Every genealogist knows the thrill of tracing a quiet thread back through the century marks, only to watch it expand into the grand narrative of world history.
In an earlier post, we explored how our family tree connects to the Sinclair (St. Clair) line—most famously through Henry I Sinclair, the 14th-century Earl of Orkney, Lord of Roslin, and North Atlantic mariner. But if you keep following that northern compass back through medieval Scotland and across the sea, you arrive at the very source of the Orkney Jarldom: Rognvald Eysteinsson (Jarl of Møre), our 33rd great-grandfather.
It is an unbroken chain of 33 generations connecting a 9th-century Norwegian fjord ruler to my maternal grandmother, Lydia Corinna Brown (1891–1971).
The Dual Legacy of Rognvald the Wise
Born in 9th-century Norway, Rognvald Eysteinsson was a key advisor to King Harald Fairhair during the unification of Norway. From his seat in Møre, Rognvald launched two distinct branches that reshaped western Europe:
- The Southern Branch (Normandy): His son Rollo (Hrolf the Walker) sailed south, signed the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in 911 AD, and became the 1st Duke of Normandy—ancestor to William the Conqueror.
- The Northern Branch (Orkney/Sinclair): His son Einarr "Torf-Einarr" Rognvaldarson established the feared line of Norse Jarls in the Orkney Islands.
Four centuries later, these two Scandinavian streams merged when the Norman-descended St. Clair family—kinsmen of Rollo who took their name from Saint-Clair-sur-Epte—intermarried with the native Norse-Gaelic rulers of the north, assuming the hereditary Earldom of Orkney and building Rosslyn Castle.
33 Generations: From Jarls of Møre to the American West
Rognvald Eysteinsson "The Wise" (c. 840–890)
Jarl of Møre, Norway — 33rd Great-Grandfather
│
├──► Rollo (Hrolf the Walker), 1st Duke of Normandy (Southern Branch / Cousin Line)
│
└──► Einarr "Torf-Einarr" Rognvaldarson (c. 858–910)
Jarl of Orkney — 32nd Great-Granduncle
│
▼
Thorfinn "Skull-Splitter" Torf-Einarsson (d. c. 963)
Jarl of Orkney — 31st Great-Grandfather
│
▼
Hlodvir Thorfinnsson (c. 945–988)
Jarl of Orkney
│
▼
Sigurd "the Stout" Hlodvirsson (c. 960–1014)
Jarl of Orkney (Fell at the Battle of Clontarf)
│
▼
Thorfinn "the Mighty" Sigurdsson (1009–1065)
Jarl of Orkney & Earl of Caithness
│
▼
Paul Thorfinnsson (d. 1098)
Jarl of Orkney
│
▼
Hakon Paulsson (d. 1123)
Jarl of Orkney
│
▼
Margaret Hakonsdottir of Orkney
(m. Maddad, Earl of Atholl — Merging Norse Orkney with Celtic Scottish Nobility)
│
▼
Harald Maddadsson "the Old" (1134–1206)
Earl of Caithness & Jarl of Orkney
│
▼
ROBERT DE ST. CLAIR (c. 1190–1248)
Lord of Saint-Clair & Early Rosslyn Lineage — 22nd Great- Grandfather
│
▼
Sir William St. Clair (1230–1297) — 6th Lord of Rosslyn
│
▼
Sir Henry St. Clair (1255–1331) — 7th Baron of Rosslyn
│
▼
Sir William "the Crusader" St. Clair (1283–1330) — Fell in Spain with Bruce's Heart
│
▼
Sir William St. Clair (1327–1358) — 8th Lord of Roslin
│
▼
HENRY I SINCLAIR (1345–1400)
1st Sinclair Earl of Orkney, Lord of Roslin ("The Mariner")
│
▼
Henry Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Orkney (1375–1420)
│
▼
William Sinclair (1404–1484) — 1st Earl of Caithness, Builder of Rosslyn Chapel
│
▼
William II Sinclair (1459–1513) — 2nd Earl of Caithness (Fell at Flodden Field)
│
▼
Lady Agnes Sinclair (1495–1572)
│
▼
Lady Jean Hepburn (1543–1599)
│
▼
John Sinclair, 1st of Greenland & Rattar (1566–1627)
│
▼
Janet Sinclair (1595–1686)
│
▼
Marjory Robertson of Inshes (1619–1665)
│
▼
Jean Mackenzie of Redcastle (1658–1679)
│
▼
Margaret Urquhart (1675–1720)
│
▼
Elizabeth Wright (1703–1782)
│
▼
Jacob Weeks (1736–1791) — DNA Match
│
▼
Simon Weeks (1768–1840) — Revolutionary War Veteran
│
▼
Maria (Mariah) Weeks (1810–1890)
│
▼
John Galloway Brown (1833–1915)
│
▼
Abraham Lincoln Brown (1864–1948)
│
▼
Lydia Corinna Brown (1891–1971) — Maternal Grandmother
Part I: The Iron Line of Torf-Einarr
While Rollo was establishing Normandy along the Seine, his brother Torf-Einarr earned his moniker by teaching the islanders of Orkney how to cut peat for fuel. He established an unbroken line of sea-kings who governed the northern seas:
- Thorfinn "Skull-Splitter" (d. c. 963): Earned his formidable epithet consolidating Norse power across the Western Isles and Orkney.
- Sigurd "the Stout" (c. 960–1014): Renowned for flying the raven banner in battle, Sigurd ruled Orkney, Shetland, and the Hebrides before falling at the Battle of Clontarf in Ireland.
- Thorfinn "the Mighty" (1009–1065): The largest ruler among the Orkney Jarls, Thorfinn governed nine Scottish earldoms, the Hebrides, and parts of Ireland, eventually making a pilgrimage to Rome.
Through strategic alliances with native Celtic nobility—including the ancient Earls of Atholl and Strathearn—these Viking Jarls gradually merged into the feudal fabric of medieval Scotland.
Part II: The Norman-Scottish Bridge & The Barons of Rosslyn
By the early 13th century, Robert de St. Clair (c. 1190–1248) bound the Anglo-Norman St. Clair bloodline to the ancient northern lords. Over the next two centuries, his descendants carved out a central place in Scottish history:
- Sir William "the Crusader" St. Clair (1283–1330): Rode alongside Sir James Douglas carrying the preserved heart of King Robert the Bruce on crusade, falling in battle against the Moors at Teba in Spain.
- Henry I Sinclair (1345–1400): The 1st Sinclair Earl of Orkney—the "Mariner"—who patrolled the North Atlantic and formally united the ancestral Norse Jarldom under the Sinclair crest.
- William Sinclair (1404–1484): 3rd Earl of Orkney and 1st Earl of Caithness, who commissioned and built Rosslyn Chapel in 1446.
Part III: Crossing to the American Trail
Following the death of William II Sinclair at Flodden Field in 1513, the high nobility of Caithness filtered through generations of highland history. Through Lady Agnes Sinclair, the Hepburns, and the Sinclairs of Greenland and Rattar, the line moved down into the merchant and landed families of Inverness-shire—the Robertsons, Mackenzies, and Urquharts.
By the early 18th century, Elizabeth Wright and her son, Revolutionary War veteran Simon Weeks (1768–1840), carried this lineage to the shores of the New World. The line passed through Maria Weeks, John Galloway Brown, and Abraham Lincoln Brown, arriving directly at my maternal grandmother, Lydia Corinna Brown (1891–1971).
From 9th-century Norwegian fjords to the stormy cliffs of Orkney, through the stone carvings of Rosslyn Chapel, and down to the dusty trails of the American West—it is a remarkable 1,100-year legacy written into our family bloodline.
Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy
More Viking, Sinclair & Voyageur Tales on this blog:
• Henry I Sinclair Earl of Orkney, Lord of Roslin: 14th-century Mariner
https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/henry-i-sinclair-earl-of-orkney-lord-of.html
• From Rollo’s Viking Invasion of Normandy to the Voyageurs of New France
https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-rollos-viking-invasion-of-normandy.html
• From Charlemagne's Legacy to New France: Tracing the Royal Descent to Anne Couvent, Mother of Voyageurs
https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-charlemagnes-legacy-to-new-france.html



