Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 52.djvu/322

 and M.A. in 1837. At Oxford he became president of the union when it numbered among its members Archibald Tait, Roundell Palmer,, and Robert Low. Thomas Jackson, in his preface to the Oxford squib, ‘Uniomachia, a Greek-Latin Macaronic Poem’ (5th edition 1877), states that while engaged on it he had a visit from Sinclair, his college friend, who, he says, ‘entered heartily into the scheme, and composed many of the best lines and notes.’ In 1837 Sinclair took holy orders, and accepted the parish of St. George's, Leeds, where, as a liberal evangelical, he laboured for twenty years with such ardour as seriously to undermine his constitution. From considerations of health he was then induced to accept the rectory of Pulborough, Sussex, where he rebuilt the church and rectory, and started schools and chapels in different parts of the parish. In 1874 he was appointed to a prebendal stall in Chichester Cathedral. He died on 8 July 1878. By his wife Helen, daughter of William Ellice, and niece of the Right Hon. [q. v.] of Invergarry, Inverness-shire, he was father of (among other sons) Dr. W. M. Sinclair, archdeacon of London. Sinclair was author of: # ‘The Dying Soldier: a Tale founded on Facts,’ 1838.
 * 1) ‘Manual of Family and Occasional Prayers,’ 1854.
 * 2) ‘The Sepoy Mutinies: their Origin and Cure,’ 1857. He also edited the ‘Charges’ of his brother the archdeacon, 1876.



SINDERCOMBE or SINDERCOME, MILES (d. 1657), conspirator, was a quarter-master in the parliamentary army in the regiment of horse commanded by Colonel [q. v.] He shared the political views of the levellers, took part in the mutiny of his regiment in May 1649, and was made prisoner, but contrived to escape (Cromwelliana, p. 162). Under the Protectorate, Sindercombe enlisted as a private soldier in Colonel Thomlinson's regiment of horse, in order to propagate the principles of his party among the English army of occupation in Scotland. In January 1655, on the discovery of what was termed Overton's plot for seizing General Monck and inducing the army in Scotland to declare against Cromwell [see ], Monck discharged Sindercombe as being ‘a busy and suspicious person, and one who was forward to promote such ill designs.’ After he had let him go he discovered that he was one of the chief agents in the plot (Monck to Cromwell, 25 Jan. 1655, Clarke MSS.) In 1656 Colonel [q. v.] engaged Sindercombe to assassinate Cromwell, and sent him money and other requisites from Flanders for the purpose. Sindercombe hired a house at Hammersmith, intending to shoot Cromwell on his way to Hampton Court, and lurked about Hyde Park and Whitehall to find other opportunities for assassination. Not finding a favourable occasion, he attempted to set fire to the chapel at Whitehall, hoping to get a better chance in the confusion that would ensue. The attempt was made on the night of 8 Jan. 1657, but was almost immediately discovered, and the next day Sindercombe and his assistant Cecil were arrested. He fought hard, and was not taken till he had been severely wounded (Cromwelliana, p. 160;, Parliamentary Diary, i. 332; Clarendon State Papers, iii. 325, 327, 331). The confession of Cecil and the evidence of Toope (a soldier of Cromwell's lifeguards), with whom Sindercombe had tampered, furnished ample proof of the plot, and on 9 Feb. Sindercombe was tried before the upper bench and sentenced to death for high treason (State Trials, v. 841). He contrived to obtain some poison from his sister, and committed suicide in the Tower on the night of 13 Feb. 1657 (, v. 774, vi. 53, 531; Cromwelliana, p. 162). Sexby, in ‘Killing no Murder,’ which was published a few weeks later, asserted that Sindercombe had been put out of the way by Colonel Barkstead, the governor of the Tower, and celebrated him as a Roman spirit. ‘Had he lived there, his name had been registered with Brutus and Cato, and he had had his statutes as well as they’ (Harleian Miscellany, ed. Park, iv. 304.



SINGER, ELIZABETH (1674–1737), poetess. [See ]

SINGER, GEORGE JOHN (1786–1817), electrician, son of Thomas Singer, and younger brother of [q. v.], was born in 1786. In early life he was engaged in his mother's business of artificial-flower making. Every spare moment, however, he devoted to scientific study, more particularly to the investigation of electricity and electro-magnetism, then little known. He made almost the whole of his apparatus himself, and introduced several improvements, inventing, among other things, the gold-leaf electro-meter. He built, almost unassisted, a large room at the back of his mother's house in Prince's Street, Cavendish Square, where he gave courses of lectures on electricity and