Captain William Grant Douglas was born on 25 February
1824. A Captain in the service of the Royal Navy, he was the son of
Reverend Hon. Charles Sholto
Douglas and Hon. Isabella Gore.
This officer passed his
examination 7th May 1845; and until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant,
7 Oct. 1846, served at Portsmouth as Mate of the Excellent gunnery-ship,
Capt. Sir Thos. Hastings, and Victoria and Albert stearn-yacht, Capt
Lord Adolphus FitzClarence(1). He has been employed, since 2 Nov. in the
latter year, on board the Geyser steam-sloop, Capt. Fras. Thos. Brown.
Transferred from the Coast Guard,
he was 'on books' from 01 Aug 1853 on the Odin, 16 guns, a 560
Horse-power Paddle-Wheel Steam Frigate serving In the Mediterranean at
the time of the Crimean war.
He married, firstly, Elizabeth
Inglis, daughter of William Inglis, on 16 December 1851. They had six
children: Bessie Henriette Douglas d. 12 Oct 1938 who married Claud
William Leslie Ogilby (1851-94) Ada Charlotte Douglas Mary Louisa
Douglas d. 1940 Margaret Caroline Douglas d. 25 Apr 1921 Maud
Isabel Gore Douglas d. 2 Feb 1934 Sholto Douglas
He
married, secondly, Elizabeth Frances Vesey, daughter of Thomas
Agmondisham Vesey and Jemima Belford Gregg, on 6 June 1867. They had a
son: Sholto Osborne Gordon Douglas B.A. (Oxon) b. 14 Sep 1873, d. 27 Jan 1937.
Author of 'A theory of Civilisation'.
He died on 16 December 1898 aged 74
Notes:
1.
The Victoria and Albert was the royal yacht; Capt. Lord Adolphus
FitzClarence was the illegitimate child of Prince William, Duke of
Clarence (later William IV) and his mistress, Dorothy Jordan. His
cousin, Rear Admiral Hon George Henry
Douglas, son of George Sholto (17th Earl of Morton) Douglas, was
also on the V&A, in 1844. I think he might have been a lowly Lieutenant
at the time. |