Catherine Sinclair - @ Catherine Sinclair

SINCLAIR OF BREW
In the Parish of Dunrossness

I. HENRY SINCLAIR of Havera, died in the year 1545, leaving by his wife Jean, daughter of William Sinclair of Houss, a son,

II. OLAVE SINCLAIR of Havera, who obtained on 19th September, 1539, a respite of the slaughter of John, Earl of Caithness, who fell in the fight with the
Orkney and Shetland men at Summersdale in Orkney, in 1529. He subsequently held the office of Great Fowde of Zetland, and on 17th July, 1567, having
failed to account to the Crown for the mails and rents of the islands, he is ordered by the Privy Council to be put to the horn if he does not do so within
twenty days. In a M.S. description of Dunrossness preserved in the Advocates Library, and written by Mr. James Kay, minister of that Parish, 1682-
1716, it is stated that in the reign of Queen Mary, that part of the country was several times invaded by Hutcheon Macleod of the Lewis, to avenge the
death of his brother William, who, it is asserted, had been treacherously slain at the instigation of Oliver. On one of these occasions no less than sixty
persons were slain near Quendale, and Oliver himself only escaped by leaping over Sumburghhead, and landing on a piece of grass in a cleft in the rock,
he received no further injury than the loss of an eye. It was this Laird of Brew who entertained James Hepburn, the notorious Earl of Bothwell, when he
fled to Shetland in 1567, after the defeat of Queen Mary at Carberry Hill. He died before 1579. By his wife Margaret, daughter of Alexander Baird, he
had three sons and two daughters, viz.:-
1. James, his heir
2. Matthew of Ness, who was murdered on 27th June, 1602, by Francis Sinclair of Uyea and Robert Sinclair his brother, both his nephews; John Bruce, servitor to Adam Sinclair of Brew; John Sinclair, son to Laurence Sinclair of Goat; Laurence Sinclair son to William Sinclair of Ustaness;
and John Lindsay, servitor to Robert Sinclair, who were all found guilty of the crime before the Lawting Court at Scalloway on 16th August, 1602,
and being fugitive therefor, their whole goods, gear, and lands were forfeited. He had a son Edward, who succeeded him in Ness, and married
Isabel Gordon.
3. William, of Underhoull, had a Charter under the Great Seal, as one of the heirs of his father of 57½ merks land, including Busta and Weathersta, in
the parish of Delting, 32 in Nesting, 21 in Whalsay, 44¼ in Yell, 241¾, including Underhoull and Uyea, in Unst, 5¾ in Fetlar, 2 in Bressay, 3 in
Aithsting, 6 in Burra, 37 in Whiteness, 48 in Sandsting, and 6 in Dunrossness - in all 504¼ merks, on 5th March, 1578. As deputy of Cultmalindie
he is charged, together with his nephew Robert of Ness, in 1575, with oppressing the inhabitants of the Isles of Unst and Yell, and on 15th
February of that year he was ordained to find caution and lawburrows to the parishioners of Unst in presence of Barthol Strang of Voesgarth, Mr.
William Lauder, Vicar of Yell, Andrew Hawick of Scatsta, and Mr. John Denoon, Vicar of Delting. On 7th February, 1579, he granted a Charter to
his eldest son Francis, of the lands which belonged to his deceased father Olave Sinclair of Brew. He married Margaret, daughter of John Stewart,
prior of Coldingham, who after his deat married William Bruce of Sumburgh. They had issue,

1 Francis of Uyea, found guilty of being art and part in the murder of his uncle Mathew of the Ness, in 1602. On 30th June, 1597, he is
ordained to find caution by the Privy Council to the amount of 500 merks to maintain good rule within his lands. He disponed 12 merks of
his lands in Underhoull to James Sinclair, son of the deceased Arthur Sinclair of Aith, by a Charter dated at Edinburgh on 4th February,
1617, and on 9th August, 1634, he witnesses a Charter by Erasmus Manson in Southsetter, in favour of Laurence Sinclair of Houss
2. Robert, found guilty of the murder of his uncle Matthew
3. James
4. Katherine ( is this the wife of William Mudie of Brecknes ?)
5. Margaret
4. Barbara, married Adam Neven of Scousburgh
5. A daughter, married Richard Leask, who was slain by a servant of Henry Sinclair of Sandwick, at the door of Sandwick Church