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He obtained on August 17, 1560, a charter of the ecclesiastical lands
of Whittingehame from Claud Hamilton, then Dean of Dunbar. The grant of
Whittinghame was confirmed in the Great Seal in January, where we
can see the extent of the church lands Douglas has acquired: "the King
[sic] and Queen confirm to William Douglas of Whittinghame and Elizabeth
Maitland, his spouse, 8 husbandlands (208 acres) and four 'terras'
cottages in the 'villa' of Whittinghame". He joined the Lords of the
Congregation and seems to have been frequently employed by the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland in their communications with
Mary, Queen of
Scots and the Privy Council of Scotland.
It is said that the plot to murder Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, was
discussed at length at Whittingehame castle early in 1566, and the Privy
Council cited William Douglas of Whittinghame, brother to Master
Archibald
Douglas, Parson of Douglas and ambassador to Queen Elizabeth 1, amongst others, as one of the conspirators in
the murder of David Riccio, for which he was pardoned on the 24 December
1566. In 1567 he joined the Association for the Preservation of James VI.
However, later. on the 26 August 1582 William Douglas of Whittinghame was
cited in the Privy Council as one of the 'Ruthven Raiders'.
William Douglas married in 1566 Elizabeth (d. after August 6, 1608
when she was described as his 'relict'), daughter of Sir Richard
Maitland of Lethington by his spouse Mariotta, daughter of Sir
Thomas Cranstoun of Corsbie. They had six sons and two daughters.
Of them:
- Sir Archibald Douglas of Whittinghame, Senator of the
College of Justice, was served his heir, confirmed in a Precept
from Chancery dated May 4, 1596. Although he married in 1597,
Helen Lumsden, he died between 1630 - 1642 with no issue. He
settled Whittingehame upon his niece Isobel's husband, Sir
Arthur Douglas, Knt., a grandson of
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton.
- Patrick Douglas of Standingstone, Haddingtonshire (witnessed
a Sasine to "his brother german" Archibald on May 7, 1596),
whose son, Field Marshal Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge,
friherre (baron) of Skalby, Sweden, was a commander in later
stages of Thirty Years War. Patrick was maternal grandfather to
Sir Robert Lauder of Beilmouth.
- James Douglas, described in the Great Seal 1st
November 1, 1648, as "secretary to James VI".
- Richard Douglas of Newgrange, Haddingtonshire, and
Brockholes, Berwickshire (alive May 7, 1596, when he witnessed a
Sasine to "his brother german", Archibald).
- Sir William Douglas of Stoneypath, near Garvald (d. between
1628 -1642), whose son-in-law Sir Arthur Douglas, Knt., was
eventual heir of Whittingehame.
- Elizabeth is believed to be the "E. D." who wrote
sonnets for William Fowler, poet and secretary to Anne of
Denmark.
Research note:
June 4 1667:
Mr William Douglas, son of the deceased Laird of Whittingham, was tried
for his concern in an unfortunate duel, in which Sir James Home of Eccles
was killed. The affair took its origin in a quarrel in a tavern in
Edinburgh, ‘after excessive drinking.’—Lam.
We learn from the evidence of a
hackney-coachman, that being employed by four gentlemen—namely, the two
who have been mentioned, the Master of Ramsay, and Archibald Douglas of
Spott—he drove them to a lonely spot on the shore near Leith, where they
all came out, and drawing their swords, ‘went through other.’ He saw Sir
James fall under the thrust of the accused party. Another person saw the
accused standing over Sir James after he fell, and when the unfortunate
gentleman was carried into Leith, he beard the accused ask him
forgivenness. A third witness observed the Master of Ramsay with his foot
on Spott’s neck, and when he (the deponent) removed the Master, Spott got
up, ran at the Master, and called him ‘cullion!' It seems to have been a
barbarous quarrel barbarously wrought out; and when we see how the men
acted after they began fighting, we cannot but wonder that they were able
to come to the field in one vehicle. William Douglas was sentenced to have
his head stricken off his body three days after at the Cross of
Edinburgh.—
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