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Sir George Douglas of Helenhill and Rumgawye (Rungallie).
He assisted Queen Mary to escape from Lochleven Castle in 1567. He was married,
and left an only daughter. According to Bishop Burnet, he had a son by Queen
Mary, who was named George Douglas.
George Douglas of Rungallie,
usher to the king in 1580, is described as 'brother german of William Douglas of
Lochleven'.
George appears also to have had a son, Robert who
married as his first wife Margaret Kirkcaldy, and had issue
James, of Earnslaw
George, was only two years older than Willie Douglas, a boy of 16, a
natural son of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton, but brought up as a gentleman and acknowledged as a member of
the family. The lads became infatuated with the beauty and grace of the
imprisoned Queen, and began to make plans for her liberation from
Lochleven Castle.
George had
nearly succeeded in affecting Mary's escape, disguised as the castle
laundress, but half way across the Loch the rowers, noticing her white,
ringed hands, turned the boat back to the castle. For this offence, George was driven from his
home by the angry governor and forbidden to return.
Mary's second attempt was successful, with George waiting at the
lochside to escort her to safety, although this was to prove but a
temporary situation.
Death of George Douglas at Langside a myth?
Several versions of
the depiction of the death of Douglas at the
Battle of Langside exist.
One is "Mary
of Scotland mourning over the dying Douglas at the Battle of Langside,
1568; a priest administers last rites, a bishop stands to the left
behind the fallen soldier; painted by F. Hartwich", whilst the one above
is a "Picture embroidered by Jane Brumlen depicting the painting 'Mary
Queen of Scots Mourning over the Dying Douglas at the Battle of Langside'
by Charles Landseer, ca. 1870 (Said to be George Douglas of Lochleven.)"
However, Douglas did not die at that battle. Charles Landseer based many
of his paintings on the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and in his book
entitled The Abbot, Douglas does die at the Battle of Langside. Scott
was writing historical fiction and so he could have Douglas die whenever
and wherever he wanted him to.
A letter has recently (2022) come to light that proves the point:
Featuring the handwriting of Mary Queen of Scots,
a letter has sold for £32,500 at
auction (in 2022), more than double the asking price.
Auction house Lyon and Turnbull said there was international
interest in the document, signed with a message in French, as it went
under the hammer live and online on Wednesday.
The letter is an
appeal from Mary Queen of Scots to the French ambassador in England to
allow the safe passage of Scottish nobleman, George Douglas, to France.
It was written in Carlisle Castle two months after her escape from
Lochleven Castle in Perthshire on May 2 1568, where she had been
imprisoned for nearly a year following a forced abdication in favour of
her infant son, James VI.
Mary hoped that by helping to ensure a
safe journey to France for George Douglas, he would intercede with the
French king on her behalf to help secure her freedom.
Cathy
Marsden, rare books, manuscripts and maps specialist at Lyon & Turnbull,
which has its headquarters in Edinburgh, said: “There was international
interest in this letter, the sum achieved at auction reflecting the
enduring fascination with one of the best known monarchs in history.
“There are 12 lines written by a secretary, and an additional six
lines in Mary’s own hand. The letter is signed, ‘Votre bien bonne amye,
Marie,’ which translates as ‘Your very good friend, Mary.’
“A
letter bearing her personal mark is rare and we’re delighted to have
been involved in the sale of such an important text.”
The letter
sold for more than double the asking price of £14,000.
The
document asks the French ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I to lend George
Douglas, the bearer, 300 ecus (gold coins) and to negotiate with the
French royal family to secure George’s trouble-free passage.
Mary’s escape from Lochleven had been helped by George Douglas and his
cousin, William Douglas.
She was apprehended by Richard Lowther,
deputy governor of Cumberland, and escorted to Carlisle Castle.
Mary was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I for 19 years before she was
beheaded in Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire on February 8 1587
at the age of 44.
See also:
• Sir George Douglas of Rumgally,
who may be the one and the same person.
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