A Bit of History

The Sinclair clan was established in Scotland in 1057 when Sir William St. Clair of Rosin near Edinburgh married Isabella, daughter and heiress of Malise, Earl of Caithness. The castle of Girnigoe, situated on the east coast of northern Scotland, was built around 1480 by William Sinclair, the Second Earl of Caithness as a tower house defensive structure. Another part to the castle was built in 1606 and connected to the original tower by a drawbridge over a ravine.

George Sinclair, the Sixth Earl of Caithness, had accumulated a huge debt with the Campbells of Glenorchy. To pay the debt, the Campbells claimed the earldom and lands from George Sinclair. He died in 1676. In 1679 the castle was besieged and captured by George Sinclair of Keiss, who claimed the earldom from the Campbells. The ensuing battle over the earldom and lands was at Altimarlach, where the Sinclairs were “slaughtered in such numbers that the Campbells reportedly could cross the river without getting their feet wet.”

In 1681, the Privy Council of Scotland settled the feud by giving the Sinclairs back the earldom, while the Campbells were made Earls of Breadalbane (where Finlarig Castle sits). Girnigoe was so damaged by Sinclairs, who had been making it uninhabitable for the Campbells in 1680, that it was never reused.

After being owned by several families through the centuries, it was sold back to the Sinclairs in 1950 and now sits in a historical trust. Today the castle ruins are open to visitors, although the cliffs and structure can be dangerous. I plan to visit it in 2020!

In my next historical romance series, Sons of Sinclair, we will journey to Girnigoe Castle back in the late sixteenth century when clashes with the other northern Highland clans were part of the rich history of these brawny Highlanders.