William of Douglas (died c. 1214) was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

living in Clydesdale, an area under the control of the

King of the Scots The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, Kenneth I MacAlpin () was the founder and first King of the Kingdom of Scotland (although he never held the title historically, being King of th ...

Enigmatic origins

The origins of William are uncertain, the first of the name of Douglas to appear on historic record. He appears as witness to a charter of Jocelin,

Bishop of Glasgow The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Catholic Church, the title was restored by Pope ...

in 1174 in favour of the monks of

Kelso Abbey Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbeys, Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scottish Borders, Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the reign of Alexander ...

, at which time he was in possession of the Lands of Douglas. It seems he was the son of Theobald le Fleming (born 1120, Aldingham Manor, Lancashire, England died 1193, Douglasdale, Midlothian, Scotland) and his wife, the sister of Freskin de Kersdale (of Moray).

Sholto/William

David Hume of Godscroft in his history refers to the progenitor of the House of Douglas, Sholto. Gleaned from the works of Buchanan and Boece, Godscroft's narrative explains that during the reign of a King Solvathius, Sholto Douglas was instrumental in putting down an uprising by a usurper ''Donald Bain'' in 767AD, and as reward was granted the lands that would after be called Douglas. Both Balfour Paul and Maxwell agree that this origin tale is mythic, but do contest that William of Douglas was active at the time of the real rebellion of the Meic Uilleim, under their chief Domnall mac Uilleim. The earlier historians may have confused the mythic ''Donald Bain'' with Domnall Bán mac Domnaill, the penultimate Meic Uilleim chief. This may be corroborated by the facts that the lands of Douglas marched with those of the leader of King

William I of Scotland William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...

's retaliatory forces, Lochlann, Lord of Galloway. William may well have been a vassal of the Lord of Galloway. Furthermore, all of William's sons with the exception of the eldest were to hold privileged ecclesiastic positions within the former Meic Uilleim territories in

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

. Although William de Douglas was the first known owner of Douglasdale, holding that land between 1174 and 1213, there is no reason to doubt that his father was "Theobaldo Flamatico" or Theobald the Fleming. The family's arms indicate the kinship with Murray and a descent like that of Brodie and Innes, from a third son of the house of Boulogne. In Flanders, there was a family of the Theobalds who were hereditary castellans of Ypres between about 1060 and 1127, after which their history becomes obscure. Theobald's lands in Scotland were granted to him soon after 1150 by the Abbot of Kelso. William de Douglas, the heir, having married the sister of Friskin de Kerdale or Freskin of Moray, had by her six sons; the five younger of them all went to Moray to support their uncle there and his own heir, Archenbald, stayed in Lanarkshire to inherit the Douglas estates. Archenbald married a daughter of Sir John Crawford.

Issue

William of Douglas may have married Margaret, a sister of Freskin of Kerdal, a Flemish laird from Moray. He had issue: * Archibald I (1166-1213), Lord of Douglas, married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Crawford of Crawford *

Bricius de Douglas Bricius (sometimes anglicized as Brice, died 1222) was prior of Lesmahagow and afterward bishop of Moray (Gaelic ''epscop Muireb''; Latin ''episcopus Moraviensis''). In this period, the name ''Bricius'' is more often a Latinization of the Ga ...

(ca. 1195–1222),

Bishop of Moray The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. If the foundation charter of the monastery at Scone is reliable, then the Bishopric of Mor ...

*Alexander de Douglas (ca. 1195–1238), a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of Spynie,

vicar capitular A diocesan administrator (also known as archdiocesan administrator, archiepiscopal administrator and eparchial administrator for the case, respectively, of an archdiocese, archeparchy, and eparchy) is a provisional ordinary of a Catholic part ...

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...

*Henry de Douglas (ca. 1195–1245), a canon of Spynie *Hugh de Douglas (ca. 1171–1245), a canon of Spynie, Archdeacon of Moray *Freskin de Douglas (1205-September 1232),

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

of Douglas, later Dean of Moray *Margaret de Douglas (1177-1260), married Hervey de Keith, Marischal of ScotlandFraser, vol I, p.43
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References

Notes

Sources

*''Liber S. Marie de Calchou, Registrum Cartarum Abbacie Tironensis de Kelso'' ii vols, ed. Innes. Bannatyne Club. Edinburgh 1846

* James Balfour Paul, Balfour Paul, Sir James, ''Scots Peerage'' IX vols. Edinburgh 1907 * Fraser, Sir William. ''The Douglas Book'' IV Vols. Edinburgh 1885 * Hume of Godscroft, David, ''A History of the House and Race of Douglas and Angus''. London 182

* Herbert Maxwell, Maxwell, Sir Herbert, ''A History of the House of Douglas'' II vols. London 190

Stirnet: Douglas01
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, William 01, Lord of Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain 12th-century births 1210s deaths Nobility from South Lanarkshire Scoto-Normans William 01, Lord of Douglas 12th-century Scottish nobility 13th-century Scottish nobility