Life

He was the son of Sir William Douglas, 6th Baron Drumlanrig (b. bef. 1484, k. 9 Sep 1513, Battle of Flodden) and Elizabeth Gordon of Lochinvar.

In 1526, he was one of the barons who attempted to rescue King James V from the hands of the 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...

, by whom he was kept in a state of thraldom. for which efforts, and his loyalty to Queen Mary, he was he was knighted by the regent Arran, Duke of Chatelherault

James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran

James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault and 2nd Earl of Arran was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the eldest legitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran....

. In 1554 the Queen made him Warden of the East Marches

Scottish Marches

Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated...

, with full powers of justiciary, an office he stayed in for many years until retiring at an old age.

In 1537, he gave the town of Hawick its charter. In 1551, Mary, Queen of Scots, gave him a pardon for coming with the Earl of Lennox

John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox

John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox was a prominent Scottish magnate. He was the son of Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox, and Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton and Mary Stewart, Princess of Scotland, daughter of King James II of Scotland.The Earl of Lennox had led...

 to besiege 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...

 at Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the...

 in September 1526. The young King was then held by the Earl of Angus. In August 1526, James V had included Drumlanrig in a pardon for those who assisted in the murder of Thomas McClellan of Bomby in Edinburgh

He subscribed the Book of Discipline on 27 January 1561, and was one of the confederated barons who marched against Queen Mary, in 1567, when she surrendered at Carberry Hill. He was with the forces under the 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...

 at Leith

Leith

-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....

, in 1571, and engaged in some of the skirmishes with the queen's supporters, who held 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...

. He was taken prisoner whilst on his way home and held captive in the castle.

He was one of those who visited John Knox

John Knox

John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...

on his deathbed (1572), and died in 1578.

He had 18 children by 3 wives/mistresses and was succeeded by his grandson, James, himself the son of Sir William Douglas of Hawick.