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James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington
He held the office of Provost of Abernethy before 1608. He was invested as a knight between 1625 and 1627. He was created 1st Lord Mordington [Scotland] on 14 November 1641. He fought in the Battle of Worcester in 1651, where he was captured by the Parliamentarians. He lived at Mordington, Berwickshire, Scotland.
James Douglas was at first designed ' of Parkhead,' but in 1621 he resigned these lands in Douglasdale, and also Pitdriechie and Fawsyde in the Mearns, in favour of his brother the Earl.
In 1625 he is styled 'of Reidsyde'. In November 1625 he had a charter of certain lands in the barony of Dirletoun from Thomas, Earl of Kellie.
He must have been knighted between that date and 25 April 1627, when he is associated as a consenting party to a further alienation of the Dirletoun lands by the Earl of Kellie. He is styled Sir James Douglas of Mordingtoun in the ratification of a charter of certain lands in the barony of Callendar, granted him by the Earl of Linlithgow 2 June 1632, but it is stated that he had acquired Mordingtoun by 1628.
The Callendar lands he resigned in favour of James, Lord Livingston of Almond, the youngest son of the first Earl of Linlithgow. On 23 August 1634 he had a charter of the lands of Over Mordingtoun and others, co. Berwick, on the resignation of the Earl of Morton.
Sir William Douglas having married his cousin Ann, only daughter and heiress of Laurence, Lord Oliphant, he claimed, in right of his wife as heir-general of her father, who had died in 1630, the Peerage of Oliphant, of which Lord Oliphant had by a procuratory of resignation denuded himself, so as to favour the collateral heir-male, but of which no regrant had been made at the date of Lord Oliphant's death.
The case was heard by the Court of Session in presence of King Charles I. in 1633, and is a leading dignities were descendable to heirs-female if not specially barred. But it was also held that Lord Oliphant by his resignation had effectually denuded himself of his dignities, and that they were now in the King's hands, till he should declare his pleasure therein. This His Majesty did by creating the heir-male a Peer under the title of Lord Oliphant with precedence apparently only from 1633. Some years afterwards, on 13 March 1640, a Patent was issued stating that ' the stile and title of Lord Oliphant ' should be established in the person of the daughter of the last lord, and in that of her spouse and the heirs procreated between them, whom failing, to the heirs-male of her body, but that the designation hereof should be changed to Mordingtoun. It would appear, therefore, that Sir William Douglas and his wife were created LORD and LADY MORDINGTOUN, with the precedency of the ancient Oliphant creation.
Lord Mordingtoun died 11 February 1656, having married, first, in
1624, as above stated, Anne, only child of Laurence, fifth Lord
Oliphant. By her he had issue :
Lord Mordingtoun married, secondly, Elizabeth Hay, daughter of
Francis, Earl of Erroll, and widow of Hugh, Lord Sempill.
Death: 11 FEB 1655/56
Marriage 2 Elizabeth (of Erroll) Hay b: ABT. 1598
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