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ALEXANDER II, 47TH (9TH) EARL 1705-1765

[Henderson]

He was present at the last Scots Parliament in 1707, when the Treaty of Union was discussed, but declined voting. [From History of Caithness].

His principal place of residence was Hemer Castle, a square tower or fortalice which, after his death, fell into disrepair, and now no vestige of it remains. In 1719 the Earl sought to have the transactions between the 45th Earl and Breadalbane set aside on the ground of alleged imbecility, but without success. During the 1745 rising he stood firmly by the Government.

In 1761 the Earl had executed an entail of his estate of Murkle and other lands, by which they passed on his decease to Sir John Sinclair of Stevenson, a descendant of the Sinclairs, Barons of Longformacus, cadets of Herdmanston. He was succeeded in the title by William Sinclair of Rattar, to whom he thus alludes in a letter to George Sinclair, Lord Woodhall: - " Rattar is next, though very remote. Though he lives within four miles of me he never comes to see me, from which it seems he is disobliged because I did not give him all I had, and depend for subsistence on his generosity. He cannot be very wise, for he could not have taken a more effectual way to disappoint his expectations".

By his Countess Margaret Primrose, daughter of the Earl of Rosebery, he had one only daughter,

  1. DOROTHEA, who married James, Earl of Fife, and died without issue, 1819.
He had also issue natural:

  1. GEORGE in Geise, died without issue
  2. PETER, father of
    1. JAMES, died without issue
    2. One daughter, died without issue
    3. Six daughters, married, and had issue.

NOTE - "Earl Alexander disinherited his daughter because he did not like his son-in-law (Lord Macduff, afterwards Earl of Fife), and the supposed heir having called [at Hemer Castle] and being kept waiting, his expressions of impatience were reported to Earl Alexander by the old Earl's servant, and the Earl cut him off. This alludes to an unfortunate man who could not obtain the title though it was afterwards proved he had the right. He gave his estates to his remotest relation of our surname because one of them was at school with him ! The beneficiary was 30 degrees off". (Notes printed privately by Alexander Sinclair, of the Ulbster family).

NOTE - Prince Charles Edward Stuart when fugitive in the North of Scotland, assumed the name of "Sinclair".

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