Sinclair Septs

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

Whilst looking for some information on an unrelated subject, I came
across the following on Sinclair
septs and although I know there has been considerable discussion about
the Sinclairs of Argyll, the
following may be of some interest:

        

        

        

        

        

CLAN
SINCLAIR SEPTS

(1) Caird - the Cairds (Clann-na-ceairde) including
both of that name and the romantic 'Romany'
     Gypsies of Scotland are reckoned as a sept of
the Sinclair Clan.  The name signifies (Gaelic
      ceard or craftsman) a worker in
metals*.

     The name has appeared in various forms such as
Macnecaird, MacNokerd, MacIncaird, etc.
      - most frequently on the borders of Argyll
and Perthshire.

MacBain remarks on the Cairds (Sinclairs) as follows:

     

        

"In
the course of inflection the name, Sinclair, when borrowed into
Gaelic,

        

        

as it stands, becomes 'Tinkler' pronounced like Scotch 'tinkler', a caird,
                and, in looking about for a suitable equivalent or translation for M'Na Cearda,
                the popular fancy hit upon what was at once a translation and an equivalent
                M'Na-Cearda translated into Scotch Tinkler, and passed by a law of Gaelic
                phonetics into Sinclair (Ma-an-t-Sinclair)

(2) Clyne - as far back as 1561 the Sutherlands of Berriedale were dispossessed by the Earl of
                Caithness in consequence of their cruel treatment of the Clynes, dependents of
                the Caithness family, several members of the former having been killed by the
                Sutherlands.

(3) Gallie - Gunns from Caithness who settled in Ross in the seventeenth century were locally
                termed na Gallaich - the Caithness men.  They would appear to be a Sinclair
                sept by all normal rules**.

* As mentioned in an earlier contribution to the Sinclair Discussion
List, these 'workers in metal'
  were thought to have been the armorers from the Spanish
galley which sank in Tobermory Bay
  in 1588.  In support of this suggestion the Sinclairs of
Argyll are said to be of a darker complexion
  than their Northern namesakes.

** One wonders what the Gunns would make of this suggestion?

Niven Sinclair