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 ...