La famille de St Clair by Philppe Champy.

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

Although Professor Champy's book (which is essentially on the de Courcy
family)
is not going to be published until next year, he has kindly sent me a
copy of the
Chapter on the St Clairs of France which, understandably enough, is in
French.

However, I will be pleased to send a copy to anyone who wishes to read a
Frenchman's
views on the origins of the St Clairs.  His opinions have not always
tallied with my own
but, after some correspondence, he agreed (and I quote) "...the
curious transmission
of the Saint Clair fief between the three families* is a little
astonishing".

Previously, Professor Champy had maintained that Walderne*, Hamon*
and Hubert* were
NOT brothers but it is my intention that, if they were not brothers
german (i.e. of the same
parents - both mother and father) they were certainly brothers
natural (i.e. with the same
father but not necessarily with the same mother) otherwise it was
extremely unlikely that
there would have been a transmission of the fiefdom i.e. land holdings
between the families
because the possession and transmission of land was invariably from
father to son(s).

Professor Champy also believes that the Henri de Saint Clair, who took
part in the 1st
Crusade was of Norman stock rather than the son of William 'the Seemly'
St Clair who had been granted Rosslyn by Malcolm Canmore.  I think
he is splitting hairs because, at the material time and for generations
afterwards, the St Clairs would be speaking Norman French (the language
of the Court).  In any event, they hadn't been in Scotland for long
enough to lose their Norman culture.  His sister, Richelde, who was
also born at Rosslyn, returned to Normandy to marry her cousin, Robert of
Chaumont.  This, too, was customary in order to maintain the
bloodline.  The Sinclairs had a strategy which transcended
national
boundaries.  France was always a happy hunting ground for the Scots
because of the
'auld alliance' or the 'entente cordiale'.  The number of French
words which are still a part of the Scottish vocabulary is evidence of
this.

Niven Sinclair

Niven Sinclair