Sinclair of Herdmanston


A branch of the Sinclair or St Clair family took their territorial designation from their lands at Herdmanston.

History

Herdmanston in East Lothian had been held from the 12th century, when Henry St Clair received a grant of the lands of Herdmanston, from Richard de Morville, Constable of Scotland. It is not known if the Sinclairs of Herdmanston share a common origin with the Sinclair Barons of Roslin, from whom branch off the Lords Sinclair and Earls of Caithness. According to the website sinclairgenealogy.info, the fact that the first proven Baron of Roslin, William St. Clair was made sheriff of Haddington in East Lothian where Herdmanston also is, suggests that he was appointed there to cover his own home area, and given that the name William appears frequently in the St Clair of Herdmanston family suggests that he may have been part of their extended family. However, according to the website clansinclairusa.org, William St Clair of Roslin was probably unrelated to the St Clairs of Herdmanston. According to Archibald Allan writing in 1900, Henry St Clair of Herdmanston appears to have been a son of the first William de St Clair of Roslin of the 11th century, but this William's existence cannot be proved by contemporary evidence and according to Roland Saint-Clair, William St. Clair who died in 1297 was the first proven Baron of Roslin.
The Sinclairs of Herdmanston are recorded by James Balfour Paul in his The Scots Peerage. They are also recorded by Bernard Burke in his a Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire, and by 18th century herald, Alexander Nisbet, in his A System of Heraldry. The coat of arms of the Sinclair of Herdmanston family is similar to that of the Lord Sinclair, but the tincture of the cross was changed from azure to sable.
During the war known as the "Rough Wooing" many Scottish landowners made agreements with the English invaders, and were called "Assured Scots". In February 1548, the English commander William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton allowed John Sinclair to keep Herdmanston Castle. The laird of Waughton was also allowed to keep his castle. The two lairds made "sufficient pledges" to Grey of Wilton.
In April 1567, William Sinclair of Herdmanston, with his brothers John and Alexander, and Edward Sinclair of Nesbit, were involved in the abduction of Mary, Queen of Scots, to Dunbar Castle. They were given a pardon on 10 May 1567. William Sinclair of Herdmanston was described as a knight, militis, reflecting his actual position in Scottish society.

Lords Herdmanston

Roland Saint-Clair writing in the late 19th century lists the following lairds of Herdmanston: