| To: Rob Cohn Subject: The Lay of the Last Minstrel of
which the Dirge of Rosabelle is part by Sir Walter Scott. Cc:
|
|
| "The Last Rosslyn" says Sir Walter Scott (for
he was universally known by his patrimonial |
| designation and would probably have considered it an
insult to be called Mr Sinclair) "was a |
| man considerably above six feet with dark grey locks, a
form upright, but gracefully so, thin- |
| flanked and broad-shouldered, built, it would seem, for
the business of war or for the chase, |
| of noble eye, of chastened pride and undoubted
authority and features handsome and striking |
| in their general effect, although somewhat harsh and
exaggerated when considered in detail. |
| His complexion was dark and grizzled and, as we
schoolboys, who crowded to see him perform |
| feats of strength and skill in the old Scottish games
of golf and archery*, used to think and say |
| amongst ourselves, the whole figure resembled the
famous founder of the Douglas Race** |
|
| * At the material time, "golf" and
"archery" were confined to certain groups of people and
were |
| even described as 'secret societies'. Some golf clubs
still have this method of selecting their |
| membership. |
|
| Sir William was the hereditary Grand Master of the
Guilds and Crafts of Scotland but resigned this position |
| in order to allow for an election of a
Grandmaster |
|
| The representatives of the Crafts and Guilds of
Scotland met to consider Sir William Sinclair's "Deed |
| of Resignation" which had ben signed in Edinburgh
on 24th November, 1736. |
|
| The meeting was convened on 30th November, 1736 and
unanimously elected Sir William Sinclair of |
| Rosslyn to be their Grandmaster in the Scottish Grand
Lodge of Speculative Masons. |
|
| The Sinclairs were deemed to have the "Judgment of
Solomon". Their word was final when any |
| disputes arose. They sat at Canongate Kilwinning, a
Lodge in Ayrshire. |
|
|
| As Sir William had no son to succeed him, the Estate
passed to Major General Sir James St Clair |
| of Ravenscraig who also died without male issue so the
lands eventually passed to the Erskines |
| who added St Clair to their name to become the St Clair
Erskines who own Rosslyn to this day. |
|
| ** It is not surprising that the schoolboys likened Sir
William to the Douglases because the |
| Douglases and the Sinclairs were inextricably
interwoven. Indeed, Earl William Sinclair's marriage |
| to a Douglas had been annulled on the grounds of
consanguinity but it was re-instated when he |
| paid the Pope 4,000 English florins - thus legitimising
his children. His father had also married |
| a Douglas. Similarily, we find Beatrix Sinclair
marrying the Earl of Douglas. She was eventually |
| known as the "Mother of Earls" because no
fewer than five of her children became Earls. No |
| wonder successive Kings did their best to limit the
power of the Sinclairs and the Douglases |
| because, between them, they could make or break a king.
Earl William Sinclair was eventually |
| required to divide his Estate into three. This
eventually gave rise to the Sinclairs of Orkney, the
Sinclairs |
| of Caithness, the Sinclairs of Rosslyn, the Sinclairs
of Ravenscraig and the Sinclairs of |
| Hermanston and these groups were further sub-divided
into Baronies. |
|
| "The Dirge of Rosabelle" |
|
| "O listen! listen ladies gay |
| No haughty feat of arms I tell; |
| Sift is the note, and sad the lay, |
| That mourns the lovely Rosabelle. |
|
| "Moor, moor the barge, ye gallant
crew! |
| And, gentle lady, deign to stay! |
| Rest thee in Castle Ravensheuch |
| Nor tempt the stormy firth today. |
|
| "The blackening wave is edged with
white; |
| To inch and rock the sea-mews fly; |
| The fishers have heard the Water-Sprite, |
| Whose screams forbode that wreck is nigh. |
|
| "Last night the gifted Seer did view |
| A wet shroud swathed around ladye gay; |
| Then stay thee, Fair, in Ravensheuch; |
| Why cross the gloomy firth today? |
|
| "'Tis not because Lord Lindesay's heir |
| Tonight at Roslin leads the ball, |
| But that my ladye-mother there |
| Sits lonely in her Castle-hall. |
|
| "'Tis not because the ring they ride, |
| And Lindesay at the ring rides well; |
| But that my sire the wine will chide |
| If 'tis not filled by Rosabelle. |
|
| "O'er Roslin all that dreary night |
| A wondrous blaze was seen to gleam; |
| 'Twas broader than the watch fire's light |
| And redder than the bright moon-beam. |
|
"It glared on Roslin's castled rock,