The Douglas Lords of Lochleven and Earls of Morton

The earldom of Morton was created in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith, whose lineage traced back to the Douglas family and included a connection to the lords of Loudon. The title originated from lands in Mid Lothian.

The third Earl of Morton, James, altered the succession of the earldom, eventually passing it to his son-in-law, James Douglas, who became the fourth Earl and the famous Regent Morton. Regent Morton was executed in 1581, leading to a temporary forfeiture of the titles.

Subsequently, John, Lord Maxwell, a grandson of the third Earl, briefly held the title as the fifth Earl before the attainder was reversed, and the earldom passed to Archibald, the eighth Earl of Angus, as the sixth Earl of Morton, who died without issue in 1588.

Following the Earl of Angus's death, Sir William Douglas of Lochleven became the seventh Earl of Morton. His family had acquired Lochleven Castle in the reign of Robert II. Sir William is notable for being the jailer of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her imprisonment at Lochleven Castle in 1567-1568, from which she eventually escaped with the help of his son, George Douglas.

The earldom continued through his grandson, William, the seventh Earl, who held prominent positions such as High Treasurer of Scotland and was made a Knight of the Garter. During the Civil Wars, he supported the royal cause financially.

The ninth and tenth Earls faced financial difficulties, leading to the mortgaging and eventual annexation of the Orkney and Zetland islands to the crown in 1669.

The title then passed to the Hon. Sir James Douglas of Smithfield as the eleventh Earl, and later to his son, James, the twelfth Earl, who supported the Revolution and the Union of Scotland and England. He also had jurisdiction over Orkney and Zetland restored to him.

The thirteenth and fourteenth Earls died without issue, and the fifteenth Earl, James, was a noted intellectual and a Fellow and President of the Royal Society. He sold the estates in Orkney and Zetland in 1766.

His grandson, George, the seventeenth Earl, was created Baron Douglas of Lochleven in the British peerage, but this title became extinct upon his death without issue in 1827. The Scottish earldom then passed to his cousin, George Sholto Douglas, the eighteenth Earl. His son, Sholto John, became the nineteenth Earl.

(John) Stewart Sholto Douglas, 22nd and present Earl of Morton, is the cousin once removed of Sholto Charles (20th Earl of Morton) Douglas having succeeded his father in 2016. (Seen left, when Lord Aberdour, at Aberdour Castle)

A Douglas Archives Open Source Article - 30th April 2025