William Douglas of Egilsay
Egilsay, Eagleshay or Egilshay.
COMMENT: I have added notes to this page to clarify some of
the detail. However, it now awaits a rewrite to ensure it is
indeed clearer.
William Douglas of Egilsay, Orkney (and of Spynie?) (c. 17th Century) was a Burgh
commissioner for Shetland in 1667.
Egilsay Community
Association list on their history page that:
'As part of the
Bishopric estate the whole of Egilsay was feued to the Monteith
family in the 16th Century. On the marriage of Marjorie Monteith to
William Douglas(1), Chamberlain of Orkney, commemorated in the
initialled skewputt, the island passed to the Douglas family.'
There remains the Douglas house on Egilsay, named Howan House,
and the Buildings At Risk register notes the following: "The
skewputt to the north east is initialled WD MM for William Douglas
and his wife Marjorie Monteith, 17th century owners and heirs to the
Island of Egilsay. The interior of the house retains a carved lintel
on the south wall inscribed 16.AMICUS.ET.GENO.81., decorated with a
heart and fleur-de-lis transforming into roses and thistles. A badly
weathered stone fireplace with fluted jambs sits in the west gable"
The house has since been renovated.
Marjorie Monteith was the daughter and heiress of Patrick Mentieth
of Egilsay
It is possible
that his father was Alexander Douglas of
Spynie in Elgin
(himself the eldest son of Alexander
Douglas, Bishop of Moray in 1606)
It was his son,
Alexander, who became MP for Orkney and Shetland.
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| Tofts |
Its (Tofts, in Quandale, Rousay, Orkney) pre-eminence is confirmed by a 1668 sasine by which William
Douglas of Egilsay disposed of Tofts to his son 'with the priviledge
of the uppa thereof as the samen has been in use in all times bygane
past memorie of man'. The uppa, ... Snippet from The little general
and the Rousay crofters: crisis and conflict on an Orkney crofting
estate
On William's death, Egilsay descended to his daughter, Janet, who
married James Baikie, 6th of Tankerness.
Howan House, 'The Laird's House', before and after refurbishment
1 William (Chamberlain of Orkney) Douglas married Marjorie
Monteith
2 Sir Alexander (of Egilshay)
Douglas MP b. Bef 1688 d. 1718 married Janet Scott d. Aft 1718
3 Cornet William (Yr. of Egilshay) Douglas b. Bef 1764 married
Elizabeth Traill b. Bef 1764
4 Janet (of Egilshay) Douglas b. Abt 1710
Arms of Monteith of
Kerse
According to the pedigree proved and recorded at the
Lyon Office, Patrick Monteith of the Fair Isle
(died s.p. 1614), who had a charter of lands at Egilshay,
on 15th April, 1592, from Patrick, Master of
Orkney, was uncle to James Monteith of Saltcoats,
and Robert Monteith of Egilshay, his younger
brother. The said Robert Monteith of Egilshay,
principal tacksman of Orkney in 16 14, was succeeded
by his eldest son, Patrick Monteith of Egilshay, who
married first, Marion, daughter of Patrick Smith of
Braco (M.C. ist September, 1644), and second,
Margaret, daughter of George Drummond of Blair.
By his first wife he had an eldest daughter, Marjorie,
heiress of Egilshay, who married William Douglas,
Chamberlain of Orkney, and their eldest son. Sir
Alexander Douglas, Knight of Egilshay, became heir
of line of Monteith,
In the Forman Manuscript at the Lyon Office,
circa 1570, are blazoned the arms of Monteith of
Kerse:—Quarterly, first and fourth, or, a bend chequee
argent and sable ; second and third, azure, three
buckles or, for Stirling.
Over the fireplace in the hall of the old house of Howan, in Egilshay, is a shield which seems to bear
parted per fess, a bend chequee between six buckles, Impaling Nisbet (see Nisbet) with the initials of
Robert Monteith of Egilshay and Katherine Nisbet,
his second wife, and the date 1635. This is without
doubt intended to represent the coat depicted by
Forman. The present Baikie of Tankerness bears in the
second grand quarter of his armorial achievement :
—
Quarterly, second, or, a fess chequee argent and sable;
third, azure, three buckles or, as representing Monteith
of Egilshay.
Notes:
1. Research by the Traill family has:
• William Douglas of Eigilsay married Elizabth Traill, whose
daughter Janet married James Baikie of Tankerness. Their
son Robert Baikie of Tankerness married Mary Balfour.
• Elizabeth is stated to be the daughter of George Traill of
Holland and Catherine Baikie, he being the son of Thomas Traill
of Holland Marion Craigie .
2. Sir Alexander Douglas MP (d. 1718), of Egilsay, Orkney
having plainly stated, following a challenge, that his mother was:
served heir and
retoured to Patrick Monteith my grandfather who stood
publicly infeft in the lands of Egilsay and others holden feu
under the crown which rights were produced in the parliament of
Scotland in anno 1703 and my right to vote in the election was
determined in the parliament.
See also:
• Howan House
refurbishment [pdf]
Note
the Douglas elements on this Baikie coat of arms representing the
inter-marriage between the families.
The armorial achievement of Baikie of Tankerness, as recorded at the Lyon Office, is :—
Quarterly, first and fourth grand quarters, the paternal arms of Baikie as above, second grand quarter, counter-quartered first
and fourth, Ermine, a man's heart proper, on a
chief azure three mullets argent, for Douglas of Egilshay ; second, or, a bend chequee argent and
sable, for Monteith of Egilshay ; third, azure, three
buckles or, for Stirling; third grand quarter, argent
on a chevron sable, an otter's head erased of the
field, a crescent of the second for difference, for
Balfour of Huip : with the crest and motto of Baikie as above.
Any contributions to this item will be
gratefully accepted
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