William, Lord of Douglas (died 19 July 1333) was a short-lived
Scottish nobleman, the son of Sir
James Douglas and an unknown mother. Little is known of Lord Douglas's life which, after his father's death in Spain in 1330, he spent under the guardianship of
Sir Archibald Douglas.
There are records of transactions occurring in the exchequer accounts of the
Lord Chamberlain of Scotland
Holders of the office of Lord Chamberlain of Scotland are known from about 1124.
It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called ''Camerarius Domini Regis'', and had a salary of £200 per annum allotted to him. He ancien ...
in 1331 that refer to ''Willelmus dominus de Duglas''. There is also a record of a complaint by the monks of
Coldingham Priory
Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predec ...
to
David II against the Lord of Douglas and his uncle Sir Archibald, in respect of certain manorial lands at
Swinton, Berwickshire
Swinton is a small village in the Scottish Borders. It is in the former county of Berwickshire, around southeast of Duns, and northwest of the Anglo-Scottish border.
History
Swinton dates to the 11th century or earlier, and is associated with ...
. In this the monks claimed that the lands had been given to Lord Douglas' father, Sir James, illegally and with prejudice against the priory at Coldingham.
William of Douglas accompanied his uncle, who had been appointed Guardian of the Realm, to the battlefield of
Halidon Hill
Halidon Hill is a summit, about west of the centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border of England and Scotland. It reaches 600 feet (180 m) high. The name of the hill indicates that it once had a fortification on its top. At the Battle of ...
. There, with his uncle, six belted earls and countless knights and commoners, he was slain. He died unmarried and a minor. The title and privileges of the Lordship of Douglas passed to another uncle, Hugh "the Dull", a Canon of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and parson of
Roxburgh
Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...
who turned much of the Douglas patrimony over to his cousin
William Douglas of Lothian.
In 1778, excavations at the Auld Kirk at
North Berwick
North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...
uncovered the matrix of the seal of William, Lord Douglas. This seal stamp shows the first representation of the heart of
Bruce
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
in Douglas heraldry, and shows that it was assumed immediately after the death of Sir James Douglas.
References
*
Maxwell, Sir Herbert. ''A History of the House of Douglas''. Freemantle. London 1902
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, William Lord of
Year of birth missing
1333 deaths
Scottish deaths at the Battle of Halidon Hill
William IV, Lord of Douglas
William, Lord of Douglas (died 19 July 1333) was a short-lived Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman, the son of Sir James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, James Douglas and an unknown mother. Little is known of Lord Douglas's life which, after his fa ...