William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas
William Douglas | |
---|---|
Marquess of Douglas | |
Predecessor | new creation |
Successor | Lord Abernethy Lord Bonkyll & Preston Lord Jedburgh Forest |
Born | 1589 |
Died | 19 February 1660 Douglas Castle |
Buried | St Bride's kirk, Douglas, South Lanarkshire |
Noble family | Douglas |
Spouse(s) |
|
Issue | List
|
Father | William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus |
Mother | Lady Elizabeth Oliphant |
William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus (1589–1660) was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
Master of Angus
William Douglas was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and his wife, Elizabeth Oliphant, eldest daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant. His younger brothers were James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington and Sir Francis Douglas of Sandilands.
Shortly before Douglas was born, his grandfather inherited the Earldom of Angus and Lordship of Douglas from a distant cousin; in 1591, his father in turn succeeded to the titles as 10th Earl, and the boy adopted the style of "Master of Angus" or "Lord Douglas".
The 10th Earl was a notable convert from state-sanctioned
All this had an effect on Douglas' childhood; he was separated from his father during the Earl's periods of house arrest, and in 1596 the Douglas inheritance was briefly conferred on him in his father's place. The next year, when his father was restored to favour, the Master of Angus sent away to live with his Protestant cousin and godfather, the Earl of Morton, though he soon returned home after breaking his leg in an accident.[3] In 1601, at the very young age of twelve, the Master of Angus was married to Margaret Hamilton, daughter of Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley – a match that was designed as a Catholic alliance, and also gained the protection of the bride's powerful kinsman, Lord Fyvie.[4]
Earl of Angus
Douglas succeeded his father as
Not of a healthy constitution and unhappy with the religious climate at home, Angus was given leave by
Angus did not stay on the continent for the full 11 years, but returned to Britain following the death of King James in 1625. The new king,
Marquess of Douglas
Until 1638 Douglas spent the most part of his time at Douglas Castle, not much intervening in national affairs, apart from being appointed a King's commissioner to deal with an outbreak of violence along the Marches.[8]
In 1644, Douglas signed the National Covenant at Douglas Kirk, but by 1645 he had switched sides to join James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, following the Battle of Kilsyth. Montrose made him his lieutenant for Clydesdale, and Douglas raised his countryside to join with Montrose's army just before his great defeat at the Battle of Philiphaugh. Douglas was able to escape following the debacle, but was captured in April the following year, and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. For the first months of his captivity he was allowed to be accompanied by his Marchioness, but by July 1646, he was being held under close ward. He was released in 1647 following the payment of a large fine.[9] In 1651,
Death
Douglas died at Douglas Castle, on 19 February 1660 and was buried in front of the altar of St. Brides's Kirk, Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The Marquess of Douglas was succeeded by his grandson, James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas.
... William, eleventh earl of Angus and first marquess of Douglas, like his father, was a Roman Catholic, and a faithful adherent of the king during the civil wars. He maintained to its fullest extent the old princely hospitality and grandeur of the family at Douglas castle, where he chiefly resided. The king constituted him his lieutenant on the borders, and created him
Marquess of Montrose after his victory at Kilsyth in August 1645, escaped from the rout at the battle of Philiphaugh, 13th September of that year, and soon after made terms with the ruling powers. He was fined one thousand pounds sterling by Cromwell’s act of grace and pardon. He died 19th February 1660. He was twice married; first to the Hon. Margaret Hamilton, only daughter of Claud Lord Paisley, sister of James, first earl of Abercorn, and secondly to Lady Mary Gordon, third daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly.[11]
Marriage and issue
Douglas was twice married. He was married firstly in 1601, to Margaret Hamilton, daughter of
By Margaret Hamilton, Douglas had six children:
- Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus (1609–1655)
- Lord William Douglas (d.1633)
- Lord James Douglas (1617–1645)
- Lady Grizel Douglas, married Sir William Carmichael of that Ilk
- Lady Jean Douglas, married John Hamilton, 1st Lord Bargany
- Lady Lucy Douglas, married Robert Maxwell, 4th Earl of Nithsdale
By Lady Mary Gordon, Douglas had ten children:
- William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk(1634–1694)
- George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton (1635–1692)
- Lord James Douglas
- Lady Margaret Douglas, married William, Lord Alexander, eldest son of William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling
- Lady Anna Douglas, died unmarried
- Lady Henrietta Douglas, married James Johnstone, 1st Earl of Annandale
- Lady Catherine Douglas, married Sir William Ruthven of Dunglas. Their daughter, Barbara, married Sir Hugh Paterson, 1st Baronet.
- Lady Isabel Douglas (1642-1691), married William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
- Lady Jane Douglas, married James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth
- Lady Mary Douglas, died unmarried
Notes
- ^ Fraser 1885, vol II, pp. 383–384.
- ^ Fraser 1885, vol II, pp. 385–395, 398–404.
- ^ Fraser 1885, vol II, pp. 412–413.
- ^ a b Fraser 1885, vol II, p. 413.
- ^ Balfour Paul 1904, vol I, pp. 202–203.
- ^ a b Maxwell 1902, vol II, p. 188.
- ^ Thomson 1882, p. 735 § 2172 (14 June 1633).
- ^ Balfour Paul 1904, vol II p. 189.
- ^ Fraser 1885, vol II, p. 442.
- ^ Maxwell 1902, Vol II, p. 191.
- ^ Anderson 1863, "Douglas".
- ^ Balfour Paul 1904, vol I, pp. 203–206.
References
- Anderson, William (1863). "Douglas". The Scottish Nation or the Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours and Biographical History of The People of Scotland.
- Balfour Paul, Sir James (1904). The Scots Peerage (IX vols. ed.). Edinburgh.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Cokayne, G.E.; et al., eds. (2000). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant (new ed.). Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing. (volumes I and IV)
- Fraser, Sir William (1885). The Douglas Book (IV vols. ed.). Edinburgh.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Maxwell, Sir Herbert (1902). History of the House of Douglas(II vols. ed.). Edinburgh: Freemantle.
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (1999). Burke's Peerage and Baronetage. Vol. 1 (106th ed.). Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books). p. 1282.
- Thomson, John Maitland, ed. (1882). Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum: The register of the Great seal of Scotland, A.D. 1306-1668. Edinburgh: General register house. p. 735.