User:Longburgh/Sir William St. Clair

Sir William Sinclair - a Crusader, not a Templar.

Sir William St Clair died a Crusader on pilgrimage: the memorial tombstone which can be seen today in the north west corner of Rosslyn Chapel, with its sword and radiating floreate cross commemorates a fine and honourable knight who set out on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, whose marriage to Lady Margaret Ramsay of Dalhousie enabled his son (also Sir William) to succeed him as Eighth Baron of Rosslyn. His father could never have been a Knight Templar as his wealth and marriage would have broken two of the three Templar vows — of poverty and chastity. Nor is the mere possession of land that had once belonged to the Templars evidence of direct transfer between the St Clairs and the Templars (who had possessions in almost every county in Scotland). Four charters transcribed by Fr Richard Augustine Hay confirm the transfer of ownership of six acres of land which ‘Thomas de Temple’ had originally been given by the chaplain Gregory de Lisours. These had reverted to William de Lisours and were then rented out to Stephen de Melville (a clerk). Sir William Saintclair bought these ‘Temple Lands of Gourton’ from Stephen de Melville’s son. As Sir John Preston acquired the estate of Gortoun (Gorton) in 1342, these charters must have been signed before that date. The transfer of the land from Gregory de Lisours to de Temple, then to William de Lisours, to the de Melvilles and finally to the St Clairs is evidence that there was no direct transfer to property between the Templars and the St Clairs.

(see: Michael T R B Turnbull, Rosslyn Chapel Revealed (The History Press, 2009)