author
John Sinclair
1797–1875
A Victorian churchman with wide interests, this John Sinclair wrote sermons, religious arguments, and a notable life of his famous father. He also balanced clerical work with a serious interest in natural history.
1 Audiobook
An Essay on Papal Infallibility
by John Sinclair
About the author
Born in Edinburgh in 1797, John Sinclair was the third son of Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet. He was educated at Edinburgh, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in Germany, and went on to become a prominent Anglican clergyman. In London he served as Vicar of Kensington and, from 1844 until his death in 1875, as Archdeacon of Middlesex.
Alongside his church career, he was a busy religious author. His writings included many sermons and charges as well as books such as Dissertations Vindicating the Church of England, Vindication of the Apostolical Succession, and Letters and Reports on National Education. He also wrote The Life and Times of Sir John Sinclair, a substantial work about his father.
Sinclair was remembered not only as a church leader and writer but also as an amateur biologist, showing the broad curiosity often found in 19th-century learned figures. For readers today, his work offers a window into Victorian religious debate, education, and public life.