Sir John Douglas, 3rd Baronet
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Sir John Douglas, 3rd Baronet (c. 1708 – 13 November 1778) came from a junior branch of the Douglas family and was related to the
Dukes of Queensberry The title Duke of Queensberry was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 3 February 1684 along with the subsidiary title Marquess of Dumfriesshire for the 1st Marquess of Queensberry. The Dukedom was held along with the Marquessate of Queensbe ...
. In 1741, he was elected
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...
, a
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
controlled by the Queensberry interest. Like many members of the
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
party, he was a Jacobite sympathiser and his brothers Erskine (c. 1725-1791) and Francis (c. 1726-1793) participated in the
1745 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took pl ...
. He was arrested in August 1746 after Murray of Broughton provided evidence he visited
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
outside
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
in January. Released in 1748 without charge, he was excluded from the 1747 Act of Indemnity and forced to resign his seat. Constantly in financial difficulty, Douglas was imprisoned for debt in January 1778 and died in November; he was succeeded by his son
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
.


Life

Douglas was born in Kelhead, Annan, the eldest son of Sir William Douglas, 2nd Baronet of Kelhead (c. 1675-1733) and Helen Erskine (1685-1764). His grandfather, James Douglas, was a son of
William Douglas of Kelhead Colonel William Douglas of Kelhead (died 1673) raised a regiment of foot in Nithsdale and Annandale in 1643. Variously known as Colonel William Douglas of Kilhead’s (sic) Regiment of Foot and The Nithsdale and Annandale Regiment, it was a Cov ...
, second son of the 1st Earl of Queensberry. He married Christian (1710-1741), daughter of Sir William Cunningham; they had eight children before her death in 1741, including
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
(1731-1783), Charles (c. 1732-1775), Stair (c. 1735-1789), Catherine, Janet and Helen.


Career

Douglas managed Queensberry's political affairs in
Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...
and was a member of the
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
or 'Country' party, largely excluded from government from 1715 to 1760. The decline of
Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...
in the late 1730s gave the Tories hope of power for the first time in 25 years and in 1741, Douglas was returned as
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...
. In February 1742, Walpole was ousted by a coalition of Tories and
Patriot Whigs The Patriot Whigs, later the Patriot Party, were a group within the Whig Party in Great Britain from 1725 to 1803. The group was formed in opposition to the government of Robert Walpole in the House of Commons in 1725, when William Pulteney (l ...
, who promptly did a deal with their Whig colleagues to exclude them from the new government, known as the
Broad Bottom ministry The Broad Bottom ministry was the factional coalition government of Great Britain between 1744 and 1754. It was led by the two Pelham brothers in Parliament, Prime Minister Henry Pelham in the House of Commons and the Duke of Newcastle in th ...
. Fury at this led many Tories to seek support from the exiled Stuarts; Douglas was related by marriage or blood to a number of those involved in the
1745 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took pl ...
, including James Maxwell of Kirkconnell,
Lord Elcho Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in ...
and the 5th
Earl of Traquair Earl of Traquair (pronounced "Tra-''quare''") was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Stewart, 1st Earl of Traquair, John Stewart, Lord Stewart of Traquair. The family seat was Traquair House. Stewart had been c ...
(1699-1764). In January 1746, Douglas visited Charles during the siege of Stirling. Despite their failure to join the invasion of England, he brought messages of support from the English Jacobite leaders Lord Barrymore and Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, and assurances £10,000 was in London 'awaiting (his) use.' Murray of Broughton, who arranged the meeting, later stated he was surprised, 'never having suspected (Douglas) to be in the Pretender's interest.' Based on Murray's testimony, Douglas was arrested on 14 August and committed to the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
; when questioned, he refused to answer on the grounds that 'being no lawyer, he doth not think fit to give any.' One famous anecdote is that when asked if he knew Murray, Douglas responded 'once I knew...a Murray of Broughton, but that was a gentleman and a man of honour.' This appears in
Tales of a Grandfather ''Tales of a Grandfather'' is a series of books on the history of Scotland, written by Sir Walter Scott, who originally intended it for his grandson. The books were published between 1828 and 1830 by A & C Black. In the 19th century, the study o ...
, a history of Scotland written for his grandson by novelist
Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
; while the timeline of events is broadly accurate, many of its anecdotes are not and there is no independent source for this. Douglas was released in June 1748 but excluded from the 1747 Act of Indemnity, which ended his political career and he was replaced as MP for Dumfriesshire by Queensberry's second son, Lord Charles Douglas (1726-1756). His trial and the execution of Lovat were a warning to others and ended the practice whereby senior Tories like the
Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of So ...
could in theory support the overthrow of their own government and institutions with impunity. Sir Watkin Williams Wynn shows why the government considered this necessary; in late 1747, he wrote to Charles claiming his supporters wished for 'another happy opportunity wherein they may exert themselves more in deeds than in words, in the support of your Royal Highness's dignity and interest and the cause of liberty.' An inability to manage finances and the need to provide for his numerous brothers and sisters meant Douglas was perpetually short of money. In 1745, the family tutor, James Hogg, took his four sons to
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 sent the two eldest to university, paying their expenses himself. His time in prison gained him considerable sympathy; Queensberry allowed him to live at
Drumlanrig Drumlanrig (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim Lannraig'') is a settlement in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which is best known for nearby Drumlanrig Castle. The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1384, spelled ''Drumlangryg''. There are a number o ...
and reached a deal with his creditors by putting a trustee in charge of his estates. This proved a short-term solution; in October 1762, his distant relative, biographer and author
James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...
, recorded that "by his princely improvements
f the estate F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...
Sir John Douglas has burthened his estate with about £30,000... a lively man, but hurried away by fanciful project." Scottish legal records show continual litigation between Sir John and his creditors and his estates were sequestered once again in 1758. Douglas' younger brother Charles Douglas was a wealthy
East India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadh ...
merchant who died in 1770 and left his property to John's eldest son William Douglas. William was also a favourite of Queensberry, who left him £16,000 when he died in October 1778; his son's prospects allowed John to borrow large sums of money but he was imprisoned for debt in January 1778. He died in November 1778, one month after Queensberry's death in October.


References


Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, John, 3rd Baronet, of Kelhead 1700s births 1778 deaths Year of birth uncertain Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Prisoners in the Tower of London Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia British MPs 1741–1747