Sinclairs of Perthshire
by Peter Sinclair

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My Sinclair ancestors were born in Perthshire, Scotland. John Sinclair started his family there in 1723 and his descendents have helped to populate the towns of Comrie, Crieff and Muthill ever since.

John was not born in Perthshire and unfortunately there were over a hundred John Sinclairs born around 1700 throughout Scotland. During my search, I noticed that very few Sinclairs were born in Perthshire around that time, so I decided to look more closely at the Sinclair and St Clair baptism records for the county during the decades between 1650 and 1730. The animated results are shown here.

The south of the county is closer to the employment opportunities of the Glasgow – Edinburgh corridor and this is where the majority of the Sinclairs settled. Clusters appeared by the River Tay and River Forth to the east of the county. Perhaps these people arrived by sea or came from fishing communities.

Many baptisms are shown at Killin and Kenmore, at each end of Loch Tay. Killin lies on the road to the west coast and the Western Isles. A number of the baptism records stated that the families here had changed their name from McNocaird to Sinclair.

The north of the county remained fairly uninhabited by Sinclairs. This region is more mountainous and is less populated even today. The Strathearn towns of Comrie and Crieff where my ancestors settled became known for spinning and weaving. The products were sold in Glasgow. Crieff was famous for its cattle market in the early 18th Century and each year the October Tryst attracted drovers with their herds from all over Scotland. Rob Roy frequently drove his cattle to be sold there.

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