A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

S20
OF THE CROSS, fc?c..
betwixt his brothers, and take no partial part with either of them. The seals appended
to this contract were those of the archbishop of St Andrews, Andrew
Stewart Lord Evandale, Chancellor of Scotland, and of Colin Earl of Argyle,
whose seal was, girony of eight, but not quartered with the coat of Lorn. The
seal of William Sinclair was, quarterly, first and fourth, a ship with sails furled up,
within a double tressure counter-flowered; second and third, a ship under sail:
over all by way of surtout, an escutcheon with a cross ingrailed. And the seal of
Sir Oliver had only a cross ingrailed; and of late the same arms are matriculated in
the Lyon Register, with this crest and motto, a dove proper, with the word Credo.
This WILLIAM SINCLAIR of Ravensheugh had, with his lady, Isabel Leslie,
daughter to George Earl of Rothes, the forementioned son, Henry Sinclair, who
succeeded his father; he married Jean Hepburn, daughter to Lord Hales, and was
created a Lord of Parliament by King James IV. and in that king's first parliament,
the 1 4th of January 1489, is declared chief of that name, as grandchild to William
Earl of Orkney, and, in all time coming, to be called Lord Sinclair ; he rati-
fies the contract abovementioned of his father's, with Sir Oliver Sinclair, the 6th of
June 1493, where he is designed a noble Lord, Henry Lord Sinclair. From him
was lineally descended John Lord Sinclair, who married a daughter of the Earl of
Wemyss, and with her had only one daughter, Katharine his heir ; she married
John Sinclair of Hermiston, and had to him a son, Henry, the present Lord Sinclair,
and heir of Hermiston, in right of his father.
The Lords SINCLAIRS* family have been constantly in use to carry the arms of
the Earldom of Orkney, upon the account of pretension, or to show their descent
from the old Earls of Orkney, quarterly, first and fourth azure ; a ship at anchor,
her oars erected in saltier, within a double tressure counter-flowered or ; second
and third azure, a ship under sail or, over all an escutcheon argent, charged with a
cross ingrailed sable, for Sinclair ; which arms, as in our books of blazons, are
adorned with exterior ornaments, crown, helmet, and mantlings, befitting their
quality, and, on a wreath, or and azure; and for crest, a swan with wings expanded,
proper, gorged with a collar and chain thereto affixed, reflexing over its back or,
as in Mr Font's book ; (but Esplin, in his Illuminated Book, gives for crest, a
griffin's head) supported by two griffins proper, armed or ; with the motto,
Fight.
WILLIAM SINCLAIR, younger son of William Earl of Orkney, Lord Sinclair and
Zetland, by his second wife, Marjory Sutherland, beforementioned, was created
Earl of Caithness, by King James HI. I have seen a charter of this Earl William's,
dated at Edinburgh the 3d of December 1498, who, with the consent of
his brothers and sisters, dispones the lands of Swinburgh, in the lordship of Zet-
land, to which all their seals were appended entire, with their proper differences :
of which I shall speak in the chapter of Marks of Cadency, and only here describe
which was a
the seal of William, Earl of Caithness, as it was appended ; upon
shield
conchy, and quartered, first and fourth, a ship under sail second and ; third,
3. lion rampant, and over all, dividing the quarters, a cross ingrailed ; the shield
was timbred with a helmet, ensigned with a flower-de-luce for crest ; supported on
the dexter by a griffin, and on the sinister by a lion, and the legend round the seal,
Sig. Willielmii Comitis Cathanitt.
In other Books, the arms of the Earl of Caithness are otherwise blazoned and illuminated
; in Mr Font's they are, quarterly, first azure, a ship at anchor within a
double tressure counter-flowered or, for the title of Orkney ; second or, a lion
rampant gules which he takes for the name of , Spar ; the third and second, and
the fourth azure, a ship under sail or, for Caithness, and over all a cross ingrailed
and interchanged, argent and sable for the name of Sinclair; which arms was timbred
with a coronet and helmet, with a wreath argent and sable, ensigned with
a cock, proper ; with the motto, Commit thy ivork to God : supporters, two griffins
proper, armed and beaked or. But James Esplin, Marchmont Herald, gives these
arms otherwise illuminated in his book, viz. quarterly, first and fourth azure, a
ship at anchor or ; second and third argent, a lion rampant gules, over all, dividing
the quarters, a cross ingrailed sable, supported on the dexter by a griffin, proper,
and, the sinister by a mermaid combing her head, proper ; and for crest a demi-bear
issuing out of a coronet > with the foresaid motto. Sir George Mackenzie,