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{{Short description|Scottish clan chief (born 1948)}}
'''Malcolm Ian Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness''', ] (born 3 November 1948) is a ] ] politician and member of the ] as one of the remaining ]s. He is also ] of ]. The ] was educated at ] and ], ].
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = ]
|name = The Earl of Caithness
|honorific-suffix = ]
|image = Official portrait of The Earl of Caithness crop 2.jpg
|office = ]
|primeminister = ]
|term_start = 14 April 1992
|term_end = 11 January 1994
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|successor = ]
|office1 = ]
|primeminister1 = ]<br />]
|term_start1 = 14 July 1990
|term_end1 = 14 April 1992
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|office2 = ]
|primeminister2 = ]
|term_start2 = 25 July 1989
|term_end2 = 14 July 1990
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|office3 = ]
|primeminister3 = ]
|term_start3 = 25 July 1988
|term_end3 = 25 July 1989
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|office4 = ]
|primeminister4 = ]
|term_start4 = 10 January 1988
|term_end4 = 25 July 1988
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|office5 = ]
|primeminister5 = ]
|term_start5 = 10 September 1986
|term_end5 = 10 January 1988
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|office6 = ]
|primeminister6 = ]
|term_start6 = 2 September 1985
|term_end6 = 10 September 1986
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|term_start7 = 8 May 1984
|term_end7 = 2 September 1985
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| office8 = ]
| status8 = ]
| term_label8 = as a hereditary peer
| term_start8 = 2 December 1969
| term_end8 = 11 November 1999
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|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|11|3|df=yes}}
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'''Malcolm Ian Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|PC}} (born 3 November 1948), is a ] ] politician and member of the ] as one of the remaining ]s. He is also 20th Lord Berriedale, 15th Baronet, of Canisbay, Co. Caithness, and ] of ]. He is the Chief Executive of the ].
Lord Caithness served as a House of Lords government whip under ] from 1984 to 1985. He then moved to the ] as a ], serving until 1986 when he became a ] at the ]. In 1988 he was once again moved, this time to be Minister of State at the Department of Environment. In 1989, he became ].


==Early life and education==
In 1990, Lord Caithness was again shuffled to the ] as a Minister of State, and then in 1992 back to the ]. He married Diana Caroline Coke (1953–1994) in 1975. In January 1994, Lord Caithness resigned from the Government following the suicide of his wife, Diana Countess of Caithness, who shot herself in response to his extra-marital affair.<ref name="major-scandals">{{cite web
Sinclair was born in 1948, the only son of ] and his second wife Madeline Gabrielle Ormerod (née de Pury). Sinclair's mother was possibly descended from the de Pury family of ], Switzerland, who were members of the ].
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/202525.stm
|title=The Major Scandal Sheet
|date=27 October 1998
|work=BBC News
|accessdate=9 July 2010}}</ref>


He was educated at ], Aberdeenshire, at ] and at the Royal Agricultural College (now ]), ].
With the passage of the ], Lord Caithness, along with most other hereditary peers, lost his automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. He was however elected as one of the 90 representative peers to remain in the House of Lords under the provisions of the Act.


Sinclair succeeded to the earldom of Caithness and its subsidiary titles upon the death of his father in 1965.
He was made a ] in 1990. He is the Chief Executive of the ]. He is an opponent of ].<ref></ref>

==House of Lords and political offices==
Lord Caithness served as a House of Lords government-whip under ] from 1984 to 1985. He then moved to the ] as a ], serving until 1986, the year when he became ] at the ]. In 1988, he was once appointed Minister of State at the Department of Environment. In 1989, he became ] and a Minister of State in ].<ref>Mosley, Charles (ed.) ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, volume 1 (Wilmington, DE: Burke's Peerage, 2003) page 641.</ref>

In 1990, Caithness was appointed Minister of State at the ], and then, in 1992, back to the ]. He was made a ] in 1990.

With the passage of the ], Caithness, along with most other hereditary peers, lost his automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. He was, however, ] designed under the provisions of the act to remain in the House of Lords. According to the ], he has since blocked further reform of the Lords, tabling 'wrecking' amendments to a draft Bill to abolish by-elections for hereditary peers, proposed by ] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Garland|first1=Jessica|title=A handful of hereditary peers are trying to stifle reform – they are on the wrong side of history|url=https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/a-handful-of-hereditary-peers-are-trying-to-stifle-reform-they-are-on-the-wrong-side-of-history/|website=Electoral Reform Society}}</ref>

Caithness is an opponent of ].<ref>, Hansard archives</ref>

Caithness was a trustee of Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, from its inception in 1996 until 2016. In 1999, he helped found a heritage charity, the Clan Sinclair Trust, the aim of which is the preservation and conservation of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, near Wick in Caithness. He serves as chief executive and has been responsible for getting the castle listed by the World Monuments Fund in its Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World in 2002, the fundraising and overseeing the remedial works which has allowed the castle to be accessible and open to the public.

==Marriages and children==
Caithness was married firstly on 9 January 1975 to Diana Caroline Coke. They had two children:<ref>Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 641</ref>

* ] Iona Alexandra Sinclair (born 18 February 1978)
* Alexander James Richard Sinclair, Lord Berriedale (born 26 March 1981), ] to the earldom.

In January 1994, Caithness resigned from his post at the Ministry of Transport, following the suicide of his wife.<ref name=rob>Sinclair, Robert (2013) ''The Sinclairs of Scotland'', AuthorHouse, 12 June 2013, {{ISBN|978-1481795708}}</ref> In November 2004 he married secondly Leila Cassel Jenkins, whom he had met at ], in ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/earl-of-caithness-marries-american-businesswoman-1-562067|title=Earl of Caithness marries American businesswoman|newspaper=]|date=15 November 2004|access-date=22 August 2010|location=Edinburgh|first=Louise|last=Ward}}</ref> He filed for divorce a year later.<ref name=rob/> They had no children.

==Clan Sinclair==
There are Clan Sinclair associations in the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, and the USA.

Malcolm Sinclair has organized the first Clan Sinclair International Gathering in Caithness in 2000, and then again in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 (in Norway), and 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=International Gatherings – Clan Sinclair Australia|url=https://clansinclairaustralia.com/international-gatherings/|access-date=2021-07-07}}</ref>

In 2009, Sinclair, referring to the role of Clan Chiefs, said "I do not believe there is an obligation towards the clan in any formal sense. For many years I took no interest in the Clan because I was too busy earning a living and bringing up the family...If a chief can give the time, particularly to the Diaspora, then there are huge rewards for everyone and I would hope that most chiefs can do that".<ref>, Jamie Sempill, 15 July 2009 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310080743/http://www.panalba.com/articles/view/p/chief-to-chief-malcolm-sinclair-the-earl-of-caithness/ |date=10 March 2012 }}</ref>


==References== ==References==
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==External links==
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{{Current British earls}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Malcolm Ian}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Caithness, Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of}}
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Latest revision as of 19:19, 10 December 2024

Scottish clan chief (born 1948)

The Right HonourableThe Earl of CaithnessPC
Minister of State for Aviation and Shipping
In office
14 April 1992 – 11 January 1994
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byThe Lord Brabazon of Tara
Succeeded byJohn Watts
Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office
14 July 1990 – 14 April 1992
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded byThe Lord Brabazon of Tara
Succeeded byAlastair Goodlad
Paymaster General
In office
25 July 1989 – 14 July 1990
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byPeter Brooke
Succeeded byRichard Ryder
Minister of State for Housing
In office
25 July 1988 – 25 July 1989
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byWilliam Waldegrave
Succeeded byMichael Howard
Minister of State for Environment
In office
10 January 1988 – 25 July 1988
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byThe Lord Belstead
Succeeded byMichael Howard
Minister of State for Home Affairs
In office
10 September 1986 – 10 January 1988
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byGiles Shaw
Succeeded byThe Earl Ferrers
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
In office
2 September 1985 – 10 September 1986
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byDavid Mitchell
Succeeded byThe Lord Brabazon of Tara
Lord-in-waiting
Government Whip
In office
8 May 1984 – 2 September 1985
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byThe Lord Lyell
Succeeded byThe Viscount Davidson
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer
2 December 1969 – 11 November 1999
Preceded byThe 19th Earl of Caithness
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Incumbent
as an elected hereditary peer
11 November 1999
Election1999
Preceded bySeat established
Personal details
Born (1948-11-03) 3 November 1948 (age 76)
Political partyConservative
Alma materMarlborough College
Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester

Malcolm Ian Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness, PC (born 3 November 1948), is a Scottish Conservative politician and member of the House of Lords as one of the remaining hereditary peers. He is also 20th Lord Berriedale, 15th Baronet, of Canisbay, Co. Caithness, and chief of Clan Sinclair. He is the Chief Executive of the Clan Sinclair Trust.

Early life and education

Sinclair was born in 1948, the only son of Roderick Sinclair, 19th Earl of Caithness and his second wife Madeline Gabrielle Ormerod (née de Pury). Sinclair's mother was possibly descended from the de Pury family of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, who were members of the Prussian nobility.

He was educated at Blairmore School, Aberdeenshire, at Marlborough College and at the Royal Agricultural College (now Royal Agricultural University), Cirencester.

Sinclair succeeded to the earldom of Caithness and its subsidiary titles upon the death of his father in 1965.

House of Lords and political offices

Lord Caithness served as a House of Lords government-whip under Margaret Thatcher from 1984 to 1985. He then moved to the Department of Transport as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, serving until 1986, the year when he became Minister of State at the Home Office. In 1988, he was once appointed Minister of State at the Department of Environment. In 1989, he became Paymaster General and a Minister of State in the Treasury.

In 1990, Caithness was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign Office, and then, in 1992, back to the Department of Transport. He was made a privy counsellor in 1990.

With the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, Caithness, along with most other hereditary peers, lost his automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. He was, however, elected as one of the 90 representative peers designed under the provisions of the act to remain in the House of Lords. According to the Electoral Reform Society, he has since blocked further reform of the Lords, tabling 'wrecking' amendments to a draft Bill to abolish by-elections for hereditary peers, proposed by Lord Grocott in 2018.

Caithness is an opponent of fractional-reserve banking.

Caithness was a trustee of Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, from its inception in 1996 until 2016. In 1999, he helped found a heritage charity, the Clan Sinclair Trust, the aim of which is the preservation and conservation of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, near Wick in Caithness. He serves as chief executive and has been responsible for getting the castle listed by the World Monuments Fund in its Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World in 2002, the fundraising and overseeing the remedial works which has allowed the castle to be accessible and open to the public.

Marriages and children

Caithness was married firstly on 9 January 1975 to Diana Caroline Coke. They had two children:

  • Lady Iona Alexandra Sinclair (born 18 February 1978)
  • Alexander James Richard Sinclair, Lord Berriedale (born 26 March 1981), heir apparent to the earldom.

In January 1994, Caithness resigned from his post at the Ministry of Transport, following the suicide of his wife. In November 2004 he married secondly Leila Cassel Jenkins, whom he had met at Ascot, in Rosslyn Chapel. He filed for divorce a year later. They had no children.

Clan Sinclair

There are Clan Sinclair associations in the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, and the USA.

Malcolm Sinclair has organized the first Clan Sinclair International Gathering in Caithness in 2000, and then again in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 (in Norway), and 2015.

In 2009, Sinclair, referring to the role of Clan Chiefs, said "I do not believe there is an obligation towards the clan in any formal sense. For many years I took no interest in the Clan because I was too busy earning a living and bringing up the family...If a chief can give the time, particularly to the Diaspora, then there are huge rewards for everyone and I would hope that most chiefs can do that".

References

  1. Mosley, Charles (ed.) Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, volume 1 (Wilmington, DE: Burke's Peerage, 2003) page 641.
  2. Garland, Jessica. "A handful of hereditary peers are trying to stifle reform – they are on the wrong side of history". Electoral Reform Society.
  3. House of Lords record, February 2009, Hansard archives
  4. Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 641
  5. ^ Sinclair, Robert (2013) The Sinclairs of Scotland, AuthorHouse, 12 June 2013, ISBN 978-1481795708
  6. Ward, Louise (15 November 2004). "Earl of Caithness marries American businesswoman". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  7. "International Gatherings – Clan Sinclair Australia". Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. Chief to Chief – Malcolm Sinclair, The Earl of Caithness, Jamie Sempill, 15 July 2009 Archived 10 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine

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