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Blackerston, Blackerstoun, Blackerstone
Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerstone was born circa 1593. He was the
son of Alexander Douglas, 9th of Mains and Grizel Henderson.
He
married Elizabeth Douglas of Ivile, by whom he had two daughters. He
married Susanna Douglas, the natural daughter of
Robert Douglas, Viscount Belhaven,
on 3 February 1634 at St. Andrew's Church, Holborn, London, England.
They had nine children. He died circa 1669. His son,
Col. John Douglas, emigrated to America.
Sir Archibald Douglas, the first son and heir of Alexander Douglas,
became the 10th Laird of Mains. His wife was Isobel of Blythswood,
married 22 July 1633. He died 1 July 1647 leaving his entire estate to
his wife. Due to heavy debts, the landed estate of
Mains was deeded over to John Douglas, a
relative. At this time Mains stayed in the Douglas family but passed to
another Douglas line.
Sir Robert obtained Blackerston by
marriage. He purchased Blythswood. It should be noted that Col. John
Douglas's plantation in Maryland was named Blythswood, the
name of the 'Manor' in Scotland.
When Sir George Elphinston was
forced to part with all his possessions, these, the lands of
Gorbals and Bridgend, on the
south side of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, were acquired by
Robert, Viscount Belhaven,
representative of the well-known family,
Douglas of Mains, near
Milngavie. Two years later Lord Belhaven conveyed the lands to Robert
Douglas of Blackerstoun and Susana his wife. [Charters and Documents, i.
495.] Robert Douglas in turn was knighted, but the glories of baronial
possession and knighthood appear to have been as fatal to the fortunes
of Sir Robert Douglas as they had been to his predecessor, Sir George
Elphinston.
[1661/1/467]1
The report underwritten was
presented and read in parliament, whereof the tenor
follows.
We undersubscribers, commissioned by the parliament for
taking trial of the sufferings and losses sustained by
Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerston, find that the said
Sir Robert Douglas has, for his adherence to the royal
interest and his endeavours for promoting the same,
sustained the losses and sufferings following. Firstly,
we find that in March 1644 he was forced to advance to
the pretended committee of estates the sum of £200
sterling, proven by the bond granted by the said
pretended committee bearing interest until the
repayment, which principal sum, with the interest until
March last at 6 per cent, amounts to £392 sterling.
Secondly, we find that the said Sir Robert Douglas was,
after Philiphaugh and for his joining with [James
Graham], marquis of Montrose, fined in and paid
the sum of £1,000 sterling, proven by two discharges
granted by the several persons who had power and warrant
from the general commissary to receive the same, which
with the interest from the time of payment to Candlemas
[2
February] 1661 at 6 per cent, extends in the
whole to £1,900 sterling. Thirdly, we find it proven by
the depositions of diverse well-known witnesses that the
said Sir Robert did, by commission from the marquis of
Montrose, his majesty's commissioner, levy a troop of
horse consisting of 60, besides officers, all well
appointed with arms and other furniture, and joined with
the said marquis before and at Philiphaugh, the charges
whereof the said Sir Robert declares, upon his word of
honour, did amount to £700 sterling, which with the
interest at 6 per cent to Whitsunday [2
June] 1661, amounts to £1,330. Fourthly, we find,
by the depositions of diverse well-known witnesses, that
the said Sir Robert Douglas did, in obedience of the
commands of the deceased James [Hamilton],
duke of Hamilton, his majesty's commissioner for the
time, and of the privy council of Scotland, go to the
parish churches within the barony of Renfrew and
sheriffdom of Lanark and there, with the hazard of his
life, caused read his majesty's covenant, the charges
whereof the said Sir Robert declares, upon his word of
honour, did arise to the sum of £150 sterling. Fifthly,
the said Sir Robert Douglas declares, upon oath, that in
addition to the payment of his fine he was forced at
that time to put forth seven horse and ten dragoons, the
charges whereof did amount to £266 13s 4d sterling.
Sixthly, we find by the depositions of diverse
well-known witnesses upon oath that the said Sir Robert
was kept prisoner after Philiphaugh in the castles of
Dumbarton and Glasgow by the space of three quarters of
a year, at which time the whole army under the command
of David Leslie, or a considerable part thereof, did lie
upon the said Sir Robert's lands and destroy the whole
crop of the ground, and plunder his whole horses, the
charges and expenses whereof the said Sir Robert
declares, upon his word of honour, did amount to the sum
of £1,300 sterling. Lastly, we find that in the year
1648 there were three troops quartered on his tenants
all the time the English army stayed then in Scotland,
and that the said army in the year 1650 did spoil his
dwelling houses and burnt his principal dwelling house
of Harehead, and plundered great quantities of horse,
nolt, sheep and corn that he had on the mains of
Blackerston, and other rooms stocked with his own goods,
and that the English, after their landing at
Inverkeithing, did plunder his household stuff, his wife
and family being in the house of Spencefield within a
quarter of a mile of the said town, as also that he lost
great quantities of silver plate, arras hangings,
carpets and other household plenishings taken away by
the English, all sufficiently proven by the depositions
of diverse well-known witnesses, the which particulars
the said Sir Robert Douglas declares, upon his word of
honour, amounts to the sum of £2,500 sterling; so that
the total of his sufferings upon the account of his
loyalty, amounts to the sum of £7,838 13s 4d English
money. It is, therefore, our humble opinion that the
said Sir Robert Douglas, his sufferings and losses
extending, as said is, be recorded in the registers of
parliament as an evidence to present and after ages of
his constant and untainted loyalty in the worst of
times. Subscribed with our hands at Edinburgh, 18 June
1661, so subscribed, [James
Graham, marquis of] Montrose, [William
Ker, earl of] Roxburghe, [Sir]
John Gilmour [of
Craigmillar], Sir Archibald Stirling [of
Garden], [Sir]
Robert Murray
[of
Cameron] and John Bell [of
Hamilton Ferme].
Which report, being taken into consideration by his
majesty's commissioner and estates of parliament, they
have appointed and appoints the same to be recorded in
the books of parliament.
-
NAS. PA2/27, f.97v-98.
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| Shortly thereafter the civil wars of Charles
I broke out and desolated the kingdom from the one end to the
other. The Marquis of Montrose who carried the standard of the
king, raised an army in the north, and proceeding south gave
battle, at Kilsyth, to General Bailie, at the head of 7,000
Covenanters, on 15th August, 1645. The Covenanters were entirely
routed, and nearly 6,000 of them put to the sword, while of the
remaining thousand, a vast proportion were suffocated in
Dullater-bog. The city of Glasgow, having heard of Montrose's
success, sent Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerston, and Mr. Archd.
Fleming, commissary, to congratulate him upon his victory, and
invite him and his army to spend some days at Glasgow. He
accordingly marched next day to the city, where he was
entertained with great cost and solemnity; but he only remained
one night on account of the plague, which was then raging,
though before be left it he made the inhabitants pay pretty
smartly for his visit. A History of the City
of Glasgow - An excerpt from the 1847 Gazetteer of Scotland |
|
