William, Lord of Douglas (c. 1220 – c. 1274), known as 'Longleg', was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

nobleman. He was the son of Archibald I, Lord of Douglas. The years of the minority of King Alexander III (1249–1262) featured an embittered struggle for the control of affairs between two rival parties, the one led by the nationalistic Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, the other by pro-English

Alan Durward Alan Hostarius (or Alan Durward) ( gd, Ailean Dorsair) (died after 1264, or in 1275) was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel ...

Justiciar of Scotia The Justiciar of Scotia (in Norman-Latin, ''Justiciarus Scotie'') was the most senior legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. ''Scotia'' (meaning Scotland) in this context refers to Scotland to the north of the River Forth and Rive ...

. The former dominated the early years of Alexander's reign. In 1255 an interview between the English and Scottish kings at Kelso led to Menteith and his party losing to Durward's party. Later both parties called a Meeting of the great Magnates of the Realm to establish a regency until Alexander came of age. William Lord of Douglas was one of the

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

s called to witness. Douglas was a partisan of Durward's party. This can be explained by the fact that although most of his territories lay in Douglasdale, through his wife, Constance, he had obtained the rich

Manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

of Fawdon in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

and it would do well to keep English Royal favour. David Hume of Godscroft, the arch-

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

ist of the House of Douglas, states that Longleg married

Marjorie, Countess of Carrick :''See also Marjorie Bruce, her granddaughter.'' Marjorie of Carrick (also called Margaret; died before 9 November 1292) was Countess of Carrick, Scotland, from 1256 to 1292, and is notable as the mother of Robert the Bruce. Family Marjorie wa ...

and had by her two sons and a daughter, the daughter inheriting the Earldom of Carrick. Marjorie went on to marry Robert de Brus, father to King

Robert I of Scotland Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

; this, however, does not make any sense historically. William Longleg, Lord of Douglas (died c. 1274) married Constance Battail of Fawdon, and had two sons and a daughter:Balfour Paul, Vol III, p. 137 *Hugh I, Lord of Douglas (died c. 1274) * William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas (1240–1298) *Willelma de Douglas (d. 1302)

References

Notes

Sources

* Balfour Paul, Sir James -'' The Scots Peerage'' IX vols. Edinburgh 1906

* William Fraser (historian), Fraser, Sir William -''The Douglas Book'' IV vols. Edinburgh 188

* David Hume of Godscroft, Hume, David -''The history of the House and race of Douglas and Angus''. London 1820

* Herbert Maxwell, Maxwell, Sir Herbert -''A History of the House of Douglas'' II vols. London 1902. 1220 births 1270s deaths Scoto-Normans

William Longleg, Lord of Douglas William, Lord of Douglas (c. 1220 – c. 1274), known as 'Longleg', was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of Archibald I, Lord of Douglas. The years of the minority of King Alexander III (1249–1262) featured an embittered struggle for the ...

Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain {{Scotland-noble-stub