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JAMES DOUGLAS, 2ND MARQUESS OF DOUGLAS (1646—1700), succeeded his
grandfather in 1660.
James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas (c.1646 – 25 February 1700) was the
son of Archibald Douglas, Earl of
Angus and 1st Earl of Ormonde, and Lady Anne Stuart. He succeeded his
grandfather in 1660
He was
a privy councillor to Kings Charles II and James VII.
His first marriage
was in 1670 to the Lady Barbara Erskine, daughter of John Erskine, 20th Earl
of Mar and Jean Mackenzie. He later married Mary Kerr, daughter of Robert
Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian and Lady Jean Campbell.
The story of
the end of the marriage between James Douglas and Barbara Erskine is
immortalized in the popular ballad Waly Waly, which is known by many
alternative titles (e.g. Jamie Douglas, When Cockleshells Turn Silver Bells,
Water Is Wide) with many alternative lyrics and melodies. If the lyrics are
to be believed, in 1681 a rumour apparently was put to Douglas by Lowrie of
Blackwood that Erskine had been sleeping with another man, and Douglas
promptly dropped her. Her father took her home and she never remarried.
“
The Marquis of Douglas, a young man, after being engaged for marriage
with the daughter of one Widow Jack, a taverner at Perth, was wedded at Aba
House to Lady Barbara Erskine, daughter of the Earl of Mar.—Lam.
This
was an unfortunate marriage for the lady. The marquis, a man of profligate
conduct, was subsequently led by his factor, Lowrie of Blackwood (said to
have been a rejected suitor of the lady), to suspect his marchioness of
infidelity, and they were consequently separated, after she had born him one
child. The sorrows of the Marchioness of Douglas were described in a popular
ballad of the day, some verses of which constitute the favourite song of
Waly, waly!
‘O wherefore should I busk my head,
Or wherefore
should I kaim my hair,
Since my true love has me forsook,
And says
he‘ll never love me mair.
Now Arthur’s Seat shall be my bed,
The
sheets shall ne’er be pressed by me,
St Anton’s Well shall be my drink,
Since my true love’s forsaken me.
O Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw,
And shake the green leaf aff the tree?
O gentle death, when wilt thou
come,
And take a life that wearies me?’
The prose reality of all
this was, that the marchioness by and by obtained a decree of the Privy
Council, allowing her a provision out of her husband’s estate. The marquis,
by a subsequent marriage, was the father of the semi-mad Duke of Douglas and
of the celebrated Lady Jane Douglas.
His eldest son, John, by courtesy earl of Angus, raised a
regiment of 1200 men, first known as the Angus regiment, later as the
Cameronians (26th Foot). He was killed at its head at Steinkirk in 1692.
The
younger son, ARCHIBALD, 3RD MARQUESS (1694—1761), was created duke of Douglas
in 1703, but the dukedom became extinct on his death, without heirs, in 1761. He
was a consistent supporter of the Hanoverian cause, and fought at
Sheriffmuir.
The heir-presumptive to the Douglas estates was his sister,
Lady Jane Douglas (1698—1753), who in 1746 secretly married Colonel, afterwards Sir, John Steuart of Grandtully, by whom she had twin sons, born in Paris in 1748.
These children were alleged to be spurious, and when Lady
Jane and the younger of the two boys died in 1753, the duke refused to
acknowledge the survivor as his nephew; but in 1760 he was induced, under the
influence of his wife, to revoke a will devising the estates to the Hamiltons
in. favour of Lady Jane’s son, Archibald James Edward Steuart (1748—182 7),
1st baron Douglas of Douglas (cr. 1790) in the British peerage. The inheritance
of the estates was disputed by the Hamiltons, representing the male line, but
the House of Lords decided in favour of Douglas in 1769. Three of his sons
succeeded Archibald Douglas as Baron Douglas, but as they left no male issue the
title passed to the earls of Home, Cospatrick Alexander, 11th earl of Home,
having married a granddaughter of Archibald, 1st Baron Douglas. Their
descendants, the earls of Home, represent the main line of Douglas on the female
side.
Transferred to the British service in 1669 and eventually known as the
Royal Scots regiment.
He died 25th February
1700, in the 54th year of his age. His eldest son, James, earl of Angus,
born in 1671, in 1689 raised for the service of the nation, in one day, a
regiment of eighteen hundred men, now called the 26th foot or Cameronians,
of which he was appointed colonel, 19th April of that year. After much
active service he fell at the battle of Steinkirk 3d August 1692, in the
21st year of his age, unmarried. His half brother, William, also bore the
title of earl of Angus, but died an infant in 1694. Archibald, the third son
of the second marquis, succeeded as third marquis.
Father: Archibald (Earl Angus)
Douglas
Mother: Anne Stuart b: 1614
Marriage 1 Barbara Erskine b: 1650, dau of 9th Lord Erskine
Children
James
(Earl of Angus) Douglas b: 1671
Marriage 2 Mary Kerr b: 1673, dau of 1st Marquess of Lothian
Children
-
James
Douglas, Killed 3 AUG 1692 at Sterinkirk
-
William
(Earl of Angus) Douglas b: 15 OCT 1693
-
Archibald (1st Duke of Douglas)
Douglas b: 1694
Jane (of Douglas) Douglas b: 17 MAR
1697/98
Note:
• 'Marquess' amd 'Marquiss' are used interchangeably. However, 'Marquess'
is more common within the Douglas family.
Help wanted - could you re-write this
page?
Sources
Sources for this article include:
• http://21.1911encyclopedia.org/D/DO/DOUGLAS_SIR_CHARLES.htm
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