William, the first Earl of Douglas, had no children by his second marriage. By his third marriage, which was with the Lady Margaret, sister and heir of the third Earl of Angus, he had a son, George, who obtained, on his mother's resignation, a grant of the earldom of Angus. He also got a grant of the sheriffahip of Roxburgh, and is found in that office anno 1398. The previous year he married Mary, second daughter of king Robert III.
Sir John Douglas, who gallantly defended the castle of Lochleven against the English in the minority of David IL, was a younger brother of William, lord of Liddesdale, above mentioned. He had several children, three of whom only however we shall here notice, James, henry, and John. The last of these married Mariota, daughter of Reginald de Cheyne, co-justiciar of Scotland beyond the Grampians, with John de Vaux. Sir Henry married a niece of king Robert IL, cud by her had a son, who married a granddaughter of the same king. Sir James, the eldest, succeeded his uncle, the lord of Liddis dale, in the lordship of Dalkeith and his other extensive possessions. He was twice married, his second wife being a sisterof king Robert II. His eldest son, by his first marriage, married a daughter of king Robert III., and had a grandson, who married Johanna, daughter of king James I., and relict of James, third Earl of Angus, and was on the 14th of March 1457-58 created Earl of Morton.
We have thus three earls of the house of Douglas : the Earl of Douglas, the Earl of Angus, and the Earl of Morton.
Archibald IV., earl of Douglas, eldest son of Archibald the Grim, married the eldest daughter of king Robert III., and by her had a son of the same name, who in the lifetime of his father was styled Earl of Wigton. On the death of king James I. lie was chosen one of the council of regency, and the next year made lieutenant-general of the realm. His two sons, particularly William, the young Earl of Douglas, despising the authority of an infant prince, and encouraged by the divisions which arose among the nobility, erected a sort of independent power within the kingdom, and forbidding the vassals of the house to acknowledge any other authority, created knights, appointed a privy council, and assumed all the exteriors of royalty. They were both at length however beheaded, and the earldom of Douglas passed to a grand-uncle, whose eldest son married his cousin, 'the fair maid of Galloway,' and restored the house to its former splendour. He became lieutenant-general of the kingdom, and no less formidable to the crown than the last In his family who held that high office. But this power proved his ruin, and dying without issue, he
was succeeded by his brother, in whom this great branch of the house of Douglas was cut down and overthrown for treason.
Archibald V., earl of Angus, great-grandson of William, first earl of Douglas, through George, who obtained the earldom of Angus on his mother's resignation a .9 above-mentioned, was some time warden of the East Marches, and on the death of Argyle was made lord high chancellor of the kingdom, and so continued till 1498, when he resigned. He was commonly called 'the Great Earl of Angus;' and according to the historian of his house, "was a man every way accomplished both for mind and body." Gawk, bishop of Dunkeld, the translator of Virgil, was his third son by his first marriage, which was with a daughter of the lord high chamberlain of Scotland. The bishop's two elder brothers, George, master of Angus, and Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, fell on the fatal field of Flodden; and their father, the old earl, who had in vain dissuaded the king from the ruinous enterprise, bending under the calamity, retired into Galloway, and soon after died. Sir Archibald Douglas of Kilspinclie, the earl's son by a second marriage, was made lord treasurer of Scotland towards the end of the year 1520, by king James V., who used to style him, his Grey Steil;' and the next year we find Archibald VI., earl of Angus, eldest son of the deceased George, master of Angus, lord high chancellor of the kingdom. This Mchibald, the sixth earl of Angus, married Margaret of England, queen dowager of James IV., and had by her a daughter, who became the mother of Henry, lord Darnley, husband of Mary, queen of Scots, and father of James I. of England. On the fall of Angus, Sir George, his brother, was exiled, and spent the remainder of James's reign in England ; and their sister Jean was burnt as a witch oa the castle hill of Edinburgh. The sou of Sir George succeeded his uncle as seventh earl of Angus; and on the death of his son, the eighth earl, commonly called " tho Good Earl of Angus," without male issue, Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, great-grandson of Archibald, the great earl, succeeded to the earldom, and had soon afterwards a charter from King James V., confirming all the ancient privileges of the Douglas, namely, to have the first vote in council, to be the king's lieutenant, to lead the van of the army in the day of battle, and to carry the crown at coronations.