George Douglas, Master of Angus (1469 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish Nobleman. The son of

Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus (c. 1449October 1513), was a Scottish nobleman, peer, politician, and magnate. Tradition has accorded him the nickname Archibald 'Bell-the-Cat' due to his association with the 1482 rebellion against Jam ...

and Elizabeth Boyd, daughter of

Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd (died 1482) was a Scottish statesman, Lord Chamberlain of Scotland from 1467. Biography Robert Boyd was knighted, and was created a Peer of Parliament (Lord Boyd) by James II of Scotland at some date between 1451 and 1 ...

, he was born at Tantallon Castle and died at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

Overview

In 1489 the 5th Earl of Angus, Douglas's father resigned his lordships of Tantallon, Douglasdale,

Liddesdale Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of . The Waverley route of the North British Railway runs ...

, Ewesdale, Eskdale, Selkirk, and Jedburgh Forest to the crown. James III then granted a new charter in favour of the Master. During the stand off between James III and the party backing his son James, then Duke of Rothesay, the Master attended the last parliament of the king before his death in the

Battle of Sauchieburn The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on 11 June 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about south of Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinbur ...

. It is not recorded to which faction the younger Angus adhered to. He attended parliament again under the newly crowned James IV in 1490. The Master did not take an active part in Public affairs until 1499 when he took formal control over his lordships of Eskdale and Ewesdale. These lordships had become renowned for lawlessness and banditry, and the Master was appointed by the King as warden of Eskdale. In his capacity of Warden he met with his English counterpart

Lord Dacre Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by Hereditary peer#Writs of summons, writ. History The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre, Ralph Dacre was Hereditary peer# ...

at Canonbie to hear grievances and fix punishments. The Younger Angus was not a particularly effective at restoring law and order. His undue leniency to his own tenantry caused the King to deprive him of office in 1506, granting it instead to

Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home (died 1516) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, Chamberlain of Scotland and Warden of the Eastern March. He fought at the Battle of Flodden where his forces defeated the English right wing before the Scottish army ...

. George did however, gain the Barony of Crawford-Lindsay in 1510, and his father made over his estates of

Kirriemuir Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie or the ''Wee Red Toon'' ( gd, An Ceathramh Mòr; IPA: nˈkʰʲɛɾəvmoːɾ, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. It reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it is thought to have been a major ecclesiastical ...

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...

, and Horsehopecleugh in the same year.

Death at Flodden Field

In late August 1513 the Master of Angus rode out with his father the Earl, and his younger brother

Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt. (c. 1473 – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman, who fell at Flodden. Biography Douglas was the second son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1s ...

at the head of a large Douglas contingent and their adherents. On reaching the mustering point at the Ellemford, north of

Duns Duns may refer to: * Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland ** Duns railway station ** Duns F.C., a football club ** Duns RFC, a rugby football club ** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372 * Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...

, they joined with the largest and most modern army that Scotland had ever fielded. The army proceeded under King James into England where it eventually met with the army of the

Earl of Surrey Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, a close companion of William the Conqueror. It is currently held as a subsidiary title by the Dukes of Norfol ...

at Flodden Edge. A petulant Earl of Angus, having had his advice snubbed by King James, left the field and returned to Scotland, leaving the Master and his brother in charge of the Douglas contingent. Nothing more is recorded of the Master of Angus except an anecdote recorded by

David Hume of Godscroft David Hume or Home of Godscroft (1558–1629) was a Scottish historian and political theorist, poet and controversialist, a major intellectual figure in Jacobean Scotland. It has been said that "Hume marks the culmination of the Scottish humani ...

recording the last moments of King James. When Sir Edward Stanley had broken the Scottish left under the

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first ear ...

and

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

. King James in the centre dismounted and prepared to make his stand amongst his spearmen. On noticing the Master of Angus still on horseback, he cried to him, "asking if it had been in the manner of his race to remain mounted while their sovereign fought on foot". To which the Master replied asking whether "it was the fashion of the King of Scots to wear his mail and armorial bearings while fighting on foot". The master hit a raw nerve in James's chivalric mind and he replied "I dare fight upon my feet as well as you or any subject I have, and that without coat-armour or royal cognisance." The English billmen now closed on the Scottish centre and King James was found within a spear length of Surrey. Whether Godscroft's anecdote is true or not, that the Master of Angus's taunts drove him to his death, the Master was equal to the King in reckless gallantry. The Master's corpse was found amongst the twelve Scottish Earls and seventeen Lords who died. According to Godscroft over 200 men of the name of Douglas also died.

Marriage

In 1485 the Master of Angus was contracted in marriage to Margaret, daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 1st Lord Oliphant. It appears that this contract was not fulfilled as George was wed in 1488 to Elizabeth Drummond, daughter of

John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond {{Infobox noble , name = John Drummond , title = Lord Drummond , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign ...

. The marriage ran afoul of the strictures of a small feudal society such as Scotland: it was found out some years after the marriage that it was within the prohibited degrees of

consanguinity Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...

. The Master of Angus applied for and successfully obtained

Papal dispensation In the jurisprudence of the canon law of the Catholic Church, a dispensation is the exemption from the immediate obligation of law in certain cases.The Law of Christ Vol. I, pg. 284 Its object is to modify the hardship often arising from the ...

in 1495.

Issue

By Elizabeth Drummond, George Master of Angus had three sons and four daughters: *

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (c. 148922 January 1557) was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the son of George, Master of Angus, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden, and suc ...

*Sir

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 ...

*William Douglas, Prior of

Coldingham Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwi ...

and Abbot of Holyrood *Elizabeth Douglas, married John Hay, 3rd Lord Yester *

Alison Douglas Alison Douglas (1480–1530) was a Landowner born in Eskdale. Early life Douglas's parents were Elizabeth Drummond and George Douglas, Master of Angus. Robert Blackadder of that Ilk was Douglas's first husband, though she was widowed after Flodd ...

, married David Home of Wedderburn * Janet Douglas, married

John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis (died 1528) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the second son of John Lyon, 4th Lord Glamis, and succeeded his brother as Lord Glamis in 1505. He married Janet Douglas (died 17 July 1537) Janet was falsely charged with ...

*Margaret Douglas, married James Douglas of Drumlanrig

Sources

* Maxwell, Sir Herbert. A History of the House of Douglas. Freemantle, London. 1902 *Barr, Niall. Flodden. Tempus, Stroud. 2003 * Brown, Michael. The Black Douglases. Tuckwell Press, East Linton. 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, George, Master of Angus 1469 births 1513 deaths 15th-century English people 16th-century English people Deaths at the Battle of Flodden People from East Lothian Court of James IV of Scotland Heirs apparent who never acceded George Douglas, Master of Angus