William Sinclair, 24th Great-Grandfather

January 28, 2014 — 8 Comments

Roslin Castle ruins

My 24th great grandfather probably died in the Tower of London  after Edward I took over Scotland:

1296 Edward I Invades Scotland & the Battle of Dunbar
When the Scots signed a treaty with England’s old enemy, France, King Edward I decided it was time to crush the Scots once and for all…thus started the wars of independence.
In 1296 an English army, said to number 35,000 men, marched up the East Coast of England on their way to invade Scotland. They crossed the Scottish border at the small town of Coldstream and then marched north onto the town of Berwick. The English sacked Berwick, then a rich Scottish burgh, slaughtering 16,000 of its inhabitants: men, women and children.
After sacking Berwick the English continued along the coast heading for the town of Dunbar. Before reaching Dunbar, Edward was met by a large but inexperienced Scottish army, which was heavily defeated by Edward at the Battle of Dunbar (1296). From then on there was very little to stop Edward and the English who soon occupied much of Scotland, advancing all the way to Elgin. The disputed King of Scotland, Balliol, surrendered at Brechin, earning his nickname Toom Tabard – empty coat – and was stripped of his office.
Edward took over control of Scotland, installing English garrisons in many castles. He eventually returned south, taking with him the Stone of Destiny and Coronation Chair, on which the kings of Scotland had been inaugurated, Edward stripped Scotland of many of it’s treasures.
Edward forced over 2,000 nobles, churchmen and landholders to swear allegiance to him. The list of their names became known as The Ragman Roll, after the ragged look of all the different seals and ribbons.
The Scots where now under English rule, Scotland had no king, no army and no weapons.

The good news is that the castle that stands on my ancestral home is now a holiday accommodation, so when I go to Scotland I can stay there:

Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn) is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around 9 miles south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the famous Rosslyn Chapel.

There has been a castle on the site since the early 14th century, when the Sinclair family, Earls of Caithness and Barons of Roslin, fortified the site, although the present ruins are of slightly later date. Following destruction during the War of the Rough Wooing of 1544, the castle was rebuilt. This structure, built into the cliffs of Roslin Glen, has remained at least partially habitable ever since. The castle is accessed via a high bridge, which replaced an earlier drawbridge. Roslin was renovated in the 1980s and now serves as holiday accommodation

William Sinclair (1230 – 1297)
is my 24th great grandfather
Annabel Sinclair (1269 – 1304)
daughter of William Sinclair
Michael Wemyss (1295 – 1342)
son of Annabel Sinclair
Margaret Wemyss (1322 – 1342)
daughter of Michael Wemyss
Isabel Inchmartin (1340 – 1399)
daughter of Margaret Wemyss
Margaret Erskine (1357 – 1419)
daughter of Isabel Inchmartin
Isabel Glen (1380 – 1421)
daughter of Margaret Erskine
Isabel Ogilvie (1406 – 1484)
daughter of Isabel Glen
Elizabeth Kennedy (1434 – 1475)
daughter of Isabel Ogilvie
Isabella Vaus (1451 – 1510)
daughter of Elizabeth Kennedy
Marion Accarson (1478 – 1538)
daughter of Isabella Vaus
Catherine Gordon (1497 – 1537)
daughter of Marion Accarson
Lady Elizabeth Ashton (1524 – 1588)
daughter of Catherine Gordon
Capt Roger Dudley (1535 – 1585)
son of Lady Elizabeth Ashton
Gov Thomas Dudley (1576 – 1653)
son of Capt Roger Dudley
Anne Dudley (1612 – 1672)
daughter of Gov Thomas Dudley
John Bradstreet (1652 – 1718)
son of Anne Dudley
Mercy Bradstreet (1689 – 1725)
daughter of John Bradstreet
Caleb Hazen (1720 – 1777)
son of Mercy Bradstreet
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Caleb Hazen
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Sir William Sinclair of Roslin, of the territorial Barony, of which he was granted a charter by Alexander II 14 Sep 1280 on the resignation of Henry de Roskelyn (probably Sir William’s father in law); opposed Edward I’s invasion of Scotland 1296-99; married Amicia, (probably) daughter of Henry de Roskelyn, and died (probably as a prisoner in the Tower of London). [Burke’s Peerage]
Note that Burke’s Peerage does not mention a second marriage to Matilda of Orkney, but I am retaining it.

Burke’s Peerage indicates that the parent of William Sinclair is Robert Sinclair, a Norman, and not Henry Sinclair of Rosslyn as much of the Rootsweb information on the internet states. However, according to Burke’s Peerage, William did marry Amicia daughter of Henry de Roskelyn, lord of Roslin/Rosslyn and was given charter to Rosslyn by Alexander II of Scotland. This puts the name of the entire ancestry of Henry in doubt, but I assume that the persons are the same. Thus I am keeping the same ancestry for Henry de Roskelyn, father-in-law of William, that many people have for Henry Sinclair, father of William.