William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and 11th Earl
of Angus (1589–1660) was a Scottish nobleman.
Master of
Angus
William Douglas was the eldest son of
William Douglas,
10th Earl of Angus and his Countess, 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(1).
Shortly before William 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
Presbyterianism to Catholicism, and the family were not trusted by the
Kirk due to his religious position. The prestigious public duties he had
inherited, holding the first seat and vote in the King's Council and
parliament, leading the vanguard of the Scots army, and bearing the
Crown of Scotland, also brought him into conflict with the Duke of
Lennox, who had been granted a conflicting precedence and ceremonial
role. The
scandal of the Spanish Blanks in 1593-5 made Angus a rebel, and although
he eventually recovered his position, and succeeded in defending his
inheritance, he chose to go into exile in Paris in 1608 to obtain
freedom of conscience.
All this had an effect on the Master of
Angus's 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.[ 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.
Earl of Angus
Douglas succeeded his father as Earl of Angus in 1611; his father had
made arrangements to ensure that his inheritance was largely free of the
debts that had previously burdened it. However, he was immediately
embroiled in legal dispute with his tenants the Kers of Ferniehirst over
rights to hold courts in the Bailiary of Jedforest. This dispute
resulted in a severe outbreak of violence in the Borders, and the case
was presented to the Privy Council. The Lords of Session found in favour
of Angus, although his brother James was remanded at
Blackness Castle
for threatening one of the Kers. Angus maintained his right to hold
courts, and the Kers had to post £10,000 Scots as security to keep the
peace.
Not of a healthy constitution and unhappy with the
religious climate at home, Angus was given leave by James VI of
Scotland, to travel to Europe, which he did in 1616, returning by 1620;
and again in 1623, he was given an 11 year leave of absence to travel to
the continent, leaving his estates to be run by his brother Lord
Mordington, and his cousin William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton. Whilst
in France, he corresponded with Marc Antonio Scoto d'Agazzano an
Italian nobleman from Piacenza, who claimed ancient kinship with Angus.
(cf. Footprints of the Douglas Scotti)'
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, Charles I, stopped charges of
Papistry levelled against the Earl and restored to him his father's
honours in 1631. Douglas married again, following the death of his
first wife, to Mary Gordon, daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of
Huntly. During the King's visit to Scotland for his coronation in that
realm in 1633, Angus was created Marquess of Douglas, Earl of Angus,
Lord of Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest at Dalkeith. He bore the crown
during the coronation.
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.
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 escaspe 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. In 1651, Charles II offered Douglas the leadership of a
regiment in the army he was raising to invade England, Douglas declined
however. Following Cromwell's Act of Grace, Douglas was further forced
to pay of the huge fine of £1000 sterling for himself, and a further
£1000 each for his two sons, Archibald, Lord Douglas and
William, 1st
Earl of Selkirk. It is possible that in light of this that Douglas' fine
was reduced to £333.
Death
Douglas died at
Douglas Castle, on the 19th 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 Douglas, 17th
June 1638. He joined the 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. ”
Marriage and Issue
Douglas was twice married. He was married firstly in 1601, to Margaret
Hamilton, daughter of Claude Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley who died in
1623. In 1632, he married secondly to Lady Mary Gordon, daughter to
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly.
By Margaret Hamilton,
Douglas had three sons:
Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Ormond
(1609–1655)
Lord William Douglas (d.1633)
Lord James Douglas
(1617–1645)
By Lady Mary Gordon, Douglas had thirteen 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 Jean Douglas, married John
Hamilton, 1st Lord Bargany
Lady Grizel Douglas, married Sir William
Carmichael of that Ilk
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, married William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
Lady
Jane Douglas, married James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth
Lady Lucy
Douglas, married Robert Maxwell, 4th Earl of Nithsdale
Lady Mary
Douglas, died unmarried
Notes:
1. Sir
Francis Douglas of Sandilands, born between 1591 and 1611, was the son
of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and Elizabeth Oliphant. He is
supposed to have married a sister of the Earl of Wigtown (Fleming), but
left no children.
Supposedly studied at Louvain 1596 and Rome 1598,
and completed a degree in philosophy. (which is clever of him, given his
age!)
2. He was recorded as owner of
Swinnie, Old Jedburgh, Lintalee, etc.,
as well as ‘his lands of Jed Forrest, being four-score steids’,
according to the 1643 valuation rolls. |
