Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway
Encyclopedia
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Douglas known as the Fair Maid of Galloway (died c. 1474) was a Scottish noblewoman, a member of the Black Douglas family towards the end of the family's position as a major force in Scotland.
She was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas
.
She acquired Galloway
when her two brothers (one of who was William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas
) were murdered at the Black Dinner in Edinburgh Castle.
She married her cousin William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
. When he was assassinated she obtained permission to marry his brother, James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
, but it is not entirely clear that the marriage ever happened, if it did it must have ended in divorce since they both married again. She then married John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
.
She had no children by the Earls of Douglas, but two daughters by the Earl of Atholl.
, which is rather speculative about her relationship with the 8th and 9th Earls of Douglas.
She also appears in Maid Margaret, a 1905 novel by Samuel Rutherford Crockett
.
She was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas
Archibald Douglas was a Scottish nobleman and General, son of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, eldest daughter of Robert III...
.
She acquired Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
when her two brothers (one of who was William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas
William 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...
) were murdered at the Black Dinner in Edinburgh Castle.
She married her cousin 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....
. When he was assassinated she obtained permission to marry his brother, James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
James 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....
, but it is not entirely clear that the marriage ever happened, if it did it must have ended in divorce since they both married again. She then married John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl , also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England .-Life:...
.
She had no children by the Earls of Douglas, but two daughters by the Earl of Atholl.
Margaret Douglas in fiction
She is a significant character in Black Douglas by Nigel TranterNigel Tranter
Nigel Tranter OBE was a Scottish historian and author.-Early life:Nigel Tranter was born in Glasgow and educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh. He trained as an accountant and worked in Scottish National Insurance Company, founded by his uncle. In 1933 he married May Jean Campbell Grieve...
, which is rather speculative about her relationship with the 8th and 9th Earls of Douglas.
She also appears in Maid Margaret, a 1905 novel by Samuel Rutherford Crockett
Samuel Rutherford Crockett
Samuel Rutherford Crockett was a Scottish novelist, born at Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, the illegitimate grandson of a farmer....
.