SINCLAIR, Olave

Bef 1518 -

• Name	SINCLAIR, Olave
  Birth	Bef 1518
  Gender	Male
  Person ID	I36	Stark Family Tree
  Last Modified	31 Mar 2025

  
  

  Father	SINCLAIR, Henry,   b. Havera, Burra
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	SINCLAIR, Jean,   b. Bef 1500, Houss, Burra
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F5	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	BAIRD, Margaret,   b. Bef 1510
  Children	+ 1. SINCLAIR, James,   b. Bef 1523, Brew, Dunrossness  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F18	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	31 Mar 2025

  
  

• Notes

  Olave Sinclair of Havera had been banished from Shetland by Earl Robert Stewart. Olave 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 1762, having failed to account to the crown for the mails and rents of the islands, was ordered by the Privy Council to be put to the horn (be banished) if he does not do so within 20 days. He had a charter from Benedict, William and James Erlingson, sons of the late Erling Williamson, of their merks land in Burraland in Trondra for 54 Zetland gudlings (value unit for wares) in fat guidis dated at the Buyth in Dunrossness, 25th October 1567 and disponed to William Sinclair his brother's son the lands of Tegon and others by charter dated at Stirling 5th March 1578. On one occasion when Hutcheon Macleod of the Lewis invaded Shetland, Olave only managed to escape by leaping off Sumburgh Head and when he landed on a piece of grass in a cleft in a rock, he received no further injury than the loss of an eye. Olave entertained James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, when he fled to Shetland in 1567, after the defeat of Queen Mary at Carberry Hill. Wassand in Ownst, 11 June 1543 'Excambion between honourable and worthy persons, Olawe Syncler of Hawera "and fold of Zetland", and Gutturn (sic) Enarsone (or Euarsone), with consent of his wife and heirs. Olawe Syncler gives 26 mks., 9d. the mk., in Culzewo in the North parish of Yell. Gutturn Enarsone gives in exchange for this 15 mk. in Girlistaye, 1s. (sic) the mk., 6 mk. in Chylderness, 6d. the mk., and 2 mk. in (Kekeryme?) in the parish of the archdeanery [i.e. Tingwall and Weisdale]. 'Olawe Syncler and Gutturn Enarsone each append their seal to the part remaining with the other. Also the seals of discreet persons, sir Andro Hyll, vicar of Ownst and Adam Neweyne, indweller in Dunrosness. 'Witnesses: sir David Farquhar, curat of Ownst, Bernat Graye, Wylyam Graye, underfoldis of Ownst, and James Mowat, indweller in Dunrosness, with others divers.' The original is not known to exist. The above abstract, by J. Storer Clouston, is in OA, D.23, Notebook 4, p.46. Francis Grant prints the following abstract, presumably of the same document (OSD, SN, 14 October 1893): 'Excambion between Olave Sinclair of Halvera, fowde of Zetland, and Guttorm Erasmusson of certain lands lying within the parish of the Archdeaconry of Zetland, dated 11th June, 1548'.