James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton (died 1548) was a son of

John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton died 9 September 1513 at the Battle of Flodden. Life He was the son of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Princess Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton, daughter of James I of Scotland by his wife Lady Joan Be ...

and a grandson of

James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton James Douglas (1426 – 22 October 1493), the 4th Lord of Dalkeith, was created the 1st Earl of Morton in 1458. Life He was the son of James Douglas, 2nd Lord of Dalkeith and Elizabeth Gifford, daughter of James Gifford of Sheriffhall. His fa ...

and Joan of Scotland, a daughter of

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...

. He married Catherine Stewart, an illegitimate daughter of King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

by his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

Marion Boyd Phyllis Marion Boyd ( Watt; March 26, 1946 – October 11, 2022) was a Canadian politician in Ontario. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999 who represented the riding of London Centre. She ...

. The couple had three daughters; Margaret, Beatrix, and Elizabeth. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, husband of his daughter Elizabeth. His daughter

Lady Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. In her youth she was high in the favour of her unc ...

married James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, who was

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

, prior to the birth of her son

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

in 1566. Beatrix married Robert Maxwell, 6th Lord Maxwell. Morton's three daughters were all affected by mental ill-health.

Resignation at Brechin

In 1541, King

James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...

ordered the Earl to travel to

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

and enter ward (house-arrest). But the King met him on his way at Brechin on 17 October 1541. Morton resigned his titles to

Dalkeith Palace Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 on the site of the ...

and its lands to the King, and he was allowed to return home. The legal instrument was witnessed by David Beaton,

Thomas Erskine of Haltoun Sir Thomas Erskine of Haltoun and Brechin was the royal secretary to James V of Scotland from 1524. Family A royal charter of 8 February 1543 noted Thomas as the uncle of the reformer John Erskine of Dun, who was married to a French lady-in waitin ...

, John Tennent,

Oliver Sinclair Sir Oliver Sinclair of Pitcairnis (died 1576?) was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss. Another story tells how at the end of h ...

of Pitcairns,

Andrew Wood of Largo Sir Andrew Wood of Largo (died 1515) was a Scottish sea captain. Beginning as a merchant in Leith, he was involved in national naval actions and rose to become Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was knighted c. 1495. He may have transported ...

, and other prominent courtiers. The lands were immediately granted to Robert Douglas of Lochleven, the husband of the King's former mistress

Margaret Erskine Lady Margaret Erskine (8 October 1515 – 5 May 1572) was a mistress of King James V of Scotland and mother of Regent Moray. She was a daughter of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margaret Campbell. Royal mistress and mother James V had ...

. Robert Douglas subsequently resigned the title to James V on 20 January 1542, withholding only

Aberdour Castle Aberdour Castle is in the village of Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was built a ...

. In 1543, after the death of James V, the Earl successfully challenged the legality of his resignation before the council of Regent Arran. Morton stated that he was old and infirm and would have been unlikely to survive confinement in Inverness away from the comfort of

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

, and was compelled by his 'just dredour' (rightful fear) of the King with his 'menacing' and messages with 'boastful words'. He had 'quietly' had a notary draw up his objections on 29 March 1542. Arran's council declared him a 'constant man' in the face of fear and dread and the transactions were to have no avail in all time to come. Morton was assisted in asserting his rights in 1543 by

George Douglas of Pittendreich George Douglas of Pittendreich (died 1552) was a member of the powerful Red Douglas family who struggled for control of the young James V of Scotland in 1528. His second son became James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton and Regent of Scotland. Initi ...

. The historian, Jamie Cameron, suggests that the motive of James V may have been to settle the Morton heritage on his son by Margaret Erskine, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, in the event the Earldom came to George Douglas's son.Cameron, Jamie, ''James V'' (Tuckwell, 1998), pp. 274–277.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, James Douglas, 3rd Earl Of Year of birth missing 1548 deaths Earls of Morton

James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton (died 1548) was a son of John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton and a grandson of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Joan of Scotland, a daughter of James I of Scotland. He married Catherine Stewart, an illegitimate ...

Court of James V of Scotland