Queen Margaret

[Niven Sinclair <niven@niven.co.uk>]

Dear Laurel,

I have contacted my antiquarian bookshops and put in an order for
"St Margaret Queen of Scotland" written
by Alan J. Wilson and, as soon as I can obtain a copy, it will be sent to
you

In front of me (as I type this reply) I have a small pamphlet which was
prepared by Wendy Sinclair  for the
900th Commemoration of St Margaret's death in 1993.

Wendy writes:

     "I found the subject of this booklet a most challenging,
intriguing and perilous
       walk through a very difficult period of history in which
facts and legends were
       closely interwoven".

This has always been my own difficulty and I was pleased to find that it
was also shared by the author of "The
Sinclairs of England" (Thomas Sinclair, M.A.) who wrote:

     "To give breathing room, it may be said that the element of
uncertainty is continually
       present in all genealogical and historic
details".    He goes on to say: "The wings
of
       imagination must not be clipped too closely.  Mythology
has its own particular charm
       as it undoubtedly carries its very invaluable offering of
truth to the eyes and hearts of 
       those who know its right worthy message".

Having made this point, it should be added that the Norse sagas were
considered to be largely mythological.
We now know that they are probably amongst the most accurate of
historical documents.

History is also to be found:

        in the faces of people
        in the language they speak
        on the land beneath our feet
        in our traditions, customs and superstitions
        and in our genes because:
         'that which is born in the bone
          can never be driven out of the blood'

Charlotte in her e-mail yesterday said that she had been brought
up to believe that being a St Clair/Sinclair was the
greatest gift of all.  That remark brought a tear to my eye. 
It said it all.  We have an exceptional lineage of which we
can all be justifiably proud but, with it,  comes responsibilities
and obligations.

You may ask: "What can I do?"

You can join your Clan Association so that you and your children can get
strength and inspiration from our past history.

We are nothing without our roots.  Our children need
to know about their roots so that they can be given the strength
to survive in the increasingly tormented and troubled World which they
are about to inherit.  They need to know that being
a Sinclair/St Clair is the greatest gift of all and, in
that knowledge, let them walk humbly, speak softly and act
courageously.

"Guts", as Churchill once said , "is only another word for
courage but it is the one quality which guarantees everything
else".  

It has been the hallmark of the Sinclairs for a thousand turbulent and
tempestuous years.



Niven Sinclair

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