Archibald William Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry PC (18 April 1818 – 6 August 1858), styled Viscount Drumlanrig between 1837 and 1856, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician. He notably served as

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of t ...

between 1853 and 1856.

Background

Douglas was the son of

John Douglas, 7th Marquess of Queensberry John Douglas, 7th Marquess of Queensberry (1779 – 19 December 1856), styled Lord John Douglas from May to December 1837, was a Scottish Whig politician. Early life Queensberry was the son of Sir William Douglas, 4th Baronet (died 16 May 178 ...

, by Sarah Douglas, daughter of Major James Sholto Douglas. He became known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

Viscount Drumlanrig when his father succeeded to the marquessate of Queensberry in 1837.thepeerage.com Archibald William Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry
/ref>

Cricket

He played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

for the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

in 1841.

Political career

Lord Drumlanrig was returned to parliament for

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

in 1847. In early 1853 he was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

and appointed

under

Lord Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, (28 January 178414 December 1860), styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a British statesman, diplomat and landowner, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite politician and specialist in ...

, a post he held until 1856, during the last year under the premiership of

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

. In 1856 he also succeeded his father in the marquessate. However, as this was a

Scottish peerage The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...

, it did not entitle him to a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. He stood down from the House of Commons in early 1857. Apart from his political career he was also

Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfriesshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries. *William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry 17 March 1794 –1797 *Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch 17 November 1797 – 20 April 1819 *Charles Douglas, 6t ...

from 1850 to 1858.

Family

Lord Queensberry married Caroline Margaret Clayton (1821–1904), daughter of General

Sir William Clayton, 5th Baronet 200px, The House of Commons, 1833, by Sir George Hayter (died 1871), given to the National Portrait Gallery, London in 1858. Also known as "The Meeting of the First Reformed Parliament". Sir William Robert Clayton, 5th Baronet (28 August 1786 & ...

, at

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was historica ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, in 1840. They had six children: *

Lady Gertrude Georgina Douglas Lady Gertrude Georgina Stock (née Douglas; 21 August 1842 – 25 November 1893) was an English aristocrat and novelist, who also wrote under the pseudonym George Douglas. In 1891 she founded the National Canine Defence League (today known as Dogs ...

(died 1893), a writer, who married Thomas Stock. *

John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry (20 July 184431 January 1900), was a British nobleman, remembered for his atheism, his outspoken views, his brutish manner, for lending his name to the " Queensberry Rules" that form the basis of ...

(1844–1900), the man behind the Marquess of Queensberry rules that formed the basis of modern

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

, and, much later, the downfall of author and playwright

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. *

Lord Francis William Bouverie Douglas Lord Francis William Bouverie Douglas (8 February 1847 – 14 July 1865) was a novice British mountaineering, mountaineer. After sharing in the first ascent of the Matterhorn, he died in a fall on the way down from the summit. Early life Born ...

(1847–1865), beaten by A. W. Moore and party by a day to first ascent of the

Ober Gabelhorn The Ober Gabelhorn (4063 m) is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland, located between Zermatt and Zinal. Geography The Ober Gabelhorn lies in the Swiss canton of Valais at the southern end of the Zinal valley (part of the Val d'Anni ...

, killed a week later in the first successful ascent of the

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

. *

Reverend Lord Archibald Edward Douglas Reverend Lord Archibald Edward Douglas (1850–1938) was the son of Archibald Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry and his wife Caroline Margaret Clayton, daughter of General Sir William Clayton, 5th Baronet (1786–1866). Reverend Lord Archibald ...

(1850–1938). * Lady Florence Caroline Douglas (1855–1905) (twin), war correspondent, travel writer, and feminist. * Lord James Edward Sholto Douglas (1855–1891) (twin), married racehorse breeder Martha Lucy Hennessy in 1888. James committed suicide in 1891 by cutting his throat with a razor in a London hotel.

Death

Lord Queensberry died while hunting in August 1858 aged forty, officially from the explosion of his gun. However, the event was widely believed to be a suicide. The Marchioness of Queensberry died in February 1904. He is buried in the family burial ground at Gooley Hill, near

Kinmount House Kinmount House is a 19th-century country house in the parish of Cummertrees in the historic county of Dumfriesshire in Dumfries and Galloway region, Scotland. It is located west of Annan. The house was designed by Sir Robert Smirke for the 6 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Queensberry, Archibald Douglas, 8th Marquess of 1818 births 1858 deaths Lord-Lieutenants of Dumfries Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Drumlanrig, Archibald Douglas, Viscount Drumlanrig, Archibald Douglas, Viscount Drumlanrig, Archibald Douglas, Viscount UK MPs who inherited peerages Scottish cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Marquesses of Queensberry

Drumlanrig Drumlanrig (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim Lannraig'') is a settlement in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which is best known for nearby Drumlanrig Castle. The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1384, spelled ''Drumlangryg''. There are a number o ...