SINCLAIR, ANDERS [SSNE 3497]
Text source
Andrew Sinclair was born in Scotland on 21 November 1614. As an adult he entered Swedish military service where he became a musketeer in 1635 with Robert Stewart's regiment. By 1637 he was a corporal and a sergeant by 1640. Sinclair served as a private in 1643 with Narke and Varmland regiment. He thereafter became a lieutenant in Skaraborgs regiment in 1647 and was a captain there in 1655. In 1656 he was in the Polish war and a major in 1660. On 12 December 1657 he wrote to Forbes regarding some complaints his men had made about their supply chest being broken open. He also included a scandal sheet in his letter which implied that there was great division between the King of Denmark and his people and that the king wanted to move to Norway. The promotion to lieutenant colonel came in 1674 and he retained 'overbefalet' in Marstrand. One source notes that he was commandant at Marstrand in 1675. He was commandant at Kalmar in 1676, and at the fortifications of Carlsten in Marstrand, and also a colonel there, when it was under siege by Gyldenløve. He was in command of 400 men, amongst them 2 lieutenant colonels, 2 majors, 6 captains and others. He held out from 18 to 22 July 1677. Later he became commandant at Halmstad around 1678. Sinclair was ennobled in 1680 and introduced into the Riddarhus under nr.965. He died either in May or 21 December 1689.
He was married to Anna Botvidsdotter [some sources say Amundsson, both could be correct] in her first marriage and they had three sons. One of these was Frederik Sinclair [SSNE 3522]. There is a bust (a copy of a 1660 original) of Andrew in Lambohov, Östergötland.
Sources: Swedish Riksarkiv, P. Sondén, Militärachefer i svenska arméen och deras skrivelser; Swedish Riksarkiv, Biographica Microcard, E0189 5/8; Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1644/5; 1645/7; 1646/5; 1647/6; 1648/5; 1651/3; 1652/3,5; 1653/2; 1654/3; 1655/2; 1657/3; 1658/4; 1659/5,13; 1660/6,17; 1661/4; 1662/4; 1663/5,7; 1664/4; 1665/5; 1666/4; 1667/5; 1668/4; 1669/5,14A,6; 1670/5,6; 1671/1; 1672/5,11; 1674/5; 1675/9; C.O. Nordensvan, (ed.), Värmlands Regementes [Närkes och Värmlands Regementes] Historia: Andra Delen, Personal Historia (Stockholm, 1911), 46; Göteborg Landsarkiv (GLA) Förteckning över Landshövdingens i Göteborg och Bohus Län - Skrivelser till Kungl. Maj:t 1657-1840 - 09/05/1689; Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 7, p.274; Swedish Riksarkiv, Pergamentsbreven och Johan Casimirs Arkiv in Stegeborgssamlingen, No Date; P. Wieselgren, ed. De La Gardiska Archivet, part 10 (Lund, 1838), p.76; D. Schnitler, Blade af Norges Krigshistorie (Christiania, 1895), p.139; S. Strömbom, ed. Index över svenska porträtt 1500-1850 i svenska porträttarkivets samlingen, 2 vols (Stockholm, 1935, 1939), vol.2, p.755.
Service record
- SWEDEN, ROBERT STUART
- Departed 1643-12-31, as SOLDIER
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, NARKE OCH VARMLAND
- Departed 1646-12-31, as SOLDIER
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, SKARABORG
- Departed 1689-12-31, as COLONEL
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, MARSTRAND
- Departed 1676-02-16, as COMMANDANT
- Capacity COMMANDANT, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, KALMAR REGIMENT
- Departed 1676-12-31, as COMMANDANT
- Capacity COMMANDANT, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, HALMSTAD
- Departed 1689-05-30, as COMMANDANT
- Capacity COMMANDANT, purpose MILITARY