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Index of first names

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.
Tofts
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 HouseHowan House
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]
•  Baikie of Tankerness family trees 1 and 2
•  Traill family tree

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.

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Last modified: Friday, 02 August 2024