Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Ian Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness, PC
(born 3 November 1948) is a British
Conservative
politician and member of the House of Lords
as one of the remaining hereditary peer
s. He is also chief of Clan Sinclair
. He is the Chief Executive of the Clan Sinclair Trust
.
was educated at Marlborough College
and Royal Agricultural College
, Cirencester
.
from 1984 to 1985. He then moved to the Department of Transport
as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, serving until 1986 when he became a Minister of State
at the Home Office
. In 1988 he was once again moved, this time to be Minister of State at the Department of Environment. In 1989, he became Paymaster-General
.
In 1990, Lord Caithness was again shuffled to the Foreign Office as a Minister of State, and then in 1992 back to the Department of Transport
. He married Diana Caroline Coke (1953–1994) in 1975. In January 1994, Lord Caithness resigned from the Government following the suicide of his wife, Diana Countess of Caithness, who according to the BBC "shot herself in despair at his relationship with another woman." In 2004, he married Leila C. Jenkins in Rosslyn Chapel
. The Earl filed for divorce a year later.
With the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999
, Lord Caithness, along with most other hereditary peers, lost his automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. He was however elected as one of the 90 representative peers to remain in the House of Lords under the provisions of the Act.
He was made a Privy Counsellor
in 1990. He is an opponent of fractional-reserve banking
.
In 2010, the chief of the Clan Sinclair was advertised on the internet as the host for a £7,588 UK trip most of which was to be in Scotland, including a tour of Westminster and the chance to meet "various colleagues" including the Speaker. The trip was to raise funds for a charity, the Clan Sinclair Trust, but a disgruntled donor to the Trust, as part of a wider campaign against the Trust, complained to The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards Paul Kernaghan that this would breach the rules on use of Westminster facilities. Although the trip did not take place the Earl apologised for any unintentional misleading of the public.[5][6]
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(born 3 November 1948) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and member of 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....
as one of the remaining hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s. He is also chief of Clan Sinclair
Clan Sinclair
Clan Sinclair is a Highland Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians which they received from the Kings of Scots...
. He is the Chief Executive of the Clan Sinclair Trust
Clan Sinclair Trust
The Clan Sinclair Trust is a Scottish trust which was formed with the main objective of rescuing and preserving Castle Sinclair Girnigoe and of developing a visitor centre and library. The Chief Executive is Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness and John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso and are...
.
Education
The EarlEarl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
was educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and Royal Agricultural College
Royal Agricultural College
The Royal Agricultural College is a higher education institution located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world...
, Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
.
House of Lords and other political offices
Lord Caithness served as a House of Lords government whip under Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
from 1984 to 1985. He then moved to the Department of Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, serving until 1986 when he became a Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. In 1988 he was once again moved, this time to be Minister of State at the Department of Environment. In 1989, he became Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
.
In 1990, Lord Caithness was again shuffled to the Foreign Office as a Minister of State, and then in 1992 back to the Department of Transport
Department of Transport
Department of Transport may refer to:* The Irish government department, see Department of Transport * The UK government department formerly known as the Department of Transport, see Department for Transport...
. He married Diana Caroline Coke (1953–1994) in 1975. In January 1994, Lord Caithness resigned from the Government following the suicide of his wife, Diana Countess of Caithness, who according to the BBC "shot herself in despair at his relationship with another woman." In 2004, he married Leila C. Jenkins in Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
. The Earl filed for divorce a year later.
With the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
, Lord Caithness, along with most other hereditary peers, lost his automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. He was however elected as one of the 90 representative peers to remain in the House of Lords under the provisions of the Act.
He was made a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1990. He is an opponent of fractional-reserve banking
Fractional-reserve banking
Fractional-reserve banking is a form of banking where banks maintain reserves that are only a fraction of the customer's deposits. Funds deposited into a bank are mostly lent out, and a bank keeps only a fraction of the quantity of deposits as reserves...
.
Clan Sinclair
In 2009 the Earl said "...I do not believe there is an obligation towards the clan in any formal sense. For many years I took no interest in the Clan because I was too busy earning a living and bringing up the family...If a chief can give the time, particularly to the Diaspora, then there are huge rewards for everyone and I would hope that most chiefs can do that."In 2010, the chief of the Clan Sinclair was advertised on the internet as the host for a £7,588 UK trip most of which was to be in Scotland, including a tour of Westminster and the chance to meet "various colleagues" including the Speaker. The trip was to raise funds for a charity, the Clan Sinclair Trust, but a disgruntled donor to the Trust, as part of a wider campaign against the Trust, complained to The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards Paul Kernaghan that this would breach the rules on use of Westminster facilities. Although the trip did not take place the Earl apologised for any unintentional misleading of the public.[5][6]