Clan Douglas
Encyclopedia
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred
from the Scottish Lowlands
taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire
, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus
, Lothian
and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan
.
The Douglases were once the most powerful family in Scotland
. The powerful Douglas chiefs held the titles of the Earl of Douglas
(Black Douglas), Earl of Angus
(Red Douglas) and at one point the Earl of Morton
.
Many Douglases married into Scottish and other European royal and noble houses, thereby ensuring Douglas power within Scotland, as a result of their accumulated wealth.
The family's original seat was Douglas Castle
in Lanarkshire
, but they spread to many properties throughout Scotland.
There are many Douglases buried throughout the world, such as the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
in Paris, Vreta Abbey
in Östergötland, and at Melrose Abbey
. Perhaps most notable of all is at St Bride's Kirk in Douglas. Dedicated to St Bride
, the patron saint of the Douglas, it holds the mausolea of many distinguished Douglases, including that of the Good Sir James Douglas
.
placename "Dubh glas/Ddu glas" meaning "black-blue/green", in reference to the colour of the river that ran through the territory. In fact, the family's surname is derived from the Gaelic elements dubh, meaning "dark, black"; and glas, meaning "stream" (in turn from Old Gaelic dub and glais). One old tradition is that the first chief of Douglas was Sholto Douglas
who helped the king of Scotland
win a battle in the year 767. This is unsubstantiated.
The true progenitor of Clan Douglas was almost certainly "Theobaldus Flammatius" (Theobald the Flemming), who received in 1147 the lands near Douglas Water
in Lanarkshire in return for services for the Abbot of Kelso
.
Although the Douglases were first recorded in the 1170s, the Douglas family names consisted of Arkenbald and Freskin, and were undoubtedly related to the Clan Murray
, and to be of Flemish origin. The Clan Murray were descended from a Flemish knight called Freskin
. Though the Flemish origin of the Douglases is not undisputed, it is often claimed that the Douglases were descended from a Flemish knight who was granted lands on the Douglas Water by the Abbot of Kelso, who held the barony and lordship of Holydean
. However this is disputed, it has been claimed that the lands which were granted to this knight were not the lands which the Douglas family came from.
In 1179 William Douglas
was Lord of Douglas and it seems likely that he was Theobald the Flemming's son and the first to take the surname Douglas.
During the Wars of Scottish Independence
, Sir William Douglas the Hardy, Lord of Douglas was governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed
when the town and Berwick Castle
were besieged by the forces of Edward I of England
. Douglas was captured and was released only after he had agreed to accept the claim of the English king to be overlord of Scotland. He subsequently joined William Wallace
in fighting for Scottish independence, but was captured and taken to England, where he died in 1298, a prisoner in the Tower of London
.
and Dalrigh in 1306. But for both men these setbacks provided a valuable lesson in tactics: limitations in both resources and equipment meant that the Scots would always be at a disadvantage in conventional medieval warfare. By the time the fighting flared up again in the spring of 1307 they had learnt the value of guerrilla warfare – known at the time as "secret war" – using fast-moving, lightly equipped and agile forces to maximum effect against an enemy often dependent on static defensive positions. Sir James Douglas recaptured Roxburgh Castle
from the English in 1313. Sir James Douglas was made a knight banneret
, a high honor, on the field and commanded a wing of the army at the Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314.
The English called Sir James "The Black Douglas" for what they considered his dark deeds: he became the bogeyman of a Northern English lullaby Hush ye, hush ye, little pet ye. Hush ye, hush ye, do not fret ye. The Black Douglas shall not get ye. Unsubstantiated theories point to his colouring and complexion, this is tenuous. Douglas appears only in English records as "The Black" – Scots chronicles almost always referred to him as "The Guid" or "The Good". Later Douglas lords took the moniker of their revered forebear in the same way that they attached the image of Bruce's heart to their coat of arms
: to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies and to exhibit the prowess of their race.
King Robert the Bruce
had requested that Douglas, latterly his most esteemed companion in arms, should carry his heart to the Holy Land
, as atonement for the murder of John III Comyn. Douglas and his knights had been invited to join the forces of Alfonso XI of Castile
, Edward III of England
's cousin by his mother Queen Isabella
, to fight against the Moors
in 1330 at the siege of Teba
. Douglas was killed as he led a cavalry charge against the enemy while outnumbered and cut off from the main Christian force; Alfonso kept his army back from the attack; likely in some arrangement with his cousin Edward who could never beat the Douglas in combat. The casket containing the heart of the Bruce was recovered and returned to Scotland, to be interred at Melrose Abbey
. Douglas' bones were boiled and returned to Scotland; his embalmed heart was recently recovered in the Douglas vaults at the Kirk of St Bride but his bones are not in the stone vault lying under his effigy and they have yet to be located.
The Scottish army that fought and lost the Battle of Halidon Hill
in 1333 was led by James' youngest brother who had been elected Regent of Scotland in late March of 1333. Sir Archibald Douglas has been badly treated by some historians; frequently misidentifying this Douglas warrior as the Tyneman or loser when the moniker was intended for a later less fortunate but equally warlike Archibald. He was mentioned in Barbour's The Brus for his great victory during the Weardale campaign; leading the Scottish army further south into County Durham he devastated the lands and took much booty from Darlington and other nearby towns and villages.
Sir James 'The Good' Douglas' natural son William
succeeded to the title as Lord of Douglas but may not have completed his title to the estates, possibly because he might have been underage. He died at Battle of Halidon Hill
with his uncle, Sir Archibald Douglas
. James' younger brother, Hugh the Dull, Lord of Douglas
, a Canon serving the See of Glasgow and held a Prebendary at Roxburgh
became Lord Douglas in 1342; Hugh of Douglas resigned his title to his nephew, the youngest surviving son of the Regent Archibald, William Lord of Douglas
who was to become the first Earl. The First Earl's legitimate son James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
succeeded him. His illegitimate son by Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus
was George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus
, who was the progenitor of the Earls of Angus
also known as the "Red Douglases".
The prestige of the family was greatly increased when James Douglas's great nephew, James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
married a House of Stuart
princess. In 1388 at the Battle of Otterburn
he was instrumental to the Scots' victory, but was killed during the fighting. Leaving no legitimate heir, his titles passed to the illegitimate son of his great uncle.
against Henry IV of England
in 1400 but died the following year.
His son, Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, married the daughter of Robert III of Scotland
. The fourth Earl fought against King Henry IV of England
at the Battle of Shrewsbury
in 1403, where he was taken prisoner.
In 1406, with the death of the king, the 4th Earl of Douglas became one of the council of regents to rule Scotland during the childhood of James I of Scotland
. In 1412 the 4th Earl had visited Paris, when he entered into a personal alliance with John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and in 1423 he commanded a contingent of 10,000 Scots sent to the aid of Charles VII of France
against the English. He was made lieutenant-general in Joan of Arc's French army, and received the title Duke of Touraine
, with remainder to his heirs-male, on 19 April 1424. The newly created French duke was defeated and slain at Battle of Verneuil
on 17 August 1424, along with his second son, James, and son-in-law John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan
.
and his brother were invited to dine with the ten year-old King James II of Scotland
. The dinner was organised by Sir William Crichton of Clan Crichton
. Known as the Black Dinner, a black bull's head, the symbol of death, was brought in. After the dinner the Douglas chiefs were dragged out to Castle Hill, given a mock trial and beheaded. The Clan Douglas then laid siege to Edinburgh Castle
. Crichton perceiving the danger surrendered the castle to the King was raised to the title of Lord Crichton. It is still unclear exactly who else was ultimately responsible, though it is thought Crichton, Livingstone and Buchan as likely candidates.
In 1448 Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormond led a Scottish force to victory against an English army at the Battle of Sark
in 1448.
The king gave the Earl of Atholl
's confiscated lands of Strathbogie to Clan Gordon
. The castle there became known as Huntly, a reminder of the Gordons' Berwickshire lands. Sir Alexander Gordon was created Earl of Huntly in 1449. At this time the king was at enmity with the Black Douglases. The Gordons stood on the king's side, and with their men involved in the south of the country, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray
took the opportunity to sack the Gordon lands, setting Huntly Castle ablaze. However the Gordons returned and quickly destroyed their enemies. Although the castle was burned to the ground, a grander castle was built in its place.
The Douglases had a long feud with Clan Colville
. Sir Richard Colville had killed the Laird of Auchinleck who was an ally of the Douglases. To avenge this murder the Douglases attacked the Colvilles in their castle, where many were killed. The Douglases levelled the Colville's castle and put their men to the sword. William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
personally executed Richard Colville.
to rule freely. After fruitless feuding with the Douglases the King invited William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas to Stirling Castle
in 1452 under the promise of safe conduct, but then the King accused the Earl of conspiracy in his dealings with the Yorkists in England and through a pact made between Douglas, the Earl of Crawford and the Lord of the Isles. Upon Douglas' refusal to repudiate the pact and reaffirm his loyalty to James II, the King drew his dagger and stabbed Douglas in the throat. The story goes that the King's Captain of the Guard then finished off the Earl with a pole axe. The body was thrown from the window into a garden below, where it was later given burial. A stained glass window bearing the Douglas Arms now overlooks "Douglas Garden", the spot where the Earl is said to have fallen.
rebelled against the king but his forces were defeated at the Battle of Arkinholm
by the king's forces who were commanded by the Red Douglas, Earl of Angus. This brought an end to the Black Douglases. After the battle an act of parliament gave the Earl of Angus
the lordship of Douglas with the original possessions of his ancestors in Douglasdale. The 9th earl was later defeated by the forces of King James III of Scotland
at the Battle of Lochmaben Fair
in 1484.
In 1513, there was a strong Douglas contingent at the Battle of Flodden Field
, where two of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
's sons were killed along with 200 men of the name of Douglas.
A dispute occurred in 1530, when Sir Robert Charteris, the 8th Laird and chief of Clan Charteris
fought a duel with Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig
in what was said to have been one of the last great chivalric contests. It was fought with all the observance of a medieval tournament with heralds and the king himself watching from the castle walls. The joust was apparently fought with such fury that Charteris' sword was broken and the king had to send his men-at-arms to part the combatants.
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
held the post of Lord Chancellor and became guardian of James V of Scotland
by marrying his widowed mother, Margaret Tudor
, with whom he had a daughter, Margaret Douglas
, mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
. In 1545, Angus led his forces to victory at the Battle of Ancrum Moor
where they defeated the English army during the Rough Wooing, and he was also present at the defeat in 1547 at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
.
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
, nephew of the 6th Earl of Angus, was a bitter enemy of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was one of the murderers of the queen's secretary David Rizzio
and was heavily implicated in the murder of her second husband Lord Darnley. As regent, he was brutal in crushing factions still loyal to Mary, however, he was accused of complicity in the murder of Darnley and was executed in 1581.
During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
, William Douglas, 11th Earl of Angus
, a Catholic, was a supporter of Charles I of Scotland. In 1633, he was created Marquess of Douglas. Following the Battle of Kilsyth
in 1645, he joined James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
, and was present when Royalist
forces fought Covenanter
cavalry at the Battle of Philiphaugh
where he barely escaped with his life. Following Cromwell
's victory, he was able to make peace and was fined £1,000.
In 1660, William Douglas
, the brother of the second Marquess of Douglas became, through marriage, the Duke of Hamilton
. Eventually, the titles of Marquess of Douglas, Earl of Angus, and several others devolved to the Dukes of Hamilton and the heir of that house is always styled 'Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale'. The Douglas and Hamilton lines became Douglas-Hamilton and, under Scots law
, are barred from inheriting the title of chief of Clan Douglas due to the hyphenated surname. This similarly applies to the Douglas-Home family who joined their surnames in the eighteenth century.
In 1689, James Douglas, Earl of Angus
raised the Cameronian regiment (Earl of Angus's regiment) Although greatly outnumbered, the regiment managed to defeat a larger Jacobite force at the Battle of Dunkeld
. The regiment was victorious under the command of Captain George Munro, 1st of Auchinbowie.
married Margaret Douglas
(a distant relation) late in life and had no direct heir – the title of Duke became extinct on his death. By the late 17th century, more political power was wielded by the Douglases of Drumlanrig, in Dumfriesshire who are also descended from the Black Douglases. The Douglases of Drumlanrig had become Earl of Queensberry in 1633, Marquis
es in 1682 and Duke
s in 1684. The manoeuvres of James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
, contributed to the Union of 1707. Later, in the 18th century, during the Jacobite Uprisings, the Douglases continued their support for the British government. Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas
led the volunteer horse during the Battle of Sheriffmuir
in 1715. Also at that fight was the Duke's young cousin, Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar
, colonel of the 3rd Regiment of foot, and who died of wounds taken there shortly afterwards. Douglas Castle was burnt by the Highland armies of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 uprising. Douglas Castle was again burnt down in 1755, and the Duke commenced work on a new edifice designed by Robert Adam
. Building work ceased on the Duke's death in 1761, and with it his Dukedom became extinct. The Marquisate of Douglas, and Earldom of Angus devolved to James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton
, the senior male line descendant of the 2nd Marquis of Douglas
, his great-great-great grandfather.
, and 13th Duke of Brandon is heir to the chiefdom of the house of Douglas, but he cannot assume the title of chief since the Lord Lyon King of Arms
requires him to assume the single name Douglas. Note that the Duke of Hamilton is the Chief of Clan Hamilton
. For a list of the historic chiefs of Clan Douglas see: Earl of Douglas
, until 1455 and Earl of Angus
for after 1455.
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, James Douglas is a fictional Scot born into Clan Douglas and died his First Death in 1746 at the Battle of Culloden
.
The Douglas tartan was worn by the former British Army Regiment, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
and is still worn by the Royal Gurkha Rifles
. In its grey form, it is worn by the officers of all Scottish squadrons of the RAuxAF
as part of their mess uniform.
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
from the Scottish Lowlands
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire
Douglas, South Lanarkshire
Douglas is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the south bank of the Douglas Water and on the A70 road that links Ayr, on the West coast of Scotland, to Edinburgh on the East, around 12 miles south west of Lanark. The placename is of Gaelic origin, derived from the Old Gaelic...
, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan
Armigerous clan
An armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court...
.
The Douglases were once the most powerful family in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The powerful Douglas chiefs held the titles of the Earl of Douglas
Earl of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the extinct title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland...
(Black Douglas), Earl of Angus
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton.-Mormaers:...
(Red Douglas) and at one point the Earl of Morton
Earl of Morton
The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton....
.
Many Douglases married into Scottish and other European royal and noble houses, thereby ensuring Douglas power within Scotland, as a result of their accumulated wealth.
The family's original seat was Douglas Castle
Douglas Castle
Douglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large mansion house was built in its place. This too was demolished in 1938, and today...
in Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, but they spread to many properties throughout Scotland.
There are many Douglases buried throughout the world, such as the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just beyond the outskirts of early medieval Paris, was the burial place of Merovingian kings of Neustria...
in Paris, Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey, Swedish Vreta Kloster, in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the municipality of Linköping in Östergötland.- History :The exact...
in Östergötland, and at Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
. Perhaps most notable of all is at St Bride's Kirk in Douglas. Dedicated to St Bride
Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigit of Kildare, or Brigit of Ireland , nicknamed Mary of the Gael is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba...
, the patron saint of the Douglas, it holds the mausolea of many distinguished Douglases, including that of the Good Sir James Douglas
James Douglas, Lord of Douglas
Sir James Douglas , , was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.-Early life:...
.
Origins of the clan
According to tradition, the Douglases took their name from the Gaelic or Cumbric languageCumbric language
Cumbric was a variety of the Celtic British language spoken during the Early Middle Ages in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North", or what is now northern England and southern Lowland Scotland, the area anciently known as Cumbria. It was closely related to Old Welsh and the other Brythonic languages...
placename "Dubh glas/Ddu glas" meaning "black-blue/green", in reference to the colour of the river that ran through the territory. In fact, the family's surname is derived from the Gaelic elements dubh, meaning "dark, black"; and glas, meaning "stream" (in turn from Old Gaelic dub and glais). One old tradition is that the first chief of Douglas was Sholto Douglas
Sholto Douglas
Sholto Douglas was the mythical Progenitor of Clan Douglas, a powerful and warlike family in Medieval Scotland.A Mythical battle took place: "in 767, between King Solvathius rightful king of Scotland and a pretender Donald Bane...
who helped the king of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
win a battle in the year 767. This is unsubstantiated.
The true progenitor of Clan Douglas was almost certainly "Theobaldus Flammatius" (Theobald the Flemming), who received in 1147 the lands near Douglas Water
Douglas Water
The Douglas Water is a river in south-central Scotland, and is a tributary of the River Clyde. Its course is entirely within the South Lanarkshire council area. The river's name comes from the Gaelic dubh-glas, meaning black water....
in Lanarkshire in return for services for the Abbot of Kelso
Abbot of Kelso
The Abbot of Kelso was the head of the Tironensian monastic community at Kelso Abbey in the Scottish Borders. Originally, he was the Abbot of Selkirk, because from its foundation in 1113 by David, Prince of the Cumbrians until it was moved to Kelso by David and John, bishop of Glasgow in 1127...
.
Although the Douglases were first recorded in the 1170s, the Douglas family names consisted of Arkenbald and Freskin, and were undoubtedly related to the Clan Murray
Clan Murray
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered throughout Scotland.- Origins of the Clan :...
, and to be of Flemish origin. The Clan Murray were descended from a Flemish knight called Freskin
Freskin
Freskin was a minor nobleman active in the reign of King David I of Scotland. His name appears only in a charter by King William to Freskin's son, William, granting Strathbrock in West Lothian and Duffus, Kintrae, and other lands in Moray, "which his father held in the time of King David"...
. Though the Flemish origin of the Douglases is not undisputed, it is often claimed that the Douglases were descended from a Flemish knight who was granted lands on the Douglas Water by the Abbot of Kelso, who held the barony and lordship of Holydean
Holydean
Holydean is a Scottish feudal Crown Barony and Lordship which lies in Roxburghshire in the neighbourhood of Kelso, in the Borderlands of Scotland, along the River Tweed...
. However this is disputed, it has been claimed that the lands which were granted to this knight were not the lands which the Douglas family came from.
In 1179 William Douglas
William I, Lord of Douglas
William of Douglas was a medieval nobleman of Flemish origin living in Clydesdale, an area under the control of the King of the Scots.-Enigmatic origins:...
was Lord of Douglas and it seems likely that he was Theobald the Flemming's son and the first to take the surname Douglas.
Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
, Sir William Douglas the Hardy, Lord of Douglas was governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
when the town and Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England.The castle was founded in the 12th century by the Scottish King David I. In 1296-8, the English King Edward I had the castle rebuilt and the town fortified, before it was returned to Scotland...
were besieged by the forces of Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. Douglas was captured and was released only after he had agreed to accept the claim of the English king to be overlord of Scotland. He subsequently joined William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
in fighting for Scottish independence, but was captured and taken to England, where he died in 1298, a prisoner in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
.
The "Good" Sir James Douglas or "Black Douglas"
William Le Hardi's son, James Douglas, "The Good Sir James", (ca 1286–1330) was the first to acquire the epithet "the Black". He shared in the early misfortunes of Robert the Bruce and in the defeats at MethvenBattle of Methven
The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence.-Comyn's Death:In February 1306, Robert Bruce and a small party of his followers killed John Comyn, also known as the Red Comyn, before the high altar of the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries...
and Dalrigh in 1306. But for both men these setbacks provided a valuable lesson in tactics: limitations in both resources and equipment meant that the Scots would always be at a disadvantage in conventional medieval warfare. By the time the fighting flared up again in the spring of 1307 they had learnt the value of guerrilla warfare – known at the time as "secret war" – using fast-moving, lightly equipped and agile forces to maximum effect against an enemy often dependent on static defensive positions. Sir James Douglas recaptured Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
from the English in 1313. Sir James Douglas was made a knight banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
, a high honor, on the field and commanded a wing of the army at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314.
The English called Sir James "The Black Douglas" for what they considered his dark deeds: he became the bogeyman of a Northern English lullaby Hush ye, hush ye, little pet ye. Hush ye, hush ye, do not fret ye. The Black Douglas shall not get ye. Unsubstantiated theories point to his colouring and complexion, this is tenuous. Douglas appears only in English records as "The Black" – Scots chronicles almost always referred to him as "The Guid" or "The Good". Later Douglas lords took the moniker of their revered forebear in the same way that they attached the image of Bruce's heart to their coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
: to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies and to exhibit the prowess of their race.
Crusader
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
had requested that Douglas, latterly his most esteemed companion in arms, should carry his heart to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, as atonement for the murder of John III Comyn. Douglas and his knights had been invited to join the forces of Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI was the king of Castile, León and Galicia.He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313...
, Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
's cousin by his mother Queen Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
, to fight against the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
in 1330 at the siege of Teba
Battle of Teba
The Battle of Teba took place in August 1330, in the valley below the fortress of Teba, now a town in the province of Málaga in Andalusia, southern Spain...
. Douglas was killed as he led a cavalry charge against the enemy while outnumbered and cut off from the main Christian force; Alfonso kept his army back from the attack; likely in some arrangement with his cousin Edward who could never beat the Douglas in combat. The casket containing the heart of the Bruce was recovered and returned to Scotland, to be interred at Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
. Douglas' bones were boiled and returned to Scotland; his embalmed heart was recently recovered in the Douglas vaults at the Kirk of St Bride but his bones are not in the stone vault lying under his effigy and they have yet to be located.
Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of the Realm
Battle of Halidon Hill
The Battle of Halidon Hill was fought during the Second War of Scottish Independence. Scottish forces under Sir Archibald Douglas were heavily defeated on unfavourable terrain while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed.-The Disinherited:...
in 1333 was led by James' youngest brother who had been elected Regent of Scotland in late March of 1333. Sir Archibald Douglas has been badly treated by some historians; frequently misidentifying this Douglas warrior as the Tyneman or loser when the moniker was intended for a later less fortunate but equally warlike Archibald. He was mentioned in Barbour's The Brus for his great victory during the Weardale campaign; leading the Scottish army further south into County Durham he devastated the lands and took much booty from Darlington and other nearby towns and villages.
Sir James 'The Good' Douglas' natural son William
William IV, Lord of Douglas
William, Lord of Douglas was a short-lived Scottish nobleman, the son of Sir James Douglas and an unknown mother. Little is known of Lord Douglas's life, which he spent under the guardianship of Sir Archibald Douglas....
succeeded to the title as Lord of Douglas but may not have completed his title to the estates, possibly because he might have been underage. He died at Battle of Halidon Hill
Battle of Halidon Hill
The Battle of Halidon Hill was fought during the Second War of Scottish Independence. Scottish forces under Sir Archibald Douglas were heavily defeated on unfavourable terrain while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed.-The Disinherited:...
with his uncle, Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas was a Scottish noble, Guardian of Scotland and military leader. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" , but this may be a reference to his great-nephew Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas.-Early life:The younger son of Sir William "le Hardi" Douglas, the Governor of...
. James' younger brother, Hugh the Dull, Lord of Douglas
Hugh the Dull, Lord of Douglas
Hugh the Dull was Lord of Douglas, a Scottish nobleman and cleric.The second son of William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas, William Wallace's companion in arms, and Eleanor Ferrers...
, a Canon serving the See of Glasgow and held a Prebendary at Roxburgh
Roxburgh
Roxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...
became Lord Douglas in 1342; Hugh of Douglas resigned his title to his nephew, the youngest surviving son of the Regent Archibald, William Lord of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish magnate.-Early Life:William Douglas was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of "Sir James the Good", Robert the Bruce's trusted deputy...
who was to become the first Earl. The First Earl's legitimate son James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...
succeeded him. His illegitimate son by Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus
Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus
Margaret Stewart, Countess of Angus and Mar was Countess of Angus and Lady Abernethy in her own right. Her father was Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus....
was George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus was born at Tantallon Castle, East Lothian, Scotland. The bastard son of William, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, Dowager Countess of Mar & Countess of Angus and Lady Abernethy in her own right....
, who was the progenitor of the Earls of Angus
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton.-Mormaers:...
also known as the "Red Douglases".
The prestige of the family was greatly increased when James Douglas's great nephew, James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...
married a House of Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
princess. In 1388 at the Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
he was instrumental to the Scots' victory, but was killed during the fighting. Leaving no legitimate heir, his titles passed to the illegitimate son of his great uncle.
15th century
Wars with England
Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas did much to consolidate the family's power and influence. He successfully defended Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
against Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
in 1400 but died the following year.
His son, Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, married the daughter of Robert III of Scotland
Robert III of Scotland
Robert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...
. The fourth Earl fought against King Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
at the Battle of Shrewsbury
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland....
in 1403, where he was taken prisoner.
In 1406, with the death of the king, the 4th Earl of Douglas became one of the council of regents to rule Scotland during the childhood of James I of Scotland
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
. In 1412 the 4th Earl had visited Paris, when he entered into a personal alliance with John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and in 1423 he commanded a contingent of 10,000 Scots sent to the aid of Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
against the English. He was made lieutenant-general in Joan of Arc's French army, and received the title Duke of Touraine
Duke of Touraine
Duke of Touraine was a title in the Peerage of France, relating to Touraine.It was first created in 1360 for Philip, youngest son of King John II of France. He returned the duchy to the Crown in 1363 on being made Duke of Burgundy and died in 1404....
, with remainder to his heirs-male, on 19 April 1424. The newly created French duke was defeated and slain at Battle of Verneuil
Battle of Verneuil
The Battle of Verneuil was a battle of the Hundred Years' War, fought on 17 August 1424 near Verneuil in Normandy and was a significant English victory.-The black time:...
on 17 August 1424, along with his second son, James, and son-in-law John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan
John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan
John Stewart, Earl of Buchan was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who fought alongside Scotland's French allies during the Hundred Years War. In 1419 he was sent to France by his father the Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, with an army of 6,000 men...
.
Murder of the Douglas chiefs at Edinburgh Castle
The Douglases became so powerful that by the early fifteenth century they were seen as a threat to the stability of the nation. In 1440 the young William Douglas, 6th Earl of DouglasWilliam Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas was a short-lived Scottish Nobleman. He was Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Lord of Bothwell, Selkirk and Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Lauderdale, and Annandale in Scotland, and de jure Duke of Touraine, Count of Longueville, and Sire of Dun-le-roi in France...
and his brother were invited to dine with the ten year-old King James II of Scotland
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
. The dinner was organised by Sir William Crichton of Clan Crichton
Clan Crichton
Clan Crichton is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Clan history:The lands of Kreitton formed one of the earliest baronies around Edinburgh and are mentioned in charters of the early 12th century.-Early Crichtons:...
. Known as the Black Dinner, a black bull's head, the symbol of death, was brought in. After the dinner the Douglas chiefs were dragged out to Castle Hill, given a mock trial and beheaded. The Clan Douglas then laid siege to Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
. Crichton perceiving the danger surrendered the castle to the King was raised to the title of Lord Crichton. It is still unclear exactly who else was ultimately responsible, though it is thought Crichton, Livingstone and Buchan as likely candidates.
Clan Conflicts
Battle of Sark
The Battle of Sark was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448. A large battle, it was the first significant Scottish victory over the English in over half a century, following the Battle of Otterburn of 1388...
in 1448.
The king gave the Earl of Atholl
Earl of Atholl
The Mormaer of Earl of Atholl refers to a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl , now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is reported from the Pictish period. The only other two Pictish kingdoms to be known from...
's confiscated lands of Strathbogie to Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
. The castle there became known as Huntly, a reminder of the Gordons' Berwickshire lands. Sir Alexander Gordon was created Earl of Huntly in 1449. At this time the king was at enmity with the Black Douglases. The Gordons stood on the king's side, and with their men involved in the south of the country, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray was a Scottish nobleman during the reign of King James II of Scotland. He was one of the five brothers from the Black Douglas family who clashed with the king....
took the opportunity to sack the Gordon lands, setting Huntly Castle ablaze. However the Gordons returned and quickly destroyed their enemies. Although the castle was burned to the ground, a grander castle was built in its place.
The Douglases had a long feud with Clan Colville
Clan Colville
Clan Colville is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins of the Clan:The name Colville is believed to be of ancient Norman origin. It is believed to be derived from the town of Colleville -Sur-Mur in Normandy, France...
. Sir Richard Colville had killed the Laird of Auchinleck who was an ally of the Douglases. To avenge this murder the Douglases attacked the Colvilles in their castle, where many were killed. The Douglases levelled the Colville's castle and put their men to the sword. William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale was a Scottish nobleman. He was the eldest son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas and Beatrice Sinclair....
personally executed Richard Colville.
Murder of the Douglas chiefs at Stirling Castle
The strength of the Douglases made it impossible for James II of ScotlandJames II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
to rule freely. After fruitless feuding with the Douglases the King invited William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas to Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
in 1452 under the promise of safe conduct, but then the King accused the Earl of conspiracy in his dealings with the Yorkists in England and through a pact made between Douglas, the Earl of Crawford and the Lord of the Isles. Upon Douglas' refusal to repudiate the pact and reaffirm his loyalty to James II, the King drew his dagger and stabbed Douglas in the throat. The story goes that the King's Captain of the Guard then finished off the Earl with a pole axe. The body was thrown from the window into a garden below, where it was later given burial. A stained glass window bearing the Douglas Arms now overlooks "Douglas Garden", the spot where the Earl is said to have fallen.
Feud with the Royal Stewarts
In 1455 James Douglas, 9th Earl of DouglasJames Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. He was a twin, the older by a few minutes, the younger was Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray....
rebelled against the king but his forces were defeated at the Battle of Arkinholm
Battle of Arkinholm
The Battle of Arkinholm was fought on May 1, 1455, at Arkinholm near Langholm in Scotland, during the reign of King James II of Scotland.Although a small action, involving only a few hundred troops, it was the decisive battle in a civil war between the king and the Black Douglases, the most...
by the king's forces who were commanded by the Red Douglas, Earl of Angus. This brought an end to the Black Douglases. After the battle an act of parliament gave the Earl of Angus
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton.-Mormaers:...
the lordship of Douglas with the original possessions of his ancestors in Douglasdale. The 9th earl was later defeated by the forces of King James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
at the Battle of Lochmaben Fair
Battle of Lochmaben Fair
The Battle of Lochmaben Fair was an engagement in Lochmaben, Scotland, on 22 July 1484 between Scottish loyalists to James III of Scotland and the rebels Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, leading cavalry from England...
in 1484.
16th century Conflicts
Battle of Flodden Field
The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field or occasionally Battle of Branxton was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey...
, where two of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus , was a late medieval Scottish magnate. He became known as "Bell the Cat"...
's sons were killed along with 200 men of the name of Douglas.
A dispute occurred in 1530, when Sir Robert Charteris, the 8th Laird and chief of Clan Charteris
Clan Charteris
-Origins of the Name:Chartres, the French city famed for its cathedral, is claimed as the origin of this name. William, a son of the Lord of Chartres, is said to have come to England with the Norman Conquest, and his son or grandson came north to Scotland with the retinue of David I...
fought a duel with Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig
James Douglas, 7th Baron Drumlanrig
-Life:He was the son of Sir William Douglas, 6th Baron Drumlanrig and Elizabeth Gordon of Lochinvar....
in what was said to have been one of the last great chivalric contests. It was fought with all the observance of a medieval tournament with heralds and the king himself watching from the castle walls. The joust was apparently fought with such fury that Charteris' sword was broken and the king had to send his men-at-arms to part the combatants.
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
held the post of Lord Chancellor and became guardian of James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
by marrying his widowed mother, Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
, with whom he had a daughter, Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, Queen Dowager of Scotland...
, mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
. In 1545, Angus led his forces to victory at the Battle of Ancrum Moor
Battle of Ancrum Moor
The Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought during the War of the Rough Wooing in 1545. The Scottish victory put a temporary end to English depredations in the Scottish border and lowlands.-Background :...
where they defeated the English army during the Rough Wooing, and he was also present at the defeat in 1547 at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
.
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of...
, nephew of the 6th Earl of Angus, was a bitter enemy of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was one of the murderers of the queen's secretary David Rizzio
David Rizzio
Davide Rizzio, sometimes written as Davide Riccio or Davide Rizzo , was an Italian courtier, born close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts de San Paolo et Solbrito, who rose to become the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots...
and was heavily implicated in the murder of her second husband Lord Darnley. As regent, he was brutal in crushing factions still loyal to Mary, however, he was accused of complicity in the murder of Darnley and was executed in 1581.
17th century & the Bishops' War
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
, William Douglas, 11th Earl of Angus
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman.-Master of Angus:William Douglas, Master of Angus was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and his Countess, Elizabeth Oliphant, eldest daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant...
, a Catholic, was a supporter of Charles I of Scotland. In 1633, he was created Marquess of Douglas. Following the Battle of Kilsyth
Battle of Kilsyth
The Battle of Kilsyth was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms which took place on 15 August 1645 at Kilsyth. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the battle was another victory for Royalist forces over the Covenanters, and marked the end of William Baillie's pursuit of the...
in 1645, he joined James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
, and was present when Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
forces fought Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
cavalry at the Battle of Philiphaugh
Battle of Philiphaugh
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquess of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.-Prelude:When...
where he barely escaped with his life. Following Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's victory, he was able to make peace and was fined £1,000.
In 1660, William Douglas
William Douglas, Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas-Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC , born Lord William Douglas, was the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and his second wife Lady Mary Gordon, a daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly...
, the brother of the second Marquess of Douglas became, through marriage, the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
. Eventually, the titles of Marquess of Douglas, Earl of Angus, and several others devolved to the Dukes of Hamilton and the heir of that house is always styled 'Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale'. The Douglas and Hamilton lines became Douglas-Hamilton and, under Scots law
Scots law
Scots law is the legal system of Scotland. It is considered a hybrid or mixed legal system as it traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. With English law and Northern Irish law it forms the legal system of the United Kingdom; it shares with the two other systems some...
, are barred from inheriting the title of chief of Clan Douglas due to the hyphenated surname. This similarly applies to the Douglas-Home family who joined their surnames in the eighteenth century.
In 1689, James Douglas, Earl of Angus
James Douglas, Earl of Angus
James Douglas, Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman and soldier.He was born at Douglas Castle, Douglas, South Lanarkshire...
raised the Cameronian regiment (Earl of Angus's regiment) Although greatly outnumbered, the regiment managed to defeat a larger Jacobite force at the Battle of Dunkeld
Battle of Dunkeld
The Battle of Dunkeld was fought between Jacobite clans supporting the deposed king James VII of Scotland and a government regiment of covenanters supporting William of Orange, King of Scotland, in the streets around Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunkeld, Scotland, on 21 August 1689 and formed part of the...
. The regiment was victorious under the command of Captain George Munro, 1st of Auchinbowie.
18th century & the Jacobite risings
In 1703 the Marquisate of Douglas was elevated to a Dukedom. Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of DouglasArchibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas
Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas was a Scottish nobleman.He was the second son of James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas, by his second marriage...
married Margaret Douglas
Douglas of Mains
The Douglases of Mains are a branch of the Clan Douglas, related to the Lords of Douglas through Archibald I, Lord of Douglas. The first Laird obtained land through marriage into the Galbraith family, which had been granted land in New Kilpatrick by Maldowen, Earl of Lennox...
(a distant relation) late in life and had no direct heir – the title of Duke became extinct on his death. By the late 17th century, more political power was wielded by the Douglases of Drumlanrig, in Dumfriesshire who are also descended from the Black Douglases. The Douglases of Drumlanrig had become Earl of Queensberry in 1633, Marquis
Marquess of Queensberry
Marquess of Queensberry is a title in the peerage of Scotland. The title has been held since its creation in 1682 by a member of the Douglas family...
es in 1682 and Duke
Duke of Queensberry
The title Duke of Queensberry was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1684 along with the subsidiary title Marquess of Dumfriesshire for the 1st Marquess of Queensberry...
s in 1684. The manoeuvres of James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry
James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry and 1st Duke of Dover was a Scottish nobleman.He was the eldest son of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry and his wife Isabel Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas.Educated at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed a...
, contributed to the Union of 1707. Later, in the 18th century, during the Jacobite Uprisings, the Douglases continued their support for the British government. Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas
Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas
Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas was a Scottish nobleman.He was the second son of James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas, by his second marriage...
led the volunteer horse during the Battle of Sheriffmuir
Battle of Sheriffmuir
The Battle of Sheriffmuir was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rebellion in England and Scotland.-History:John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, standard-bearer for the Jacobite cause in Scotland, mustered Highland chiefs, and on 6 September declared James Francis Edward Stuart as King...
in 1715. Also at that fight was the Duke's young cousin, Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar
Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar
Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar, 3rd Earl of Ormond was a Scottish peer.He was the only son of Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar, and Robina Lockhart, the daughter of Sir William Lockhart of Lee and Robina Sewster.He inherited the titles Earl of Forfar and Earl of Ormond at the age of...
, colonel of the 3rd Regiment of foot, and who died of wounds taken there shortly afterwards. Douglas Castle was burnt by the Highland armies of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 uprising. Douglas Castle was again burnt down in 1755, and the Duke commenced work on a new edifice designed by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
. Building work ceased on the Duke's death in 1761, and with it his Dukedom became extinct. The Marquisate of Douglas, and Earldom of Angus devolved to James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton
James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton
James George Douglas-Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton and 4th Duke of Brandon was a short-lived Scottish peer.Hamilton was born at Holyrood Palace, the son of the 6th Duke of Hamilton and his wife, Elizabeth...
, the senior male line descendant of the 2nd Marquis of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas was the son of Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and 1st Earl of Ormonde, and Lady Anne Stuart....
, his great-great-great grandfather.
Chieftancy
Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of HamiltonAlexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton
Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton and 13th Duke of Brandon , styled Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale from birth till 2010, is a Scottish nobleman and the Premier Peer of Scotland.-Life and education:...
, and 13th Duke of Brandon is heir to the chiefdom of the house of Douglas, but he cannot assume the title of chief since the Lord Lyon King of Arms
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
requires him to assume the single name Douglas. Note that the Duke of Hamilton is the Chief of Clan Hamilton
Clan Hamilton
The House of Hamilton, occasionally and erroneously referred to as Clan Hamilton, is a Scottish family who historically held broad territories throughout central and southern Scotland, particularly Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and the Lothians...
. For a list of the historic chiefs of Clan Douglas see: Earl of Douglas
Earl of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the extinct title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland...
, until 1455 and Earl of Angus
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton.-Mormaers:...
for after 1455.
Douglas castles
- Aberdour CastleAberdour CastleAberdour Castle is located in the village of Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was built at around the same time.The earliest part of the...
, Fife, held by the Earls of Morton (partially preserved). - Balvenie CastleBalvenie CastleBalvenie Castle is a ruined castle near Dufftown in the Moray region of Scotland.Originally known as Mortlach, it was built in the 12th century by a branch of the powerful Comyn family and extended and altered in the 15th and 16th centuries.The castle fell out of use in the early 14th century when...
, Moray, held by James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas (ruined). - Berwick CastleBerwick CastleBerwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England.The castle was founded in the 12th century by the Scottish King David I. In 1296-8, the English King Edward I had the castle rebuilt and the town fortified, before it was returned to Scotland...
, Northumberland. Governed by William "le Hardi".(ruined, now forms part of Berwick-upon-Tweed train station) - Bothwell CastleBothwell CastleBothwell Castle is a large medieval castle sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Uddingston and Bothwell, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle was begun in the 13th century by the ancestors of Clan...
, South Lanarkshire (ruins). - Bowhill HouseBowhill HouseBowhill House is a historic house near Bowhill at Selkirk in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is a member of the Historic Houses Association, and is one of the homes of the Duke of Buccleuch...
, Selkirkshire. Home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry (preserved). - Dalkeith CastleDalkeith PalaceDalkeith Palace in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, is the former seat of the Duke of Buccleuch.Dalkeith Castle was located to the north east of Dalkeith, and was originally in the hands of the Clan Graham in the 12th century and given to the Douglas family in the early 14th century. James Douglas...
, Mid-Lothian. (heavily converted) - Douglas CastleDouglas CastleDouglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large mansion house was built in its place. This too was demolished in 1938, and today...
in South Lanarkshire (now only minimal ruins remain). - Drumlanrig CastleDrumlanrig CastleDrumlanrig Castle sits on the Queensberry Estate in Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway.The Castle is the Dumfriesshire family home to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry...
, Dumfries and Galloway. 17th century mansion house of the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry (preserved). - Grangemuir House, Fife
- Hermitage CastleHermitage CastleHermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The Castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric in Scotland....
, Roxburghshire, 13th century Douglas stronghold (restored ruin). - Hume CastleHume CastleHume Castle is the heavily modified remnants of a late 12th or early 13th century "Castle of enceinte".The village of Hume is located between Greenlaw and Kelso, two miles north of the village of Stichill, in Berwickshire, Scotland....
, Berwickshire. ancient links with Douglas, home of Sir Alexander Douglas. - Kilspindie CastleKilspindie CastleKilspindie Castle is located to the north of the village of Aberlady, in East Lothian, Scotland. The remains of the castle are sited behind the Victorian St Mary's Kirk. An early castle was destroyed in the 16th century, and the rebuilt tower was pulled down by the 1700s...
, East Lothian. Home to the Douglases of Kilspindie, (scant ruins) - Lennoxlove HouseLennoxlove HouseLennoxlove House is a historic house set in woodlands half a mile south of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a 15th-century tower, originally known as Lethington, and has been extended several times, principally in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries...
, East Lothian. Home of the Duke of HamiltonDuke of HamiltonDuke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
, (also the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale, Earl of AngusEarl of AngusThe Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton.-Mormaers:...
etc.) (preserved). - Loch Leven CastleLoch Leven CastleLoch Leven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the location military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence...
, Kinross. First home of the Earl of Morton (ruins). - Lochindorb Castle, Strathspey
- Morton CastleMorton CastleMorton Castle is located by an artificial loch in the hills above Nithsdale, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies 2.5 miles north-east of Thornhill, and once formed part of a chain of castles along the strategically important Nith Valley, which runs from the Solway Firth north to...
, Nithsdale, Dumfries and Galloway. ruined former home of the Douglas Earls of Morton. - Newark Castle, SelkirkshireNewark Castle, SelkirkshireNewark Castle is a large, ruined tower house standing in the grounds of Bowhill House, in the valley of the Yarrow Water three miles west of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. In addition to the keep, sections of a gatehouse and wall survive....
- Ormond CastleOrmond CastleOrmond Castle, also known as Avoch Castle, was a powerful stronghold, overlooking the village of Avoch, on the Black Isle, in the former county of Ross and Cromarty, now part of Highland, Scotland....
, Black IsleBlack IsleThe Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the".... - Roxburgh CastleRoxburgh CastleRoxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
, captured by Sir James Douglas. - Sandilands Castle, Fife (ruins).
- Strathaven CastleStrathaven CastleGavler's Castle is located in the centre of the small town of Strathaven, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The ruin is publicly accessible, and can be found at grid reference...
, South Lanarkshire - Strathendry Castle, Fife
- Tantallon CastleTantallon CastleTantallon Castle is a mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth...
, East Lothian. Stronghold of the Red Douglases (partially ruined). - Threave CastleThreave CastleThreave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, 2.5 km west of Castle Douglas, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland...
, Dumfries and Galloway (ruins). - Timpendean TowerTimpendean Towerright|240pxTimpendean Tower or Typenden Castle as it was once known, is a ruined 15th-century tower house near Lanton, around north-west of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders....
, Roxburghshire (ruins).
Eminent members of the Douglas family
Douglases have excelled in many fields, from politics to sports, science to the military, and more. Biographies held on Wikipedia can be found in the list: 'Douglas (surname)'.Popular culture
In the Highlander novel Scotland the BraveHighlander: Scotland the Brave
Highlander: Scotland the Brave is the third official Highlander novel based on Highlander: The Series. It was written by Jennifer Roberson.-Plot introduction:...
, James Douglas is a fictional Scot born into Clan Douglas and died his First Death in 1746 at the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
.
The Douglas tartan was worn by the former British Army Regiment, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The Cameronians was an infantry regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry...
and is still worn by the Royal Gurkha Rifles
Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Royal Gurkha Rifles are now the sole infantry regiment of the British Army Gurkhas...
. In its grey form, it is worn by the officers of all Scottish squadrons of the RAuxAF
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Auxiliary Air Force , originally the Auxiliary Air Force , is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service...
as part of their mess uniform.
Sources
- Fraser, Sir WilliamWilliam Fraser (historian)Sir William Fraser, KCB, was a solicitor and notable expert in ancient Scottish history, palaeography, and genealogy....
. (1885). The Douglas Book http://www.archive.org/details/douglasbook01fras - Coventry, Martin The Castles of Scotland (3rd Edition), Goblinshead, 2001
- Anderson, William The Scottish Nation Or the Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours and Biographical History of The People of Scotland 1863
- Barrow, G W SG. W. S. BarrowGeoffrey Wallis Steuart Barrow DLitt FBA FRSE is a British historian and academic. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, and arguably the most prominent Scottish medievalist of the last century....
. The Kingdom of the Scots: Government, Church and Society from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. New York: St. Martin's PressSt. Martin's PressSt. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
, 1973. - Black, George Fraser. The Surnames of Scotland.
- Brown, MichaelMichael Brown (historian)Michael Brown MA, PhD , is a Scottish medievalist lecturing at the University of St Andrews. In 1991 he was the recipient of the Royal Historical Society's David Berry Prize. His full volume on the reign of King James I of Scotland led to the award of the Agnes Mure prize for Scottish history...
. "The Black Douglases" - Stewart, Donald C. & Thompson, J Charles. Scotland's Forged Tartans, An analytical study of the Vestiarium Scoticum. EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
: Paul Harris Publishing, 1980. ISBN 0-894595-67-7
External links
- Clan Douglas Society of North America
- Douglas Family Site, Brief Historical Account
- Douglas History The Douglas Archives – a compendium of historical notes and biographies.