The seventh Earl of Angus had a younger brother, who became fourth Earl of Morton, and was the famous Regent Morton. He was condemned to death for the murder of Darnley, and was executed by the maiden, an instrument which he himself introduced into Scotland.
Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie above mentioned conveyed the lands of Gleabervie to a younger son. His eldest son became tenth Earl of Angus; and the son of the latter was in 1633 created Marquis of Douglas, the same year in which another branch of the Douglas family was advanced to be Earl of Queensberry. Archibald, eldest son of the first Marquis of Douglas, officiated as lord high chamberlain at the coronation of king Charles II., and was thereupon created Earl of Ormond. His youugerbrother William had been some years before created Earl of Selkirk ; but marrying afterwards Anne, duchess of Hamilton, he was on her grace's petition created Duke of Hamilton for life, and a new patent of the earldom of Selkirk issued in favour of his younger eons, two of whom were themselves also elevated to the peerage. The third Marquis of Douglas was advanced to be Duke of Douglas; but on his death the dukedom became extinct, and the marquisate devolved ou the seventh Duke of Hamilton. His grace
was one of the parties in the great "Douglas cause," the subject of which was the Douglas estates; but these were ultimately awarded to his opponent, who becoming entitled to the estate, assumed the name and arms of Douglas, and in 1790 was raised to the peerage as Baron Douglas of Douglas castle, in the shire of Lanark.
The year following, George, I6th Earl of Morton, was enrolled among the peers of Great Britain as Baron Douglas of Lochleven. The third Earl of Queensberry had previously been raised to a marquisate and dukedom ; and the fourth Duke of Queensberry, who was also third Earl of March, made a peer of England by the title of Baron Douglas of Amesbury ; but on the death of his grace in 1810, the English barony, conferred upon himself, and the Earldom of March, conferred upon his grandfather, expired ; while the dukedom devolved on the Duke of Buccleuch, and the original peerage descended to the Marquis of Queensberry.