Richard William Glode Douglas
Richard William Glode Douglas (1798–1862) - Founder of the Queensland
branch of the Douglas family
Richard William Glode Douglas occupies a distinctive place in the wider Douglas story as one of the earliest members of the name to settle permanently in Queensland, Australia. His life was marked by sharp contrasts: genteel origins in England, periods of financial hardship and legal trouble, and finally a respected role in the emerging administrative structures of colonial Queensland. His descendants today form one of the principal Australian branches of the Douglas family.
Origins and Family Background
Richard was born in May 1798, probably in Godmanchester or Chiddingfold, in the Sussex/Suffolk region of England. He was the son of:
- James Douglas, antiquarian and chaplain to the Prince of Wales’s Regiment
- Margaret Oldershaw
The family moved in educated circles, but like many minor gentry families of the
period, they were frequently troubled by debt and unstable finances. This
instability shaped much of Richard’s early life.
Early Life and Legal Difficulties
Richard’s adulthood in England was turbulent. In 1828, he was arrested for debt and confined in the Chancery Lane lock‑up. More serious trouble followed in 1851, when Richard and two of his sons — Charles and Arthur — were tried at the Old Bailey for fraud involving brushes and other goods. All three were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment.
There is no evidence that Richard was transported as a convict. Instead, after his release he appears to have emigrated voluntarily, joining the growing stream of settlers seeking new opportunities in Australia.
Marriages and Children
First Marriage: Mary Johnson
Little is known about Mary Johnson, but the couple had several children, including:
- Richard James Alexander Douglas (1818)
- Alexander Bloomfield Douglas (1819)
- Captain William Bloomfield Douglas
- John Douglas (1826)
- Richard Douglas (1826)
- Jaspar Douglas (1827)
These children appear in the Douglas Archives’ genealogical listings and form the senior line of Richard’s descendants.
• Second Marriage: Julia Elizabeth Nugent Bree (née Norton)
Richard married Julia Elizabeth Nugent Bree on 22 December 1829 in Chichester. She was the daughter of Dr/Rev Robert Francis Bree and Charlotte Richards. Julia died in Sydney Infirmary on 18 November 1879.
Children of this marriage include:
- Charles Donald Douglas
- Arthur Edward Douglas
- Ellen Douglas
- Rosa Douglas
- Emily Douglas
- Ada Victoria Paget Douglas
This second family forms the younger Queensland and New South Wales branches.
Migration to Australia
The exact date of Richard’s arrival in Australia is not documented, but by the late 1850s he was living in what would soon become Queensland (the colony separated from New South Wales in 1859). Like many settlers of the period, he found in Australia an opportunity to rebuild his life far from the constraints of Victorian England.
Public Service in Queensland
Despite his earlier difficulties, Richard became a respected local official in the frontier settlements of Taroom and Banana, both then small but strategically important administrative centres.
His appointments included:
- Clerk of the Court of Petty Sessions, Taroom — November 1860
- Registrar of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Taroom — December 1860
- Clerk of the Court of Petty Sessions, Banana — 1862 - He was the first Clerk.
however, he died less then two months later.
These roles placed him at the heart of early civil administration in Queensland, responsible for legal proceedings, vital records, and local governance. His ability to secure and maintain such positions speaks to a significant rehabilitation of reputation and character.
---
Death and Commemoration
Richard died on 10 June 1862 in Banana, Queensland, only weeks after his final appointment. He was buried in Banana Cemetery, where his grave became a focal point for descendants.
In 2005, a memorial plaque was erected by Douglas descendants from across Australia and overseas. It reads:
Genealogical Significance
Richard William Glode Douglas is the founding ancestor of a major Australian Douglas line. His children and grandchildren spread across Queensland, New South Wales, and later Victoria and South Australia, establishing families that remain active today.
His life illustrates the broader pattern of Douglas migration in the 19th century:
- movement from England to Australia,
- reinvention on the colonial frontier,
- and the establishment of new branches of the name far from its Scottish origins.
Memorial to Richard William ode Douglas, Banana Cemetery,
Queensland, Australia.
The brass plaque bears the following inscription: “Richard William Glode
Douglas (1798-1862). The first Douglas of this line in Australia. This
memorial was erected in 2005 by his descendants from around the world.
Australia was good for him.”
Summary
Richard William lode Douglas (1798–1862) lived a life of striking contrasts. Born into educated but financially unstable circumstances, he endured imprisonment and legal trouble before emigrating to Australia. In Queensland he rebuilt his life, becoming a trusted court official and registrar in the young colony’s frontier towns. His descendants today form one of the principal Douglas families in Australia, and his memorial in Banana Cemetery stands as a testament to resilience, reinvention, and the global spread of the Douglas name.
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Marriage 1
Mary Johnson
Children:
- Unknown Douglas
- Richard James Alexander Douglas, 1818 -
- Alexander Bloomfield Douglas, 1819 -
- Captain William Bloomfield Douglas
- John Douglas, 1826 -
- RichRichard Douglas, 1826 -
- Jaspar Douglas, 1827 -
-
Marriage: (2):
Julia Elizabeth Nugent Bree (Norton),
Children:
- Unknown Douglas
- Unknown Douglas
- Richard William Douglas
- Charles Donald Douglas
- Arthur Edward Douglas
- Ellen Douglas
- Rosa Douglas
- Emily Douglas
- Ada Victoria Paget Douglas
- Morton Alfred Douglas
Notes:
• Richard had banns to Mary Johnson at St Marylebone on 29 May
& 5 & 12 June 1814. PR states marriage was 9 May 1815. He & Mary
then marry again on 13 Mar 1817 in Churchill Somerset. A son Richard
James Alexander was born 17 Dec 1818 & bpt at St Swithin Walcot,
Somerset, 16 Aug 1820. Mary remarried in 1843 calling herself a
widow
Source
Sources for this article include:
'Love is a little black diary'; Judith Salecich
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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