Charles St Clair, 17th Lord Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Major
Charles Murray Kennedy St Clair, 17th Lord Sinclair, CVO
(21 June 1914 – 1 April 2004) was a Scottish peer who spent his entire life in the service of the Crown; as a soldier, an officer of arms
, an equerry
in the Queen Mother
's Household, a representative peer
and as a Lord Lieutenant
.
and Magdalene College, Cambridge
. When his father succeeded to the Lordship in 1922, Charles St Clair became known as The Master
of Sinclair, in accordance with the usual practice for Scottish peerages. In 1968 he married Anne Cotterell (daughter of Richard Charles Cotterell, 5th Baronet), with whom he had two daughters and a son Matthew Murray Kennedy St Clair, 18th Lord Sinclair, who succeeded him as Lord Sinclair.
on the General List of the Territorial Army in 1936 and transferred to the Coldstream Guards
in 1937. He was promoted to Lieutenant
in 1938. St Clair served in Palestine until 1939, during which time he was wounded and mentioned in despatches. During World War II
he served with the Guards Armoured Division. As a result of his wounds, St Clair retired from the army on 29 May 1947 whilst a captain, and was granted the honorary rank of Major
.
St Clair was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers (The Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland)
for many years. This entailed only ceremonial duties.
in 1949, thus becoming a member of the Royal Household
. Like the other officers of arms he took part in state ceremonies, including the coronation
of Queen Elizabeth
. In 1952 it was St Clair, as Portcullis Pursuivant, who made the ceremonial demand for entry into the City of London
for the third traditional reading of the accession proclamation. St Clair was promoted to York Herald of Arms in Ordinary
in 1957, and held this office until his resignation in 1968.
He was made a Member (4th Class) of the Royal Victorian Order
in the Coronation
Honours List, and promoted to Commander in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours
. He also held the position of Honorary Genealogist to the Order from 1960 to 1968.
In October 1953 St Clair was appointed an Extra Equerry to the Queen Mother
, although he had been a personal friend of hers for some years. During this appointment (which he held until her death) he attended the Queen Mother at various public occasions. He often stayed on the Balmoral
estate when she visited Scotland
, and went fishing with her, as both were keen anglers.
in November 1957. In 1959 he was elected as one of the representative peer
s for Scotland in the House of Lords
, a position
also held by the previous four Lords Sinclair. This appointment terminated in 1963 when the passing of the Peerage Act
ended the election of representative peers and allowed all Scottish peers to sit in the House of Lords. Before he resigned the office of York Herald, Lord Sinclair was in the possibly unique position of being able to participate in the ceremonial of the State Opening of Parliament
either in his capacity as a member of the House of Lords, or as a herald. (It is perhaps for their participation in the State Opening that the officers of arms are best known to the general public.)
In 1969 Lord Sinclair was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Due to the replacement of Scottish counties by regions and districts in the mid 1970s this became a deputy lieutenancy in the Dumfries and Galloway Region
(District of Stewartry). In 1977 Lord Sinclair was made Vice-Lord-Lieutenant for the same district, and became Lord Lieutenant in 1982, a position he held until 1989.
Lord Sinclair died on April 1, 2004.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Charles Murray Kennedy St Clair, 17th Lord Sinclair, CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(21 June 1914 – 1 April 2004) was a Scottish peer who spent his entire life in the service of the Crown; as a soldier, an officer of arms
Officer of arms
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:*to control and initiate armorial matters*to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state...
, an equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
in the Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
's Household, a representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
and as a Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
.
Early and personal life
Charles St Clair was born in 1914, the son of the Archibald St Clair (later the 16th Lord Sinclair), and his wife Violet Kennedy, daughter of Col. John Kennedy. He was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
. When his father succeeded to the Lordship in 1922, Charles St Clair became known as The Master
Master (Peerage of Scotland)
The heir-apparent or heir presumptive to a Scottish peerage is known as a Master, or Mistress if the heir is female.The heir's style is The Master of [Peerage] or The Mistress of [Peerage]. If the master is an heir-apparent, and the peerage has subsidiary titles that could be used as a courtesy...
of Sinclair, in accordance with the usual practice for Scottish peerages. In 1968 he married Anne Cotterell (daughter of Richard Charles Cotterell, 5th Baronet), with whom he had two daughters and a son Matthew Murray Kennedy St Clair, 18th Lord Sinclair, who succeeded him as Lord Sinclair.
Military career
St Clair was commissioned as a Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on the General List of the Territorial Army in 1936 and transferred to the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
in 1937. He was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1938. St Clair served in Palestine until 1939, during which time he was wounded and mentioned in despatches. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served with the Guards Armoured Division. As a result of his wounds, St Clair retired from the army on 29 May 1947 whilst a captain, and was granted the honorary rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
St Clair was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers (The Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland)
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
for many years. This entailed only ceremonial duties.
Royal Service
Charles St Clair was appointed Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in OrdinaryPortcullis Pursuivant
Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary is a junior officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office is named after the Portcullis chained Or badge of the Beauforts, which was a favourite device of King Henry VII. King Henry's mother was Lady Margaret Beaufort. The office was...
in 1949, thus becoming a member of the Royal Household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
. Like the other officers of arms he took part in state ceremonies, including the coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. In 1952 it was St Clair, as Portcullis Pursuivant, who made the ceremonial demand for entry into the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
for the third traditional reading of the accession proclamation. St Clair was promoted to York Herald of Arms in Ordinary
York Herald
York Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms. The first York Herald is believed to have been an officer to Edmund of Langley, Duke of York around the year 1385, but the first completely reliable reference to such a herald is in February of 1484, when John Water...
in 1957, and held this office until his resignation in 1968.
He was made a Member (4th Class) of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in the Coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
Honours List, and promoted to Commander in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
. He also held the position of Honorary Genealogist to the Order from 1960 to 1968.
In October 1953 St Clair was appointed an Extra Equerry to the Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
, although he had been a personal friend of hers for some years. During this appointment (which he held until her death) he attended the Queen Mother at various public occasions. He often stayed on the Balmoral
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...
estate when she visited Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and went fishing with her, as both were keen anglers.
Public Offices
St Clair succeeded his father as Lord SinclairLord Sinclair
Lord Sinclair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1449 for William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney. In 1470, Lord Orkney surrendered the earldom in return for the earldom of Caithness. In 1477, Lord Caithness wished to disinherit his eldest son from his first marriage to Lady...
in November 1957. In 1959 he was elected as one of the representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
s for Scotland in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, a position
also held by the previous four Lords Sinclair. This appointment terminated in 1963 when the passing of the Peerage Act
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
ended the election of representative peers and allowed all Scottish peers to sit in the House of Lords. Before he resigned the office of York Herald, Lord Sinclair was in the possibly unique position of being able to participate in the ceremonial of the State Opening of Parliament
State Opening of Parliament
In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber, usually in November or December or, in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembles...
either in his capacity as a member of the House of Lords, or as a herald. (It is perhaps for their participation in the State Opening that the officers of arms are best known to the general public.)
In 1969 Lord Sinclair was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Due to the replacement of Scottish counties by regions and districts in the mid 1970s this became a deputy lieutenancy in the Dumfries and Galloway Region
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
(District of Stewartry). In 1977 Lord Sinclair was made Vice-Lord-Lieutenant for the same district, and became Lord Lieutenant in 1982, a position he held until 1989.
Lord Sinclair died on April 1, 2004.