Douglas of Friarshaw

Crest of Douglas of Cavers
With a variation

In Roxburghshire, between the Teviot and Ale rivers, the lands of Friarshaw formed a stable holding upon which a cadet branch of the Douglas family established itself. From the mid-sixteenth century onward, the Douglases of Friarshaw carried forward the Border traditions of service, landholding, and loyalty, shaping a lineage that would eventually extend far beyond Scotland's marches into the courts and regiments of continental Europe, and beyond.

Origins in the House of Cavers

The Friarshaw line descends from the venerable Douglases of Cavers, hereditary sheriffs of Teviotdale and among the most stable families of the Borders. Their story begins with William Douglas, 1st of Friarshaw, younger son of Sir James Douglas, 5th of Cavers, and his wife Eufame Davidson. In an age marked by shifting allegiances and the turbulence of the Reformation, William's establishment at Friarshaw represented both continuity and expansion - a younger son carving out his own patrimony while remaining firmly within the orbit of the Cavers estate.

William's sons, John and George, carried the line forward, though it was George, the 3rd of Friarshaw, whose marriage to Margaret Myddilmest secured the estate's stability into the seventeenth century. Their son Andrew Douglas, 4th of Friarshaw, presided during the unsettled years leading to the Covenanting era, a time when Border families were often drawn into the wider religious and political currents of the kingdom.

Consolidation and Alliance

The next generation, Andrew Douglas, 5th of Friarshaw, strengthened the family's standing through his marriage in 1640 to Jean Hume of Polwarth, linking Friarshaw to one of the most influential Lowland houses. Their son Henry Douglas, later 6th of Friarshaw, inherited not only Friarshaw but also Belches/Belses, expanding the family's territorial footprint. Henry's marriage to Martha Lockhart of Castlehill in 1672 brought yet another distinguished alliance, weaving the Friarshaw Douglases into the fabric of Scotland's landed and professional classes.

Henry's children formed a large and capable generation, but it was George Douglas, born around 1673, who emerged as the 7th of Friarshaw. His marriage to Elizabeth Scott, daughter of Sir Patrick Scott of Ancrum, added a final, powerful stitch to the tapestry of alliances that defined the family's seventeenth-century ascent.

From Borders to Europe: The Friarshaw Diaspora

The eighteenth century saw the Friarshaw Douglases step beyond the Borders. George and Elizabeth's sons included two men whose careers would carry the family name into new realms:

- Sir James Douglas, later 1st Baronet of Springwood, who maintained the family's Scottish presence and reputation.
- Lieutenant-General Robert Douglas (1727-1809), whose military service in the Netherlands marked the beginning of the family's continental chapter.

Robert Douglas rose to become Governor of 's'Hertogenbosch in 1784, a position of considerable prestige within the Dutch Republic. His marriage to Helena de Brauw founded the Douglas van Breugel line, embedding Scottish Douglas blood into Dutch civic and military life. From this union sprang descendants who would later appear in Germany, Sweden, and Estonia, often as officers, diplomats, or members of the landed gentry.

Through these continental branches, the Friarshaw Douglases contributed to the broader Douglas diaspora - a phenomenon in which younger sons of Scottish houses found opportunity abroad, carrying with them the heraldic heart and crown that symbolised their ancient lineage.

Heraldry and Identity

The Friarshaw arms, borne by Lieutenant General Robert Douglas, preserved the unmistakable Douglas symbolism:

- Argent, a heart gules ensigned with a royal crown or,
- On a chief azure, three mullets argent,
- All within a bordure nebuly azure celeste.

The crest, a dexter forearm grasping a broken lance, and the motto 'Do or Die' speak to the martial spirit that animated the family's later generations. These arms, though cadet in form, remain a proud testament to the Friarshaw branch's place within the greater Douglas story.

Legacy

Today, the Douglas family of Friarshaw stands as a compelling example of how a Border cadet line could evolve: rooted in the sheriffdom of Teviotdale, strengthened through prudent marriages, and ultimately carried abroad by the ambitions of its sons. Their narrative enriches the Douglas Archives not merely as a genealogical record but as a testament to the adaptability and endurance of the Douglas name.

From the quiet fields of Lilliesleaf to the fortresses of the Low Countries, the Friarshaw Douglases embody the long arc of Scottish history - local in origin, international in reach, and always marked by the steadfast heart of Douglas.

The family

This Douglas line descended from the Douglas of Cavers branch of the family, and were lawyers and merchants. They took the title Douglas of Friarshaw from the original seat of the family in the parish of Lilliesleaf. 

William Douglas, 1st of Friarshaw, d 1575
Son of Sir James DOUGLAS, 5th of Cavers
m. Eufame Davidson
Children of William and Uefame DOUGLAS:
1.  John Douglas, 2nd of Friarshaw (dsp before 1623)

2.  George {below}

George Douglas, 3rd of Friarshaw, d 1623
m. Margaret Myddilmest
Children of George and Margaret DOUGLAS:
1.  Andrew {below} 

Andrew Douglas, 4th of Friarshaw 
d before 10.01.1645
Children of Andrew DOUGLAS:
1.  Andrew {below}

2.  William

Andrew Douglas, 5th of Friarshaw, d 1698
m. (1640 Jean Hume (of family of Polwarth)
Children of Andrew and Jean DOUGLAS:
1.  Henry {below}

2.  Thomas Douglas, M.D., married a daughter of the Lord Mayor of London, and died in Dublin without issue 1686.

Henry Douglas, 6th of Friarshaw, Laird of Belches (or Belses)(4), d 03.1701
m. (1672) Martha Lockhart (dau of Samuel Lockhart of Castlehill)
Children of Henry and Matha DOUGLAS:
1.  George {below}

2.  James

3.  [Several more children] 

George Douglas, 7th of Friarshaw, d 1753 (3) Possibly his arms below.
m. (1702) Elizabeth Scott (dau of Sir Patrick Scott, Bart of Ancrum)
Children of George and Elixabeth DOUGLAS: 
1.  Sir James Douglas, 1st Bart of Springwood (d 02.11.1787,

2.  (Rear Admiral) Lieutenant-General Robert Douglas, 1727 - 1809

Armorial from Java		Plate from Java

Douglas of Springwood

Admiral Sir James Douglas, 1st Baronet

Sir George Douglas, 2nd Baronet

Sir John James, 3rd Baronet 

Sir George Henry Scott Douglas, 4th Baronet

Sir George Brisbane Douglas, 5th Baronet

Sir James Louis Fitzroy Scott Douglas, 6th Baronet

The arms of Robert, son of George Douglas of Friarshaw and Elizabeth Scott are:
Argent, a heart Gules ensigned by a royal crown Or lined Gules, on a chief azure three molets argent, with a bordure nebuly Azure Celeste.

Wreath and mantling; Argens and Gules

Crest: A dexter forearm and hand proper holding a lance sinister bendwise Or the upper half broken dexter bendwise proper the point argent.

Motto: Do or Die
 

Research note:
1.  He sold the old estate of Friarshaw in 1788 and became MP for Roxburgh. Who?

2.  The Riddells of Glenriddell, Dumfries-shire, were descended from Sir Walter Riddell, second baronet of that ilk, through William, his second son, an advocate at the Scottish bar. This William acquired the lands of Friarshaw in Teviotdale, and afterwards Glenriddell, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain Francis Wauchope of the Niddry family. His son, Walter, married Catharine, eldest daughter of Sir Robert Lawrie of Maxwellton, baronet, and had, with two daughters, two sons, Robert, who succeeded him, and John, who married Helen, daughter of Sir Michael Balfour of Denmilne, with issue. The elder son, Robert, married Jane, daughter of Alexander Fergusson of Craigdarroch, by whom he had several daughters.

3. Possibly the George Douglas who was Sheriff Substitute of Inverness, 1752, at the time of the murder of Colin Campbell of Glenure on 14 May (the ‘Appin murder’)  This George Douglas was the first secretary of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, which position he held for about five years. But see this entry>>>

4.  Belses is a village on the Ale Water, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland the former Selkirkshire.

See also:
•  Douglas of Friarshaw pedigree

•  Family tree - Descendants of Andrew Douglas, 4th Lord of Friarshaw
 

•  Family seal