Re: Rosslyn Chapel

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

At 11:23 07/05/00 -0400, you wrote:
> Hi Donald:
> In my Canadian persona, I am a bit of a leftie.  Put that beside my
> deep interest in and respect for our titled Clansmen or as you put it
> "the trappings of the the old world [which will] be pushed
> aside" and you will have what might be perceived as a
> contradiction.
> Not at all I hasten to add.  My respect for my Chief and for Peter
> St. Clair Erskine (The Earl of Rosslyn's real name) and for John
> Sinclair, Viscount Thurso stems in the first place from having met them
> and found them engaging and interested in what we are interested in as,
> for example, members of this list.  In addition, they members of our
> Clan AND,  are living representatives of our history and heritage
> and I for one take great pleasure in knowing that when I speak to Malcolm
> Caithness I am speaking to a direct descendant of Prince Henry
> Sinclair.  It may also be true that I (or you) are also direct
> descendants of Prince Henry but we cannot speak of ourselves with that
> way with the certainty that Malcolm can.  Call me crazy, but I like
> that.
> As for the notion that Peter Rosslyn somehow is an
> "illegitimate" owner of Rosslyn Chapel at the expense of the
> world-wide Clan Sinclair I must confess that I am not a subsciber of such
> views.  Peter Rosslyn's ancestors inherited the Chapel and Castle
> through totally legal means and if we still believe in the idea of
> private property (the socialist dream of all property being held in
> common not yet having arrived) then his ownership need not be questioned
> anymore than my daughter's ownership of my house should be questioned
> when she inherits it on my death.  
> Now, as to your nascent idea that the Clan can come up with some kind of
> monstrous some of cash in order to make some kind of offer that the Earl
> "cannot refuse" .... well, my opinion is that  it just
> ain't gonna happen. 
> My view is that the Earl has made an enormous gift of the Chapel to the
> Rosslyn Chapel Trust on a 99 year lease which means effectively that
> neither he, nor his children nor his children's children will ever
> "own" the Chapel in the sense that you and I mean own.  My
> view is that we would do well to support the RCT in its very long-term
> plan to see to it that the physical fabric of the building is preserved
> and protected for future generations.  The Trust is regularly
> audited by the Scottish Government and all plans for the preservation of
> the building are monitored by Historic Scotland.  I think the Chapel
> is being extraordinarily well-attended to and any great sums of cash that
> the Clan could raise should go directly to  this enterprise and not
> to satisfyng some idea of "Clan ownership.  Indeed, I have no
> problem in declaring that the present owner is all of: Peter Rosslyn, The
> RCT, the people of Scotland as represented by Historic Scotland and the
> Sinclair diaspora ie. US! 
> These are my views and not the official views of anyone else.
> Curious as to your views on my views.
> Love your spunky contributions to the list.
> Aye, 
> Rory
>  
>  
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Donald H Sinclair
> <horace@mb.sympatico.ca>
> To: Sinclair Discusion List
> <sinclair@matrix.net>
> Date: Friday, May 05, 2000 7:07 PM
> Subject: Rosslyn Chapel
>
> > Dear Rory:
> >  
> > Good common sense letter!  I believe the
> > difficulties involved and influential pressures needed are well
> > understood.  This project will take a long time and require a great
> > deal of goodwill with much political lobbying.  If the Sinclair Clan
> > worldwide can get their act together (many thousands are not computer
> > literate yet), and recruit a trusted core of people to raise a great deal
> > of money required to reclaim Sinclair assets.  Sinclairs may be a
> > little crusty and cantankerous, but treated with respect and convinced of
> > a "Sinclair Cause," they will respond from their pockets. 
> > In looking at Rosslyn's Page, it looks like the Chapel Association is
> > doing a good job of maintaining our Sinclair Church.  Do you know
> > what The Earl of Rosslyn's real name is?  When all the trappings of
> > the old world are pushed aside, or how he acquired the paper title to the
> > Sinclair Rosslyn Chapel?
> >  
> >  
> > Donald H.
> > Sinclair