George Sinclair, Lord Woodhall
George Sinclair, Lord Woodhall also known as George Sinclair of Castlehill (c.1700–1764) was a Scottish judge and Senator of the College of Justice.
Life[edit]
He was the son of Sir John Sinclair, 4th Baronet of Longformacus, an estate in East Lothian, east of Edinburgh, and his wife and cousin, Martha Lockhart-Sinclair. He trained in law and became an advocate around 1725, later also serving as Sheriff of Lanark from 1747.[1] His ancestor was one of the many Scottish landowners who purchased a Nova Scotia baronetcy in 1624 as part of a state exercise to raise funds in exchange for titles.[2]
On the death of George's grandfather in 1727, his father became a baronet.[3]
He had a home and legal practise on Castlehill in Edinburgh at the top of the Royal Mile close to Scotland's main law courts.[4]
In February 1751 he was elected a Senator of the College of Justice in place of the late James Grahame, Lord Easdale.[5]
At some point in the mid-18th century he rented Woodhall House south-west of Edinburgh. Through his mother he inherited the huge estates of Lockhart (now the modern area known as Craiglockhart), this included the 15th century Craiglockhart Castle.[6]
In 1761 he inherited the estate of Murkle on the north Scottish coast from his cousin and friend Alexander Sinclair, 9th Earl of Caithness. George Sinclair died on 5 May 1764. He died immensely rich, but unmarried and childless. His father died after him, preventing his ever being a baronet. The baronetcy passed briefly to his paternal uncle, Henry Sinclair (d.1768). In 1766 after a contest to both George's and Alexander's will, the estates passed to a nephew, Sir John Sinclair of Stevenson (d.1789).[7] His position as Senator was filled by Francis Garden, Lord Gardenstone.[5]
The Lockhart estates passed to a nephew, Captain James Lockhart of Castlehill (1736-1808) in 1764 and the same nephew became the baronet in 1768 when Henry Sinclair died.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "George Sinclair, of Castlehill, Lord Woodhall". geni_family_tree.
- ^ a b "Sinclair-Lockhart of Stevenson | The Sinclairs". August 13, 2021.
- ^ Burke's Peerage: Sinclair baronets
- ^ Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol.2
- ^ a b An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of Justice from its Institution by George Brunton and David Haig, published by Thomas Clark 1831
- ^ Yje Castles of Scotland by Martin Coventry
- ^ https://sinclairgenealogy.info/sinclair-of-stevenson/#:~:text=Martha%20Lockhart%E2%80%99s%20third%20son%2C%20George%20St.%20Clair%20%28d.,heir%20to%20Alexander%20Sinclair%2C%209th%20Earl%20of%20Caithness.