Gazetteer

Places listed here include towns, castles, etc, that have a Douglas connection. They are not necessarily places owned or occupied by the Douglas family.

“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.”
~Winston S. Churchill

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Blythswood House

The Campbells of Blythswood, who were also Douglases of Mains, owned this mansion house

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Camp Morton

Camp Morton, a coal mine in Spitzbergen, was named after the Earl of Morton, who was one of the owners.

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Caerlaverock Castle

This was not a Douglas property, but features in Douglas history.

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Castle Mains

The Earl of Home's residence, near Douglas Castle.

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Cavers House

Now a ruin, the house was on the site of a 14thC castle built by Sir Archibald Douglas, son of the Earl of Douglas

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Dalkeith Castle

Dalkeith Castle, or Palace, in Midlothian, Scotland, is the former seat of the Duke of Buccleuch. The present house was built in 1702 on the site of an earlier castle.

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Douglas Castle

Also known as Castle Dangerous; several castle have been built on this site, the most recent being demolished in 1938.

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Gelston Castle

Built in red sandstone c.1805 for Sir William Douglas (1745-1809), founder of Castle Douglas.

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Grace Hall

The seat of Thomas Douglass, Esq., 'a very fine modern edifice', in Co Armargh, Ireland.

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Grangemuir House

Located just north of Pittenweem in Fife, Grangemuir House came into Douglas ownership through marriage in 1824, but is now in ruins.

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Hawthornden Castle

A property of the Abernethy family, it passed to the Douglases in the 14th century. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 15th century.

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Herdmanston Castle
Hermiston, or Herdmanston, passed to the Sinclair family in the 12th or 13th century.

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Hermitage Castle

Held by William de Douglas, Knight of Liddesdale, who also held Roxburgh & Lochmaben Castles, and, in 1332, was Warden of the Marches.

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Jedburgh Abbey

Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century, has many Douglas graves

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Lennoxlove House

Purchased by the 14th Duke in 1946, it is he seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and is home to one of Scotland's most important collections of portraits.

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Lochleven Castle

This Douglas castle, on an island, was where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner - bb the Douglases!

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Morton Castle

In the mid 15thC these lands in Dumfreisshire were given by James II of Scotland to James Douglas of Dalkeith, later Earl of Morton.

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Spynie Palace

In 1207-8, Bishop Brice Douglas chose the church at Spynie as his cathedral. Alexander Douglas was bishop here in the 16th Century.

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See also:

Abbeys and Churches

Castles

Places named Douglas House

Douglas lands prior to the forfeiture [pdf 1mb]

Douglas castles in England

Douglas manors in England

Several places in the United States:

Douglas, Alabama - The community was named for Stephen Douglas, settler
Douglas, Arizona - named after mining pioneer James Douglas.
Douglas, Georgia - named after Stephen A. Douglas
New Douglas, Illinois
Douglas, Massachusetts - named after Dr. William Douglas, an eminent physician of Boston
Douglas, Michigan - Reportedly the name was chosen to honour the American statesman Stephen A. Douglas, but other reports indicate that a relative of the original owner of the land also suggested the name because he came from Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man.
Douglas Township, Minnesota - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas, Nebraska
Douglas, North Dakota
Douglas, Ohio - an unincorporated community in Putnam County.
Douglas, Oklahoma
Camp Douglas, Wisconsin
Douglas, Wisconsin
Douglas, Wyoming - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Colorado
Douglas County, Georgia
Douglas County, Illinois
Douglas County, Kansas - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Minnesota
Douglas County, Missouri - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Nebraska - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Nevada - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Oregon - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Washington - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas County, Wisconsin - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglas Island, Alaska - named after Bishop John Douglas
Douglas Park, Chicago - named after Stephen A. Douglas
Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. named after George Douglass (1726-1799)
Douglass Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,195 at the 2010 census.
Douglass Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,306 at the 2010 census.
Douglas, Knox County, Illinois, is an unincorporated community 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Yates City.
Douglas, St. Clair County, is located along Illinois Route 159, 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of downtown Smithton.
Rich's Cove on Isle au Haut, Maine, was formerly Douglas Cove, named for Robert Douglas (abt 1770-1843), whose daughter Eleanor married John Rich.
Douglas Flats, Nevada

Other places

The Shire of Douglas - Tropical North Queensland, Australia
Port Douglas - Tropical North Queensland, Australia
Port Douglas - British Columbia, Canada
The Douglas Range, Douglas Islands and Douglas Strait in Antarctica are named after Vice-Admiral Sir Percy Douglas.
Douglas Glacier (Antarctica) was named for Everett L. Douglas, a biologist at Palmer Station, summer 1967–68
Douglas Station, Falkland Islands.
Douglas, Manitoba, Canada, is located in the Rural Municipality of Elton.
Douglas Municipality, Saskatchewan, Canada
Punta Douglas - headland in the Magallanes region of Chile
Bahia Douglas (Douglas Bay), Chile
Estancia Douglas (Rio Douglas), Chile
Cabo Douglas - a cape in Ecuador, on the island of Isla Fernandina
The townships of Forward and Elizabeth Forward in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania were settled by Douglases.
Sir William 'Long Legs' Douglas, reported that he had granted him a carucate of land at Warndon in Northumberland to his son, William 'Le hardi' Douglas, for his homage and service.
Places in Glasgow
Douglas Day, Douglas Lake, Douglas Ferry, Mount Douglas and Douglas Bay are among place names in Tasmania, possibly named after a surveyor, Henry Douglas c1860.

The following New Zealand landmarks are named after Charlie Douglas:

Mount Douglas at the head of Fox Glacier

Douglas pass through the Hooker range

Douglas River

Douglas Névé and Glacier west of Mount Sefton.

Douglas lands

The 1342 charter
On 26th May 1342, Hugh Douglas 'the Dull' resigned a substantial package of estates, representing the sum total of his landed possessions, to the crown, in the presence of King David II of Scotland, at an assembly in Aberdeen. Three days later, at Dundee, King David granted these estates to Hugh's nephew William, lord of Douglas, and clarified the legal succession of these lands, entailing them in the male line.

The impressive collection of lands mentioned in the resignation and subsequent charter included:
• Douglasdale (vallis de Douglas),
• Carmichael (Carmichel) and the
• burgh of Rutherglen (Rothirglen) in Lanarkshire,
• Selkirk Forest (foreste de Selkyrk),
• Lauderdale (vallis de Lavedre) in Berwickshire,
• Bedrule (Bethoroule) and
• Eskdale (vallis de Esk) in Roxburghshire,
• Staplegordon (Stabilgortoun) and
• Buittle (Botil) in Galloway, and
• Romanno (Roumanok) in Peebleshire.
Aside from Douglasdale, which the family had controlled since the twelfth-century, these estates had been granted to Hugh's elder brother 'the Good' Sir James Douglas by King Robert I of Scotland, as reward for Sir James's vigorous and ruthlessly effective service in war for the fledgling Bruce regime. The location of these lands, spread across the south of the kingdom and with the most significant holdings focused on the Middle March, illustrate Douglas's status as one of King Robert's most valued war leaders as well as his crucial role in the defence of the realm.

William Douglas, 1st of Glenbervie, was in 1493 and 1509 in possession of charters of the lands of Grenane, in Ayrshire. The lands of Braidwood, in Lanarkshire, were confirmed to him in 1510.

Charter by James of Douglas, lord of Dalkeith, to Thomas of Carruthers, of the lands of Brandriggs in Annandale, in the holding of Hutoun under the moor ('sub mora'), resigned by Elizabeth Cryspyne: To be held for services used and wont. Witnesses, James Douglas the grantor's heir, James Douglas of Roberton, and William Monypenny, knights, John and James Twedy, and Adam of Corry, at Dalkeith, 2nd February 1409-10.

On 24th April 1513,

The territory of this earldom was very extensive, embracing the following baronies and estates, among others - Dalkeith, Garmiltoun, Dunning, Edmonstone, Caldercleir, in the county of Edinburgh ; Bonytoun, Bernis, Kincavill, Drumeorse, Dechmont, Holdene, and Knightsrig, in West Calder, and others in Linlithgowshire ; Whittingham, in Haddingtonshire ; Newlands, Linton, Kilbucho and others in the county of Peebles ; Roberton, Edmestoun, and others in Lanarkshire ; Aberdour, Tiry, Woodfield, Seafield, Binns, and Babertons, in Fife ; Morton, in Dumfriesshire ; Mordington, in Berwickshire ; Ganochy and Petculane, in Perthshire; Preston, Borg, and Buittle, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright ; Hutton-under-the-Moor, and Moffatdale, in the Stewartry of Annandale - with the numerous castles and ecclesiastical and other privileges appertaining to them.

See charters and other documents concerning the whole of this transaction in Registruni Honoris de Morton. (Location not known)

Source: The Douglas Book

In 1544 the Earl of Lennox married Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV and sister of Henry VIII.
As part of the marriage settlement he endowed his wife in the lands of Glenrinne, Balloch and Auchintorlies in the Earldom of Lennox, the baronies of Cruckisfew, Inchinnan and Craig of Nielston in the lordship of Darnley and the lands of Erere in Perthshire.

In the Middle Ages the Douglas family owned extensive estates in Fife (Aberdour), Midlothian (Dalkeith), Berwickshire, Peeblesshire and elsewhere, and were created Earls of Morton in 1458. The 3rd Earl of Morton (d. 1550) was succeeded in his estates and title by his son-in-law James Douglas of Pittendriech, Regent of Scotland 1572-78, but in 1558 they reverted to the Douglases of Loch Leven (Kinross-shire).

It is stated that before the Civil War broke out he was (one of the richest and greatest subjects in the Kingdom. "Unfortunately for himself he cast in his lot with the Royalist party, and was repeatedly applied to for money to enable them to carry on the war. For this purpose he disposed of his extensive and valuable property of Dalkeith, together with several of his minor estates, thus depriving himself of an annual rental estimated at 100,000 pounds Scots. As an offset for this great sacrifice on his part, he received a Royal charter, dated 15th June, 1643, granting him the Islands of Orkney and Shetland in absolute right, with all their jurisdictions, redeemable only by the Crown upon payment of £30,000 sterling.

Considerable sales of land took place in the 17th century, including Dalkeith to the Earl of Buccleuch in 1642 and Loch Leven to Sir William Bruce of Balcaskie (Fife), c.1670. The islands of Orkney and Shetland, however, were granted to the family in 1643. They were annexed by the Crown in 1669, regranted in 1707 and finally sold to the Dundas family in 1766 . The Dalmahoy (Midlothian) estate was acquired in the mid 18th century and the Conaglen (Argyllshire) and Loddington (Leicestershire) estates probably for sporting purposes in the later 19th century.

Earlier but temporary accessions of property had come through marriages with the Hay family of Smithfield (Peeblesshire) in 1649 and the Halyburton family of Pitcur (Forfarshire) c.1730.

Estates in 1883: 49,814 acres in Argyllshire; 10,411 acres in Midlothian

A deed is dated at Linlithgow, January, 1545- The list (if I had it!) is too long for insertion here, but in it appears, among a number of other lands belonging to Alexander Douglas of Mains in property, Harlhewan in Strathblane, the holding being a penny in name of blench(illegible) farm if asked only.

Kingston in Glasgow ‘consists of the western portion of the lands purchased by the Magistrates and Council from Sir Robert Douglas in 1647. They extended from West Street to Kinning House Burn, and from the River Clyde to the lands of Shields’.

Mount Douglas Mine, fourteen miles east of Wedderburn, Berwickshire

Notes:
• When searching through records or gravestones in Scotland, it is common to find a person described either 'of', a place or 'in' a place or 'at' a place. These words are of considerable importance and are still in legal use in Scotland. Read more>>>

See also:
• The Emerald Charter - lands granted to the Good Sir James
• How Sir James Douglas got his Lands
• Lands in Galloway forfeited in 1456
• Douglas lands in Scotland prior to the forfeiture [pdf 1mb]
• List of Douglas places (External link)
• Peles, towers and bastles of the Scottish Borders (pdf) by Sally Douglas
• Scottish Borders tower houses by Ian Douglas
• The Castles of the Black Douglases, by Callum Watson
• Lairds' Houses of Scotland
• Scottish regalities in 1405, including those of the Douglases (map)
• Lands in the parish of Crossmichael transferred to John Murray of Lochmaben and [Sir Robert Gordon], laird of Lochinvar in 1617
• Map of Nithsdale
• Map of clan lands - note that the map only shows part of Scotland, and hence not all Douglas land. Note also that this is just a snapshot in time, and boundaries changed as clan fortunes rose and fell.
• Indenture between the Lord of Dalketh and Sir John of Hamyltoune referring to lands in Linlithgos and elsewhere
• Galbraith lands in Lennox, including holdings of Alexander Douglas of Mains

Any contributions will be gratefully accepted

Postcard with Douglas arms and tartan and a map of Douglas lands

Our map of Douglas places of interest is far from complete. But as a 'work in progress' I felt that is has a place here.

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