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James Douglas, mathematician and astronomer
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James Douglas was the son of
William Douglas, Laird of Whittingehame (d.1596), and Elizabeth Maitland, daughter of Sir Richard Maitland, Lord Lethington. W. R. Thomas records that he matriculated at the University of Glasgow in 1594, where he formed a friendship with Archibald Napier, son of the mathematician John Napier. Thomas further claims that Douglas went to London in the late 1590s and was “almost immediately appointed the King’s private secretary.” However, S. T. Bindoff and the Calendar of State Papers present a different picture: in 1598 Douglas entered the service of Sir James Elphinstone, the newly appointed Scottish secretary, and by 1601 he was described by his brother Thomas as a writer to the secretary of Scotland. An unidentified manuscript among his books later refers to him as secretary to James VI, suggesting he may have held that role at some stage(1).
Thomas also states that in 1603 Douglas and Archibald Napier accompanied King James VI and I to London as Gentlemen of the Bedchamber, alongside the royal physician John Craig. In London, Craig and Douglas were enthusiastic participants in the surge of book‑buying at court and enjoyed access to the Old Royal Library.
When Douglas died in 1635, he bequeathed 85 books on mathematics and astronomy to the library of Edinburgh University. Several had previously belonged to John Craig (c.1550–c.1620), including Tycho Brahe’s presentation copy of his treatise on the comet of 1577 (Dd.5.50). The full scope of Douglas’s donation remains unclear, as his provenance has not yet been fully incorporated into the library’s online catalogue, though his books can be identified by his inscription.
The only detailed study of Douglas’s library is W. R. Thomas’s 1935 article, which notes the existence of a contemporary catalogue titled Catalogus librorum mathematicorum quos Jacobus Douglassius Wittingamius Jacobi Regi Sexto secretarius Academiae Jacobi Regis testament legavi, listing the books he left to the university. The manuscript is said to bear the endorsement: “Catalogue of the books delivered be Harie Young to King James his College at Edinburgh Decemb. 1635.” Further work is needed to determine precisely which manuscript this refers to.
Notes:
1. He is described in the Great Seal 1st November 1, 1648, as "secretary to James VI".
Whether is is a later reference to him, or his date of death is
incorrectly recorded is an unknown.
Contributions
Do you have an ancestor whose
story should be told here? Can you add to this article? Please let us have the details.
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Source
Sources for this article include:
Hall, John T D;‘The History and Development of Special Collections in
Edinburgh University Library’ The Bibliotheck; a Scottish Journal of
Bibliography and Allied Topics Vol. 10, Iss. 5, (1981)
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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