Frances Douglas, Lady Douglas (26 July 1750 – 31 March 1817), formerly Lady Frances Scott, was the wife of

Archibald Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas Archibald James Edward Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas (10 July 1748 – 26 December 1827), was a Scottish politician. Early life He was born Archibald James Edward Stewart, in Paris,G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. Wh ...

, and the mother of novelist Caroline Lucy Scott. Like her brother,

Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch and 5th Duke of Queensberry (2 September 174611 January 1812) was a Scottish nobleman and long-time friend of Sir Walter Scott. He is the paternal 3rd great-grandfather of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucest ...

, she was closely acquainted with the novelist

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

. She was an amateur artist, some of whose works have survived.

Early life

She was the daughter of

Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (19 February 1721 – 1 April 1750) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the eldest child of Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch by his first wife Jane Scott, Countess of Dalkeith, Jane, daughter of James Dougla ...

, and his wife the former Lady Caroline Campbell, who took the courtesy title of Countess of Dalkeith. Born three months after her father's death, she was reportedly shown little affection by her mother, who appeared "insensible to her merits", according to her own sister,

Lady Mary Coke Lady Mary Coke (6 February 1727 – 30 September 1811) was an English noblewoman known for her letters and private journal. She made pointed observations of people in her circle and political figures. Although not intended for publication, an ed ...

. A portrait of Lady Frances with her brothers was painted by Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

in about 1758, and is thought to be the same work held by the National Gallery of Scotland. In 1755, the Countess remarried, her second husband being the politician

Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Amer ...

, who took an interest in Frances as her step-father and supervised her education.

Literary society

In 1767, Frances travelled to Scotland for her brother's wedding; she remained at

Dalkeith Palace Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 ...

for some time. She met

Alexander Carlyle Alexander Carlyle MA DD FRSE (26 January 172228 August 1805) was a Scottish church leader, and autobiographer. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1770/71. Life He was born on 26 January 1722 in the ...

, minister at

Inveresk Inveresk (Gaelic: ''Inbhir Easg'') is a village in East Lothian, Scotland situated to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a conservation area since 1969. It is situated on slightly elevated ground on the north bank of a loop ...

, and they developed a friendship. He appreciated her wit and good taste. The corresponded, enjoying her skill as a

belletrist () is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...

. While she was away, Townshend died, and Douglas lost his guidance and protection. She thrived, though, in the literary society of the palace. Her aunt Lady Jane Scott died in 1779 and left her a manor (now called Douglas House) in

Petersham, London Petersham is a village in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, London, Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham, London, Ham. It provides the foreground of the sce ...

and a considerable financial inheritance. In 1782, Douglas and her brother traveled to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and stayed with Lady Carlow. She was the sister of

Lady Louisa Stuart Lady Louisa Stuart (12 August 1757 – 4 August 1851) was a British writer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Her long life spanned nearly ninety-four years. Early life Stuart was one of the six daughters of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute ( ...

, who was a close friend. While in Ireland, she met with Anne Townshend, her stepsister, who needed help sorting out the financial difficulties from an unfortunate marriage.

Marriage and children

On 13 May 1783, Frances married Archibald Douglas, at Grosvenor Square, London. Archibald, described as a 'safe ... and comfortable man', was married to her friend, Lady Lucy Graham, until her death in 1780. Part of the attraction for her marriage to Archibald was the affectionate relationship she had with his four children. The couple had six children: *Frances Elizabeth Douglas (died 1854), who married William Moray-Stirling, 17th of Abercairny, and had no children *Mary Sidney Douglas, who married Robert Douglas and had no children *Hon. Caroline Lucy Douglas (1784–1857), who married Admiral Sir George Scott, K.C.B., and had no children; she became known as a novelist *Hon. Sholto Scott Douglas (1785–1821) *Reverend James Douglas, 4th Baron Douglas (1787–1857), who married Wilhelmina Murray. He inherited the title of Baron Douglas following the death of his elder half-brothers, but had no children and the title then became extinct *Hon. George Douglas (1788–1838) Their family home was

Bothwell Castle Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Bothwell and Uddingston, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle wa ...

, where she entertained poets and authors in an atmosphere of 'ease, comfort and gaiety'. She entertained the French émigré aristocracy. Guest also included M. G. Lewis,

Mary Berry Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings (''née'' Berry; born 24 March 1935) is an English food writer, chef, baker and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she studied catering at college. She then move ...

, and Sir Walter Scott, who met

there in 1799.

Literature

Lady Louisa later suggested that Scott had based the character of

Jeanie Deans Jeanie Deans is a fictional character in Sir Walter Scott's novel '' The Heart of Midlothian'' first published in 1818. She was one of Scott's most celebrated characters during the 19th century; she was renowned as an example of an honest, uprig ...

in ''

The Heart of Midlothian ''The Heart of Mid-Lothian'' is the seventh of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley Novels. It was originally published in four volumes on 25 July 1818, under the title of ''Tales of My Landlord, 2nd series'', and the author was given as "Jedediah Clei ...

'' partly on Frances. Lady Louisa's memoir of Frances was written for the benefit of her family and was not published until 1985. The National Archives holds correspondence between Frances and her friend

Dorothy Bentinck, Duchess of Portland Dorothy Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (née Lady Dorothy Cavendish; 27 August 17503 June 1794) was Duchess of Portland and the wife of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Biography Dorothy Caven ...

, dating between 1766 and 1771.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Frances 1750 births 1817 deaths Daughters of barons British baronesses by marriage Scottish women artists