DOUGLAS FAMILY. This family derives its name from certain lands on the Douglas or Black Water, in the shire of Lanark, which were granted out about the middle of the 12th century by Arnold, abbot of Kelso, to one Theobald, a Fleming, whose son was thence called William de Douglas.
William married a sister of Friskin de Kerdal, in the province of Moray, and had several children, all of whom, except the eldest, settled in the north. Brice, the second son, became bishop of Moray ; Alexander, the third son, became sheriff of Elgin ; and their sister, Margaret, married Hervey de Keith, great mareschal of the kingdom.
Arehenbald, the eldest son, married one of the daughters and co heiresses of Sir John de Crawford, of Crawford, and had two sons, William and Andrew, each of whom had two sons likewise.
eldest eon married a sister of Lord Abernethy, but dying without issue, was succeeded by his brother, some time governor of the castle of Berwick. Andrew's eldest son married the only daughter of Alex. ander, lord high steward of Scotland, and had two eons, the eldest of whom was Sir James Douglas of Loudon, so called to distinguish him from his cousin, the good Sir James,' one of the chief associates of Bruce in achieving the independence of his country. The good Sir James' was made a knight-nneret under the royal standard at Bannockburn, where he commanded the centre division of the Scottish van. He died in a contest with the Saracens when, In fulfilment of the trust committed to him, he was on his way to deposit the heart of Bruce in the Holy Land.
William de Douglas, some time governor of Edinburgh Castle, was a natural son of Sir James of Loudon, whose eldest lawful eon, also William de Douglas, had the earldom of Athol conferred upon him on the death of John Campbell without issue ; but he soon afterwards resigned the title, and gave a charter of the earldom to Robert, lord high Steward of Scotland. This William de Douglas was lord of Liddiedale, and though himself the flower of chivalry,' as be was called, is to be particularly distinguished from Sir William Douglas, the knight of Liddeedale, natural son of the good Sir James. The
knight of Liddesdale long merited the eulogy which Fordun gives him, of being "England's scourge and Scotland's bulwark ;" but the praise of patriotism, and even of humanity itself, he outlived ; for being hurt at Ramsay of Dalwolsey'e appointment to the sheriffship of Rux burgh, he waited his opportunity, and came upon the brave and virtuous Ramsay with an armed band, wounded him, and dragged him away to Hermitage Castle. There Douglas immured his nnoffonding victim, faint with thirst, and with his rankling wounds, till, after a period of seventeen days' suffering, death at length terminated his existence. Tho government of the country was in such a state at the time, that the king not only could not aveugo the outrage, but was obliged to pardon the relentless murderer, end moreover to put him into the vacant sheriffiship. Ile at last died by the baud of an assassiu of the house of Douglas.
Tho good Sir James had another natural son, whom wo shall men tion presently, but having no lawful he was succeeded by his brothers, Hugh and Archibald, the latter of whom married the daughter of John Curnyn, of Badenoch, by Marjory, sister of John Baliol, king of Scotland, and had two eons, the younger of whom, William, in herited the family estates, and became Earl of Douglas, in which character we find him lord justiciar of Lothian the year In which king Robert II. ascended the throne. Ho was thrice married, lie married first a daughter of the twelfth Earl of Mar, and in her right was styled Earl of Douglas and Mar. His eon James, second Earl of Douglas and Mar, married Margaret, eldest daughter of king Robert H., but leaving no surviving male issue, the earldom of Mar devolved on hie sister, and the earldom of Douglas on Archibald Douglas, the natural son of the good Sir James above alluded to, by special settlement. This Archibald, third Earl of Douglas, styled from his great prowess ' Archibald the Grim,' had himself a natural son, who married a daughter of king Robert II.