William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry
His Grace The Duke of Queensberry | |
|---|---|
 The Duke of Queensberry by John Opie | |
| Born | 16 December 1724 Peebles |
| Died | 23 December 1810 (aged 86) London |
| Occupation(s) | Scottish noble (substantial landowner), racehorse owner, 1760s representative (House of Lords seated) peer |
| Children | Maria Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford |
| Parent(s) | William Douglas, 2nd Earl of March Lady Anne Hamilton |
William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry,
Family and royal appointee
Born in Peebles, Queensberry was the only son of William Douglas, 2nd Earl of March, and his wife, Lady Anne Hamilton. He was great-grandson of the 1st Duke.
A friend of the
He succeeded his father in the Earldom of March in 1731 and his mother in the
In 1799 he was estimated the eighth-wealthiest man (or small family unit) in Britain, owning £1M (equivalent to £104,500,000 in 2021).[5] He was one of ten known British millionaires in 1799.[5]
He developed a strong passion for Miss Frances Pelham at the age of 28. So much so that he deliberately bought a house next door to her and had a bow window built so that he could sit and spy on her as she came and went. In his 60s he proposed to the teenage daughter of his next door neighbour in Picadilly on three occasions. But was turned down despite his immense wealth.
Queensberry never married. He had a daughter,
On death, the Dukedom and
Horseracing
He was
He had some society repute as a high-stakes gambler.[1]
Semi-fictional portrayal
As "Lord March", he is briefly portrayed or described in the William Makepeace Thackeray novel The Virginians as a dissolute gambler.[1]
References
- ^ ISBN 9781910232491.
- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Queensberry, Earls, Marquesses and Dukes of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 731.
- ^ Henderson 1888, p. 374.
- ^ "No. 12775". The London Gazette. 8 August 1786. p. 351.
- ^ a b "Who wants to be a millionaire?". the Guardian. 29 September 1999. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ a b François-René de Chateaubriand, Béatrix d' Andlau, Pierre Riberette, Correspondance générale: Volume 5 (Gallimard, 1986), page 540
- ^ Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1890). . In Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 24. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 135.
- ^ Robinson, John Robert (1895). 'Old Q': A Memoir of William Douglas, Fourth Duke of Queensberry, K.T., One of 'the Fathers of the Turf,' with a Full Account of His Celebrated Matches and Wagers, Etc (2nd ed.). London: Samson Low, Marston and Company, Limited. p. 249. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ Weatherby, Edward and James (1801). "COLOURS WORN BY THE RIDERS OF THE FOLLOWING NOBLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, &c". Racing Calendar. 28: 52.
External links
- Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1888). . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 15. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 373–374.
- Queensberry in St James's, London Archived 6 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Portrait by Opie in National Portrait Gallery Archived 4 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Caricature by James Gillray in National Portrait Gallery Archived 8 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Article in the Burns Encyclopedia
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