 The Sinclair, or St Clare, family were of French origin, and have held Roslin since 1280.The castle was built on a rocky promontory near the site of the Battle of Roslin, where the Scots defeated the English in 1303.Henry's son Henry, 2nd Earl of Orkney (c. 1375-1422) built a new rectangular, round-cornered keep at the south-west corner.