Lt. Col Montagu William Douglas CSI, CIE. (1863 – February 1957) was a British soldier and colonial administrator in India. As the Assistant District Commissioner in the Punjab, he investigated the attempted murder allegation made by

Henry Martyn Clark Henry Martyn-Clark (Peshawar, c. 1857 - Edinburgh, April 1916) was an Afghan-born adopted British medical missionary stationed in Amritsar in the late 19th century. Biography Clark was born to Afghan parents, and was adopted after his mother' ...

against

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad (13 February 1835 – 26 May 1908) was an Indian religious leader and the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the promised Messiah and Mahdi—which is the metaphoric ...

, the founder of the

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

movement. Ahmad later declared him to be the "

Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

of our time", superior to the original. In his later life he was a noted advocate of the

Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. While historians and literary scholars overwhelmingly reject alternative authorship candidates ...

and was president of the

Shakespeare Fellowship The Shakespeare Fellowship was the name used by an organisation devoted to the Shakespeare authorship question. Originally it sought to represent all alternatives to the mainstream consensus that William Shakespeare authored the plays attributed ...

for many years.

Early life and career

He was born to Edward Douglas, (1831–1867) and Annie Arbuthnot, (b. 1831). In February 1884 he joined the 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, switching to the Indian army in 1887. He was promoted to captain in 1895. In 1891, Douglas married Helen Mary Isabelle Downer (b. 1863). They had three children, Edward Montagu Douglas (b. 1891), Major Archibald Stair Montagu Douglas, MM, (1897–1974), and Helen Elizabeth Douglas (b. 1893).

Investigation of attempted murder claims

In 1897, having been appointed assistant district commissioner in the Punjab, Douglas was required to investigate the allegations of

against

. Clark, a Christian missionary, had been approached by a youth named Abdul Hamid, who claimed that Ahmad had sent him to kill Clark. Douglas found Hamid's claims to be implausible, and that there was evidence that Hamid had been coached. He had also repeatedly changed and even retracted his story. Douglas dismissed the charges. Even after more than forty years he vividly remembered the case and its details. He wrote to J. D. Shams, an

missionary in London on 29 July 1939, "... the evidence was false and thus I acquitted Mirza Ghulam Ahmad". The aftermath was presented by Ahmad's supporters as a triumph, and as evidence of Ahmad's divine mission. Subsequently, Ahmad compared Douglas favourably with

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

, declaring him to be a man of much superior character, stating,

In my opinion, Captain Douglas outshines Pilate in imparting judgment fearlessly and in showing determination and steadfastness ... Pilate showed cowardice due to fear of the High Priest and the Elders, and acted in a cowardly manner. But Captain Douglas showed no sign of weakness ... Those who are blessed with honour from above do not hanker after worldly honours. This commendable courtesy by the 'Pilate' of our time shall be remembered by all my followers when I am gone. He shall be remembered till the end of the world with love and respect."

In his book ''Kitab ul Baryyah'' (An Account of Exoneration) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad has narrated the details of the case.

Later career and retirement

Douglas was appointed Deputy Commissioner in 1899, and was promoted to

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 6 February 1902. He was on the executive committee for the Coronation Durbar at Delhi in 1903. From 1910-1913 he was Deputy Commissioner of the Lylpur District. He then served as Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1913–1920. Douglas was honoured as

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in 1903 and as

Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(CSI) in 1919. In his retirement he was an advocate of

and wrote ''The Earl of Oxford as “Shakespeare”; an outline of the case'' (1931). In 1928 he became president of

The Shakespeare Fellowship The Shakespeare Fellowship was the name used by an organisation devoted to the Shakespeare authorship question. Originally it sought to represent all alternatives to the mainstream consensus that William Shakespeare authored the plays attributed ...

, after the death of its founder

George Greenwood Sir Granville George Greenwood (3 January 1850 – 27 October 1928), usually known as George Greenwood or G. G. Greenwood, was a British lawyer, politician, cricketer, animal welfare reformer and energetic advocate of the Shakespeare authorshi ...

. He held the post until 1945. Douglas advocated a "group theory" of Shakespeare authorship with Oxford as the "master mind". In ''Lord Oxford and the Shakespeare Group'' (1952) he expanded his theory, asserting that Oxford's fellow-contributors were Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, the Earl of Derby, John Lyly and Robert Greene. According to

James S. Shapiro James S. Shapiro (born 1955) is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University who specializes in Shakespeare and the Early Modern period. Shapiro has served on the faculty at Columbia University since 1985, teaching Shakes ...

Douglas also believed that "Queen Elizabeth had entrusted Oxford to oversee a propaganda department that would produce patriotic plays and pamphlets".James Shapiro, ''Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?'', Faber & Faber, 2011, p.216. In his later life he also painted and was among amateurs exhibited at the Royal Academy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Montagu William 1863 births 1957 deaths Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship Shakespeare authorship theorists British Indian Army officers History of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India