William (Douglas) Douglas First Earl of Douglas (abt. 1327 - abt. 1384)

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about May 1384 at about age 57 in Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Scotland Project WikiTree [send private message]

William (Douglas) Douglas First Earl of Douglas was a member of Scottish Nobility. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

William (Douglas) Douglas First Earl of Douglas is Notable.

William (Douglas) Douglas First Earl of Douglas is a member of Clan Douglas.

Family and Early Life

William was the second (but only surviving) son of Archibald Douglas, Knt. of Liddesdale, Regent of Scotland, and Beatrice de Lindsay.^[1][2][3] His exact date of birth is unknown, but as he was still a minor and the ward of his godfather, William Douglas, Knight of Liddesdale, in 1342^[4] and had most likely gained his majority when he returned to Scotland in 1348,^[5] it is estimated to have been around 1327.

The death of both his father and his cousin William (son of Sir James Douglas) at Halidon Hill left William and his older brother John as heirs to the vast Douglas estates, and the following year both young boys were sent to France to ensure their safety.^[6] There they joined the household of the young David II at Château Gaillard in Normandy, and over the next thirteen years William received his education and his training-in-arms.^[6] When his brother John died (sometime before 1342) William became sole heir to the Douglas estates.^[6]

Upon his return to Scotland in 1348, Douglas discovered that his godfather, Sir William Douglas of Lothian, while claiming to act as his guardian, had arranged for his ward's rights to Liddesdale to be forfeited and then immediately claimed Liddesdale for himself.^[6] And although his father's many properties had been regranted to William, the new grant was to "William, son and heir of the late Sir Archibald, and his heirs male, whom failing to Sir William Douglas (knight of Liddesdale) and his heirs male..."^[6][7] The capture of the new Lord Liddesdale at the Battle of Neville's cross provided impetus for Douglas to return to Scotland, and to begin recovering his southern lands which had pledged allegiance to England under Lord Liddesdale's tenure.^[6] Douglas was mostly successful in winning the submission of the landowners in the marches and returning their allegiance from England back to Scotland.^[6] However, he ran into numerous problems caused by his godfather who, using Liddesdale as his base and with English support, began trying to undermine Douglas's influence in these areas.^[6] In August 1353 Douglas killed his godfather and kinsman, the Knight of Liddesdale, in Ettrick Forrest.^[6][7][8]

Marriage and Children

William Douglas married, sometime before 13 November 1357 (when she is mentioned in a charter by David II), Margaret of Mar, daughter of Donald, earl of Mar, and Isabel Stewart.^{[1][9][10][11]} Margaret brought to the marriage (as her marriage portion from her brother, earl of Mar) the barony of Drumlanrig.^[10] There were two children from this marriage:

• James Douglas, 2nd earl of Douglas and Mar; born c.1358;^[12] married after 21 September 1371 (date of dispensation) Isabel Stewart;^[13]died c.12 August 1388^[14][12]
• Isabel Douglas; married (1) before August 1388 Malcolm Drummond;^[15][16] married (2) c.1404 Alexander Stewart^[15][16]

With his sister-in-law Margaret Stewart, countess of Mar and Angus, he had one illegitimate son:

• George Douglas, 1st earl of Angus;^[1][17] born c.1380;^[18] married after 24 May 1397 (date of contract) Mary Stewart;^[19] died after 14 September 1402^[19]

And by an unknown mistress he had two illegitimate daughters:^[1]

• Joan; married William Dacre, 5th Lord Dacre of Gilsland^[1]

• Margaret; married c.1404 Thomas Johnson^[1][18][12]

Political Career

In January 1358 William was created Earl of Douglas.^[20] He was one of the hostages for King David, and travelled frequently between Scotland and England, often accompanied by his countess.^[21]

On 26 March 1371 he attended the coronation of Robert II at Scone.^[1] He had earlier challenged Robert Stewart's right to the throne but was persuaded to support the new king when Robert II restored Douglas to the justiciarship south of Forth, allowed Douglas's son James to marry his own daughter, and provided both Douglas and James with large sums in cash and annuities.^[6]

In 1374 his wife was heiress to her brother Thomas, earl of Mar, Lord of Garioch, and became suo jure countess of Mar. Douglas began to style himself as Earl of Douglas and Mar.^[7][22]

For the next decade, his attention was on the southern marches where he led a number of border raids into England. During the spring of 1380 he is said to have led an army of 20,000 men on a raid into Cumberland and Westmoreland and burnt Penrith to the ground, in retaliation for invasions of the Earl of March's lands on the Scottish border. ^[7]

Death

William Douglas, 1st earl Douglas, died of a fever at Douglas during May 1384 and was buried at Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland.^[1][11][23] His widow married (second) John de Swinton, Knt.^[1][11][23]

Research Notes

• Margaret Douglas, born in 1305 and whose mother (unsourced) was given as Margaret Dunbar, was formerly attached to this profile as a daughter of William Douglas. As William was not born until c.1327 this was an obvious error, and her profile has been disconnected as his daughter. Stevens-17832 14:06, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

• Margaret Dunbar has also been removed as a wife of this earl until reliable sources can be found to support such a relationship. Stevens-17832 15:06, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author (2013), vol. 3, p. 151 GROBY 8.ii.b.William de Douglas
2. ↑ Fraser, Sir William. The Douglas Book. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable (1885), vol. 1, p. 216.
3. ↑ Cokayne, George Edward. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant. London: St Catherine Press (1910), vol. 4, p. 430.
4. ↑ Registrum Honoris de Morton. Edinburgh: Bannatyne Club (1853), vol. 2, pp. 46-47.
5. ↑ Bowers, Walter (ed.). Fordun's Scotichronicon. Edinburgh (1759), vol. 2, pp. 346-347.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9} Brown, M.H. Douglas, William, first earl of Douglas and earl of Mar. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition (23 Sep 2004), available here by subscription.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} Mackay, Aeneas James George. Douglas, William. Dictionary of National Biography archive edition, available here.
8. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, pp. 148-149.
9. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, pp. 147-154.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Fraser, Sir William. The Douglas Book. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable (1885), vol. 1, p. 287.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} Cokayne, George Edward. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant. London: St Catherine Press (1910), vol. 4, p. 431.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} Johnston, George Harvey, The Heraldry of the Douglases : with Notes on all the Males of the Family, Descrptions of the Arms, Plates and Pedigrees, Edinburgh: W & A K Johnston (1907), pp. 14-15 .
13. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.157.
14. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.156.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, pp.153-154.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Fraser, Sir William. The Douglas Book. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable (1885), vol. 1, p. 288.
17. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.154.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Fraser, Sir William. The Douglas Book. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable (1885), vol. 1, p. 290.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 1, p. 173.
20. ↑ Acta Parl. Scot., vol. 1, 522-523; Stirlings of Keir, p. 199, as cited in Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.150.
21. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.150.
22. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.152.
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p.153.

See also:

• Manuscripts of the Duke of Hamilton, K.T. London: H.M. Stationery Office (1887), p. 208.

• Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1906), vol. 5, pp. 581-586. (ancient earls of Mar)

• Staffordshire Suits: Plea Rolls (Collections for a History of Staffordshire). London: Harison and Sons (1893), vol. 14, pp. 158-160.

• Wikipedia: William_Douglas,_1._Earl_of_Douglas

• Wikidata: Item Q2033364