William St Clair, 15th Baron of Roslin

William St Clair (died 1610) was a Scottish nobleman and the 15th Baron of Roslin.

William St Clair
Baron of Roslin
Baron of Roslin coat of arms
PredecessorWilliam St Clair, 14th Baron of Roslin
SuccessorWilliam St Clair, 16th Baron of Roslin
Died1610
Noble familyClan Sinclair
FatherWilliam St Clair
MotherLindeasy, daughter of the Laird of Egle

Early life edit

He was the second son of William St Clair, 14th Baron of Roslin, who according to Alexander Nisbet's a System of Heraldry, had married Isabel, daughter of Ker of Cessford,[1] but who according to Father Richard Augustine Hay's manuscript of 1690, had married Lindeasy, daughter of the Laird of Egle, brother of the Earl of Crawford, with whom he had William.[2][3]

Baron of Roslin edit

William St Clair, 15th Baron of Roslin was the first Hereditary Grandmaster of the Scottish Order of Freemasons which was constituted to him by charter. His elder brother, Edward, had conveyed to him the baronies of Roslin and Herbertshire in 1582. He built the great vaults and turnpikes of Roslin Castle. He also built one of the arches of the drawbridge and the tower of the dungeon. His initials appear in a stone dated 1596 which was when the work to the castle was finished.[3]

In 1601, he received a charter from Henry Saintcler the Provost of Roslin for the church lands. In 1612, he resigned his lands lying within the earldom of Caithness.[3]

Family edit

He married Jean or Janet Edmonstone, daughter of the Laird Of that Ilk, with whom he had a son, William St Clair, 16th Baron of Roslin.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Nisbet, Alexander (1816). A System of Heraldry. Vol. II. Princes Street, Edinburgh and New Bond Street, London: William Blackwood and Rodwell & Martin. p. 165. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. ^ Hay, Richard Augustine; Maidment, James (1835) [Printed from original manuscript of 1690]. Genealogie of the Sainteclaires of Rosslyn. 87 Princes Street, Edinburgh: T. G. Stevenson. p. 135-136. Retrieved 19 June 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Saint-Clair, Roland William (1898). The Saint-Clairs of the Isles; being a history of the sea-kings of Orkney and their Scottish successors of the sirname of Sinclair. Shortland Street, Auckland, New Zealand: H. Brett. pp. 290. Retrieved 19 June 2021.