James Sinclair, 12th Earl of Caithness (1766–1823) was a Scottish noble,

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to hav ...

and chief of the

Clan Sinclair Clan Sinclair ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan which holds the lands of Caithness, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians. The chiefs of the clan were the Barons of Roslin and later the Earls of Orkney and Earls of Caithness. The Sinclairs are be ...

, a Highland

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Scottish Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared heritage and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure r ...

. James Sinclair was born at Barrogill Castle (

Castle of Mey The Castle of Mey (also known for a time as Barrogill Castle) is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to the Orkney Islands. History The lands ...

) on 31 May 1766. He was the son of Sir John Sinclair of Mey, Baronet who he succeeded in the baronetcy in 1774. He succeeded as 12th earl of Caithness in 1789, as nearest lawful male heir of

William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness William Sinclair (c. 1459 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman, the 2nd Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness was born at Rav ...

. His claim to the peerage was sustained by the House of Lords. In 1811 he was appointed Deputy Postmaster General of Scotland in place of

Francis Gray, 14th Lord Gray Sir Francis Gray, 14th Lord Gray FRS FRSE PSAS (1 September 1765 – 20 August 1842) was a Scottish peer, politician and soldier. Life He was born in Edinburgh on 1 September 1765 the youngest of twelve children to John Gray, 11th Lord Gray a ...

. Following his death on 16 July 1823 the post was filled by Sir David Wedderburn, 1st Baronet.Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol.2 p.358 He was lord-lieutenant of the county of

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

and lieutenant-colonel of the

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

. He married at

Thurso Castle is a ruined 19th-century castle, located in Thurso, Caithness, in the Scottish Highlands. Situated in Thurso East,east of the River Thurso, the site can be seen from across the river. The current castle ruins date to 1872; A large part was demol ...

on 2 January 1784 Jane, second daughter of Alexander Campbell of Bareldine who was deputy governor of Fort George. They had the following children: #John Sinclair, Lord Berriedale who died in 1802 aged 14. #Alexander Sinclair, 13th Earl of Caithness. #Four other sons and three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caithness, James Sinclair, Earl of 1766 births 1823 deaths Nobility from Highland (council area) Lord-lieutenants of Caithness Earls of Caithness Clan Sinclair

See also

References