Introduction
The Douglas
of Kinmonth family represents a minor but clearly traceable cadet branch
of the Red Douglas line, descending through the Douglases of Glenbervie,
themselves a well-established offshoot of the house of the Earls of
Angus. Although never a major landed family, the Kinmonth branch
produced one nationally significant figure: Dr Robert Douglas (d.1716),
minister of Hamilton and Dean of Glasgow.
The family’s history
is rooted in the Mearns (Kincardineshire), where both Glenbervie and
Kinmonth lie, and where the earliest members of this line held their
lands.
Origins: The Glenbervie Connection
The Kinmonth line descends from:
Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie (1513–1570)
A younger son of the Red Douglas house, Sir
Archibald established the Glenbervie branch in Kincardineshire. His
descendants formed several minor cadet lines in the region, including
the family later associated with Nether Kinmonth.
Establishment of the Kinmonth Branch
• James Douglas of Nether Kinmonth
A younger son of the Glenbervie line, James Douglas held
the lands of Nether Kinmonth, thereby founding the cadet branch that
would later produce the Bishop. His position reflects the typical
pattern of Douglas cadetry: a modest estate, local standing, and
continued association with the wider Angus kindred.
• Robert
Douglas of Kinmonth
Son of James. He appears in contemporary sources
as a relative of the Earls of Angus, consistent with the Glenbervie
descent. His significance lies chiefly in being the father of the future
Bishop.
• Dr Robert Douglas (d.1716)
Minister of
Hamilton and Dean of Glasgow; Bishop of Brechin and Dunblane
Grandson of James of Nether Kinmonth.
Educated at King’s College, Aberdeen, he began preaching around
1650. His early ministry in Laurencekirk reflects his family’s Mearns
origins. He later served in Bothwell and Renfrew, before being presented
by Charles II to the parsonage of Hamilton, which carried the deanery of
Glasgow.
His career spanned the Covenanting period, the
Restoration, and the early 18th century, making him the most prominent
representative of the Kinmonth line.
He had by two wives, four sons; the fire (?first) and third died unmarried. George, the fourth, was grandfather of William Douglas, of Brigton, in Forfarshire. His grandson became Douglas, Baron Glenbervie. Sylvester, second son, married, in 1695, Margaret, daughter and heir of George Keith, of Whitereggs, in Kincardineshire; and by her had three sons. George, the eldest, of Skelenvir (??), had two sons, Robert and James, who died without issue; Robert died unmarried. John, the third, married Margaret, daughter and coheir of James Gordon, of Fechel, and had a daughter, married to the late Major Mercer, the poet, and one son, Sylvester Douglas, born May 24, 1743 ; later lord Glenbervie.
Location: Kinmonth in the Mearns
The Kinmonth associated with this family
lies in Kincardineshire, within the same regional landscape as
Glenbervie. The place-name Kinmonth (Gaelic ceann monadh, “head of
the moor”) appears elsewhere in Scotland, but only the Mearns location
aligns with the family’s documented movements and ecclesiastical
associations.
Later Use of the Territorial
Designation
The territorial designation “of Kinmonth” was revived
in the 20th century by the Wright / Moncrieff Wright family, recognised
by Lyon Court. This modern line is not genealogically connected to the
Douglas of Kinmonth. Their use of the designation reflects later
ownership, not descent.
Genealogical Summary
Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie (1513–1570)
→ James Douglas
of Nether Kinmonth
→ Robert Douglas of Kinmonth
→ Dr Robert
Douglas (d.1716), Dean of Glasgow
This represents the known and
verifiable descent of the Kinmonth branch.
Conclusion
The Douglas of Kinmonth were a small cadet branch of
the Red Douglas / Angus line, descending through the Glenbervie family
and rooted in the Mearns. Their historical visibility derives chiefly
from Dr Robert Douglas, whose ecclesiastical career brought the family
into national prominence.
Although modest in scale, the Kinmonth
branch forms part of the wider tapestry of Douglas cadet lines that
shaped local and ecclesiastical life in early modern Scotland.
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