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Douglas of Pittendreich

 

The following is a transcription of Maxwell's 'A history of the house of Douglas from the earliest times down to the legislative union of England and Scotland'

The origin of Douglas of Pittendreich is obscure. The first of the family recorded is James Douglas, King's Chamberlain in Moray in 1466. 

By his wife, Elizabeth Douglas, with whom he  (Sir George Douglas, d1552) inherited the estates of Pittendreich, etc, he left two sons: David, who succeeded as 7th earl of Angus, and James who became 4th earl of Morton and Regent of Scotland. David having been well provided for, by his uncle's disposition of the Angus estates in his favour, to the exclusion of the Countess of Lennox, Sir George left Pittendreich to James, who  afterwards bestowed it upon one of his illegitimate off-spring, Archibald Douglas. 
Upon the execution of Regent Morton in 1581, Archibald was forfeited and  banished, and with him ended the line of Douglas of Pittendreich.

As the original Pittendreich is near Lasswade, in Midlothian, this change of location brings some difficulties in determining lineage!

Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich, d 1552

Father: George (Master of Angus) Douglas b: ABT. 1469
Mother: Elizabeth Drummond

Marriage 1 Elizabeth Douglas Children

1. James Douglas married Elizabeth, dau of James, 3rd Earl of Morton. Their son, James, inherited the Earldom.
2. David (7th Earl of Angus) Douglas b: ABT. 1515

Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich, younger brother of the Earl of Angus, by his marriage with Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of David Douglas of Douglas of Pittendreich, became possessed of the lands of Pittendreich, Levingshauch, Darcle, Caldcoits, half of Surestoun, and one-third of Duffus, all in the county of Elgin. Able and adroit, the constant
counsellor of his elder brother, a firm supporter of his sister-in-law, Queen Margaret, in her controversy with Albany, he applied his diplomatic talents, which were considerable, to obtaining that alliance with England which was so objectionable in the view of those who wished to preserve the ancient league with France.

James Douglas of Pittendreich

a grandson of Robert de Innes, 11th of that ilk, and his wife, a daughter of Douglas of Drumlanrig

David Douglas of Pittendreich

His daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir George, above

Archibald Douglas of Pittendreich, b1556

Illegitimate son of James 4th earl of Morton

Marriage 1 Elizabeth Sutherland

 

Margaret Douglas, who married Sir John Carmichael of the ilk, d June 1600, was the daughter of a Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich

James Douglas of Pittendreich is mentioned as bailies of Pluscarden. Is this the same as the person below?  Also described a 'Commendator'

There was also a James Douglas who was Prior. Some time before James became prior, his brother Archibald obtained the barony of Pittendreich on the road from Pluscarden to Elgin, which had been held by their father, James, 4th earl of Morton (c.1516–81), and their grandfather, Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich (1490–1552), who had himself obtained it from his wife’s father, David Douglas of Pittendreich.

David Douglas of Pittendreich was provost of Elgin in 1521–5 and his father, James Douglas of Pittendreich, in 1488: Records of Elgin, ii, 475. James, who was bailie of Pluscarden in 1474, was the son of Archibald Douglas, earl of Moray, and received Pittendreich from King James III in a feu charter of 1469: RMS, ii, 984. James Douglas had been in dispute in 1494–5 with the priory of Pluscarden over the erection of a mill at Pittendreich:

We find the prior’s relatives benefiting and others of his surname occurring among those granted the offices of the priory.  Among such grants, his brother Archibald Douglas of Pittendreich was given lands in the baronies of Pluscarden and Urquhart, mills on Pluscarden lands formerly held by Robert Dunbar of Durris and the priory’s salmon fishings; John Douglas, parson of Ruffill, was appointed by the new prior as bailie of the lordship of Pluscarden on 21 April 1577 and took his oath at Elgin on 10 May ( he is described as 'servant of Bishop George Douglas of Moray in 1574'); and George Douglas, vicar of Aberchirder, had become chamberlain of Pluscarden by March 1579. Giving office to this George Douglas would have been particularly offensive to the Dunbars as on 18 October 1577, a few months after James Douglas became prior, he took part with various Inneses in an attack on the manse of Dean Alexander Dunbar in the chanonry of Elgin. This was a particularly notorious event in the Innes-Dunbar bloodfeud as not only was the dean badly wounded but Elizabeth, his thirteen-year-old daughter, was killed.

The Douglas years at Pluscarden were, however, not to last long. In May 1581, during the imprisonment of the former Regent, the earl of Morton, in Dumbarton Castle and just a month before his trial and execution, he was forced to make his son, Prior James Douglas, restore Pluscarden to Alexander Seton.

 

David Douglas of Pittendreich was provost of Elgin in 1521–5 and his father, James Douglas of Pittendreich, in 1488: Records of Elgin, ii, 475.

 

On 12th March, 1560-1, James Hay of Mayne, Alexander Guthrie in Elgin and seven others burgesses of Elgyne were delated before the Lords for convocation of the lieges to the number of eight score on the
eighth day of January last, and for setting upon Alexander Robertson in 1'ittendreich and others tenants and servants to Elizabeth Douglas, Lady of Pittendreich, and hurting and wounding them to the great effusion of blood. They compeared not and were denounced rebels.

In 1476, James Douglas, custumar of the burghs of Elgin and Forres, charges himself with twenty pounds, being the custom of salmon carried beyond the kingdom for two years past.  It is
noted in the " Rolls " about this time (1501) that James Douglas of Pittendreich "has had and exersit the office of Chaumerlanery of oure lordschip of Murray this lang tyme bypast."

1477, November 22nd. The King granted to James of Douglas and his heirs certain lands in the Lordship of Moray, he paying, inter alia, the sum of 5 6s. 8d. yearly from the lands of Pittendreich to a chaplain,
of old foundation, on the Castle Hill of Elgyne.

1528, September 6th. The King granted to his brother James, Earl of Moray, his heirs and assignees, the third part of the lands of Duffus, the lands of Pettindreich, Caldcottis, Darcle and Serestoun, and the house, tower, tenements and buildings within the burgh of Elgin per- taining to the King by reason of the forfeiture of George Douglas, brother of Archibald, formerly Earl of Douglas.

1528, September 6th. The King granted.... 2s. of yearly rent from the east land of William Douglas, senior, burgess of Elgin, on the north side of said burgh ;   Isabella Douglas, relict of Robert
Pedder is mentioned as being a neighbour in the same charter, as is James Douglas in Elgin

1546, August 1 7th. The Queen granted to Alexander, Lord Gordon (son and heir apparent of George, Earl of Huntly), his heirs and assignees, the land and tenement, with garden and tail in the burgh of
Elgin, on the east side of the Queen's highway, between the croft called Harvyisfield, the lands of Robert Innes and Elizabeth Douglas, and the land called St. Ninian's land, pertaining to the Queen by the death of James, Earl of Moray, her uncle, bastard, without lawful heirs.