D

26 THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE.

been twice married. In January 1633 a disposition was granted by him, with consent of Dame Margaret Dundas, his spouse, of part of the lands of Ormlie; and in October 1634 there is a contract of marriage between him and Jean, eldest daughter of William Stewart of Burray, who is therein designed of "Manur." By Jean Stewart he had two sons and five daughters:-
1. John, afterwards eighth Earl of Caithness.
2. David of Broynach, who died between 1713 and 1716.
David Sinclair of Broynach married a daughter of William Sinclair of Dun, by whom he had a son, James, and a daughter, Elizabeth.1 James died about 1754, without issue. Elizabeth married James Whyte, in Meikle Clyth, afterwards in Thurso, and had two daughters, Henrietta and Jean. Henrietta Whyte married William Miller, and. had a son, James, and a daughter, Isabella, Jean Whyte married Donald Oagg, weaver and merchant in Thurso, and had two sons, James and Donald, and two daughters, Janet and Anne. On the death of Lady Fife, only daughter of Alexander Sinclair of Murkie, ninth Earl of Caithness, James and Isabella Miller, and Donald and Anne Oagg, claimed and obtained a share of her executry,2 as the great grand- children of David of Broynach, Lady Fife's grand-uncle.
David of Broynach had also, by one Janet Ewen,3 or

1 See proof in Peerage case.
2 Receipt, 26th September 1789.
3 By Janet Ewen, who was his ser-
vant, David of Broynach had two Sons, David and Donald, and two daughters. David, the eldest son, enlisted as a
THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE. 27

Ewing, a son, David, who was reputed to be illegitimate and on his death the Earl refused to permit him to be buried in his burying-place. On the death of Earl Alexander, James Sinclair, in Reiss, son of the reputed illegitimate son, David, and grandson of David of Broy- nach, claimed the title, on the allegation of his father's legitimacy, in opposition to William Sinclair of Rattar. In conjoined claims to be served heir before the Macers, after proof by both parties, the jury, on 28th November 1768, pronounced a verdict by a majority in favour of Rattar, which, after various proceedings before the Court of Session, was confirmed. In 1786 James Sinclair threatened to renew his claim to the title; but in 1788 he died, and the question of his father's legitimacy became unimportant, inasmuch as he had no issue, and no other heir-male of his grandfather then remained alive.
1. Jean, the eldest daughter.1
2. Mary, who married, first, George Sinclair of Forss, and, on his death, William Sutherland of Geise.
3. Anne, "Mistress of Stemster," who married Alex- ander Sinclair of Stemster, son of Alexander of Latheron.

soldier, and married one Margaret More or M'Kay, by whom he had a son, James, who resided in Reiss, and John, who was alive in 1767. Donald Sinclair, David's second son, went to sea, and married, and had a son and five daughters, who were all dead in
1767 except one named Anne, who married Alexander Millis, merchant in Banif. Janet Ewing was buried in the Old Kirk of Olrig, under Durran's seat.
1 Disposition by her mother, 18th May 1692.

28 THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE.

4. Barbara, who married James Cunningham of Reaster.
5. Katharine, who married Walter Innes of Skaill.

 
 III. John Sinclair of Murkle succeeded to the earldom of Caithness in 1698 as the eighth Earl, and died in 1705. He married Jean Carmichael of the Hynd- ford family, by whom he had four sons and a daughter:-
1. Alexander.
2. John, Lord Murkle, of the Court of Session, who married Jean, daughter of the first Earl of Cro- marty, and his wife, Anne, daughter of Sir James Sinclair of Mey. He died in 1755 without issue.
3. Francis, who died without issue in 1762. In a disposition in 1760 by him of the lands of Milton of Lieurary and others, he settles the lands on the "heirs-male of the marriage then subsisting between him and Mrs. Janet Morrison."
4. Archibald, who also died without issue.1
1. Lady Janet, who married David Sinclair of South Dun, by whom she had a daughter, Janet, who married Stewart Threipland of Fingask, and other children.
 
 IV. Alexander Sinclair of Murkle, Ninth Earl of Caithness, married Margaret, daughter of the first Earl of Rosebery, by whom he had an only child-

1 Peerage case.

THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE. 29

Lady Dorothea, who married James, Earl of Fife, and died without issue.
Earl Alexander had two natural sons, George Sinclair in Geise, who died without issue, and Peter, who had a son, James, who died without issue, and seven daughters, of whom six married and had issue.
William Sinclair of Rattar was the lawful heir of Earl Alexander on failure of his own family, they being descended from two brothers, James Sinclair, first of Murkie, and Sir John Sinclair, first of Greenland and Rattar. But they do not seem to have been on friendly terms, for in his correspondence with George Sinclair of Woodhall, Lord of Session, in reference to a settlement of his estates, Earl Alexander says: "Rattar is next tho' very remote. Though he lives within four miles of me he never comes to see me, from which it seems he is disobliged because I did not give him all I had, and depend for subsistence on his generosity. He cannot be very wise, for he could not have taken a more effectual way to disappoint his expectations."
Earl Alexander died in 1765. In 1761 he executed an entail of the estate of Murkle and his other lands, by which, on failure of his own heirs therein mentioned, the property was disponed to Lord Woodhall and the heirs- male of his body, and failing them to his, Lord Wood- hall's, nearest lawful heirs-male of line; and under this destination the succession was taken up on the Earl's death by Sir John Sinclair of Stevenson, Lord Woodhall's


30 THE SINCLAIRS OF MURKLE.

nephew. The Sinclairs of Stevenson are descended from the Sinclairs of Longformacus, a branch of the family of Roslyn. Sir Gregory Sinclair, third son of Sir William of Roslyn, flourished in the reign of Robert the Bruce, and the first Sinclair of Stevenson was George, second son of Matthew, ninth Laird of Longformacus, who died about 1620. His son, John, was a merchant in Edinburgh, and was created a baronet, and purchased Stevenson and other lands. He is now represented by Sir Robert Charles Sinclair of Stevenson and Murkle, his lineal descendant, and ninth baronet of Stevenson.







THE SINCLAIRS OF ASSERY.
I. James Sinclair, First of Murkle, had a son named John, who, in a charter granted by his father in 1615, to which he was an instrumentary witness, is designed "fib naturali dicti Jacobi Sinclair de Murkel;" and who, in a bond dated 28th January 1619, also by his father, and in which he was cautioner, is mentioned as "John Sinclair, son natural" of the granter. In 1628 John Sinclair obtained from William, Lord Berriedale, a charter of the lands of Assery, to himself in liferent, and to his eldest son, James, in fee. In 1631 he got a charter of Brawlbin; and in 1633 a wadset of Forsie; and from him are descended the Sinclairs of Assery, of Lybster, of Geise, and of Scotscalder.
John Sinclair was twice married, and had by his first wife-
1. James, his successor.
2. Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Sinclair, who, in 1659, married Anna, daughter of Francis Sinclair of Stirkoke. In 1680, their daughter, Margaret, married David Henderson of Gersay, son of William Henderson of Nottingham and his wife,

32 THE SINCLAIRS OF ASSERY.

Janet Gordon, widow of James Sutherland of Forse.
John Sinclair's second wife was Margaret Davidson, who is traditionally supposed to have been of the David- sons in Aehingills or Buckies, and by her he had-
1. John Sinclair, first of Lybster.
2. William, who, in 1670, held the wadset of Forsie, and who was afterwards in Ulgrimbeg and Ulgri- more. He married Jean, daughter of William Sinclair of Dun, and had two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. The former married, in 1705, Donald Gunn in Achalibster.
3. George, mentioned in 1652 and 1660.
1. Grizzel, who married John Doull, wadsetter of Thuster, near Wick.- Vide Doulls.
2. Isabell, who married, first, Arthur Forbes, mer- chant in Edinburgh, and, second, William Sinclair of Dun.
3. Janet, who married, in 1616, George Munro, Sheriff-Clerk of Caithness.
In a deed executed in 1665 by James, the eldest son of John Sinclair, in which he reserves Margaret David- son's liferent of Assery, she is designed "my mother," but she appears to have been only his stepmother, seeing that John Sinclair of Lybster is mentioned as the eldest son of the second marriage.

 
 II. James Sinclair, Second of Assery, married

THE SINCLAIRS OF ASSERY. 33

first, Elizabeth Balfour; and, second, Margaret, daughter of David Munro, commissary of Caithness. He had several sons and daughters:-
1. George, eldest son of his first marriage.
2. John, in Ulgrimbeg, married Bess Craigie. George and John are named as brothers-german.
3. James, a merchant in Thurso, who died in 1713, and had several sons, of whom Daniel was minister of Longformacus. William was a mer- chant in Thurso, and Alexander was a notary- public in Thurso, and married Jean, daughter of James Sinclair of Wester-Brims.
1. Katharine, eldest daughter, married Alexander Gibson, Dean of Bower from 1668 to 1682.

 
 III. George Sinclair, Third of Assery, was twice married. His second wife was Isabel, daughter of Patrick Sinclair of Ulbster. He had five sons and a daughter:-
1. James, apparent in 1700.
2. John, called eldest lawful son in 1691.
3. Patrick.
4. George, eldest son of Isabel Sinclair.
5. Francis, also of the second marriage.
1. Elizabeth, the only daughter, married Richard Sinclair of Thura.
The creditors of James, second of Assery, had led apprisings against the estates, which were acquired by

E


 

34 THE SINCLAIRS OF ASSERY.

Ulbster and Sir William Dunbar of Hempriggs. In 1675 Ulbster assigned his rights to John Sinclair (2); while, in 1682, Sir William Dunbar conveyed his rights to George Sinclair (4), then of Assery, and his sons, John and Patrick.

 
 IV. John Sinclair, Fourth of Assery, succeeded his father, George, and in 1698 married Elizabeth Innes, widow of Laurence Calder of Lynegar, by whom he had an only son, John, his successor. He afterwards married Barbara, daughter of Patrick Murray of Pennyland, by whom he had an only child, Isabella, who married John Sinclair of Scotscalder.

 
 V. John Sinclair, Fifth of Assery, was served heir in general to his father, John, in 1728, and in 1765 he was infeft as eldest lawful son. He married Katharine, eldest daughter of Robert Sinclair of Geise, and had-
1. Robert.
2. John.
3. Charles.
4. James.
1. Isabella, eldest daughter, who married Robert Manson Sinclair of Bridgend.
2. Katharine.
3. Jean, who married Sir Benjamin Sinclair of Stem- ster.

THE SINCLAIRS OF ASSERY. 35

VI. Captain Robert Sinclair, Sixth of Assery, was served heir to his father cum beneficio inventarii, in 1772. He married Katharine Sinclair, and had no issue.
The estate was brought to judicial sale by the creditors, and Captain Sinclair having died during the proceedings, they were continued against his brother, John; and in 1784 Assery and Brawlbin were purchased by Ulbster. The trustees of Sir John Sinclair sold the lands to Mr. Campbell, merchant in London, and from him they were purchased by the late James Sinclair of Forss, for about £9000.