George Douglas, 1st Earl Of Dumbarton
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Major-General George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton KT (1635 – 20 March 1692) was a Scottish military officer who spent much of his career in the service of
King Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monar ...
. In 1678, he returned to England; as a Catholic, he was a trusted servant of
King James II James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...
and went into exile with him after the 1688
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
. He died at the palace of
St Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint- ...
in March, 1692.


Life

George Douglas, later the Earl of Dumbarton, was born in 1635, probably at
Douglas Castle Douglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas (later Douglas-Home) family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large man ...
in
Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
, one of 13 children of the
Marquess of Douglas A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...
(ca 1589–1660) and his second wife, Lady Mary Gordon (ca 1600–1674). His elder brother was William Douglas, later Duke of Hamilton, while half-brothers from the Marquess' first marriage included
Lord James Douglas Lord James Douglas (1617–1645) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman and soldier. He was born at Douglas Castle, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas, and his wife Margaret Hamilton, a daught ...
and
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, 1st Earl of Ormond (1609–15 January 1655) was the eldest son of William Douglas, 1st Marquis of Douglas, from whom he obtained the courtesy title of Earl of Angus.Vian in the DNB spells the title Earl of Ormo ...
. By the 1630s, the vast majority of Scots belonged to the Protestant
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
or kirk; Catholicism was confined to parts of the aristocracy, such as the Marquess and Lady Mary, and remote Gaelic-speaking areas of the Highlands. The
Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...
government that ruled Scotland during the 1638-1651
Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
ordered the Douglas children to be brought up as Protestants; to escape this, George was sent to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and he first appears in a safe conduct pass dated 1647 giving him permission to do so. George and most of his immediate family remained Catholic, but his half-brother the Earl of Angus became a Protestant; his elder brother William did the same in order to marry the rich and Presbyterian Anne Hamilton. He married Anne, daughter of George Wheatley and sister-in-law of the
Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...
. They had one surviving son,
George Douglas, 2nd Earl of Dumbarton Lieutenant colonel George Douglas, 2nd Earl of Dumbarton (1687–1749) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. Life The Son of George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton and Anne Wheatley, Dumbarton was styled Lord Ettrick (more formally Lord Douglas o ...
(1687-1749).


Career

During the Interregnum of 1649–1660 that followed the execution of Charles I in January 1649, many Royalists lived in exile and joined units in foreign service, like the Dutch
Scots Brigade The Scots Brigade, also referred to as the Anglo-Dutch Brigade or the Anglo-Scots Brigade, was an infantry brigade of the Dutch States Army. First formed in 1586, by the late 17th century it usually comprised six infantry regiments, three recruit ...
. Such formations were common to all armies, with loyalties often based on religion or personal relationships; Marshall Turenne (1611-1675), considered the greatest general of his time, was a French Protestant who served in the Dutch army from 1625 to 1635. The
Régiment de Douglas The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I. The regiment existed co ...
was one such unit; formed in 1633 and recruited in Scotland, it had served with the French army ever since. In this period, regiments were the personal property of their Colonel and valuable financial assets; in 1645, ownership passed to the Earl of Angus, who remained in Scotland and assigned the Colonelcy to Dumbarton in 1653. The complex politics of this period meant individuals like Dumbarton needed both political and military skills; during the 1648-1653
Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...
or Civil War in France, as a foreign, Catholic-officered unit, his regiment was one of the few the young
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
could rely on. However, in the latter stages of the 1635-1659 Franco-Spanish War, France allied with the
English Commonwealth The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...
against Spain. Many exiled Royalists in France, including the future James II, now changed sides and the regiment was assigned to garrison duty to prevent its defection. In 1660, Charles II was restored as King of Scotland and England, leading to an attempted coup in January 1661 by
Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
radicals. Dumbarton's troops were sent to England but the revolt was quickly crushed and they returned to France, since the
Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...
refused to finance replacements for the disbanded
New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...
; this would be an issue throughout Charles' reign. Dumbarton stayed in France until 1678, apart from a short period during the 1664-67
Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...
when his unit was based at Chatham dockyard. The diarist
Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...
met him in Rochester and recorded that "Here in the streets, I did hear the Scotch march beat by the drums before the soldiers, which is very odde." In 1667, the regiment was accused of looting after the Medway Raid and ordered back to France; while awaiting transport, over 700 of the 1,500 men deserted. In October 1669, Dumbarton was so badly wounded in a
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
his death was reported in the newspapers. Under the 1670
Treaty of Dover The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was an agreement between Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England signed at Dover on 1 June 1670. Officially, it only committed England to provide France with general diplomatic ...
, England agreed an alliance with France against the
Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...
, including the supply of 6,000 troops for the French army. It also contained secret provisions which were not revealed until 1771, including the payment to Charles of £230,000 per year for these troops. The Brigade fought primarily in the
Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
, to avoid potential clashes with English and Scots serving with the Dutch; a large part of it was provided by Dumbarton, whose regiment was expanded to 33 companies or 3,432 men. However, the alliance with Catholic France was deeply unpopular and England withdrew from the war after the 1674 Treaty of Westminster. Anxious to keep his French subsidies, Charles encouraged Dumbarton and other members of the Brigade to remain in French service during the 1672-1678
Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...
.Glozier, p.154-155. Charles created him Earl of Dumbarton and Lord of Ettrick in 1675 but neither came with estates and Dumbarton complained they simply cost him large amounts of money; in 1677, Louis appointed him
Maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...
or Lieutenant General in the French Army. In 1678, concerns over the Catholic James succeeding Charles resulted in the
Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinat ...
, in which over 100 people were falsely accused of conspiracy to murder Charles; 22 were executed and this was followed by the 1678-1681
Exclusion Crisis The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion Bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, ...
. At the same time, the end of the Franco-Dutch War led to Dumbarton's regiment being discharged from the French army in June 1678; in January 1679, it was reformed and listed on the English military establishment as the 'First Foot.' This was a temporary response to the unsettled political climate and to reduce Parliamentary scrutiny, the regiment was sent to Ireland in 1680, part of it also joining the
Tangier Garrison The Tangier Garrison was the land force which oversaw the defence of English Tangier between 1661 and 1684 when it was evacuated. It was part of the English Army, the de facto standing army that Charles II of England, Charles II established foll ...
. As a Catholic military professional and long-time servant of Louis XIV, Dumbarton was viewed with great suspicion by the Whigs; he petitioned Charles for compensation for financial losses arising from the 1678
Test Act The Test Acts were a series of penal laws originating in Restoration England, passed by the Parliament of England, that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Catholics and nonconformist Prote ...
, which barred him from Colonelcy of his regiment.Glozier, p.179. In reality, nothing changed; the regiment was referred to as 'late Dumbartons' but the Colonelcy left unfilled and he was restored as Colonel in 1685. Lacking a standing army, mercenary units like Dumbartons were a means of creating a pool of trained English and Scottish professionals; the most significant of these was the Dutch Scots Brigade, a mixture of English and Scottish regiments serving William of Orange. While Charles theoretically controlled the appointment of officers, in reality it required negotiation and attempts to appoint Dumbarton as Brigade commander in 1680 were rejected by William.Glozier, p.192. James was sent to Edinburgh in 1681 as
Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland The Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland was the List of Scottish monarchs, monarch of Scotland's high commissioner, personal representative to the Parliament of Scotland. From the accession of James I of England, James VI of Sc ...
; over the next two years, he established a Scottish Court Party, a mixture of Catholics like the Earl of Melfort and Dumbarton, plus supportive Protestants such as his brother, the Duke of Hamilton.Glozier, p.195. In August 1681, the Scottish Parliament passed the Succession Act, which confirmed the divine right of kings, the rights of the natural heir 'regardless of religion,' the duty of all to swear allegiance to that king and the independence of the Scottish Crown. However, tolerance for personal Catholicism did not extend to Catholicism in general; the 1681 Scottish Test Act also required all public officials and MPs to swear unconditional loyalty to the King but with the crucial qualifier they 'promise to uphold the true Protestant religion.' In 1683, rumours spread that Dumbarton was about to replace the Protestant
Tam Dalyell Sir Thomas Dalyell, 11th Baronet ( ; 9 August 1932 – 26 January 2017), known as Tam Dalyell, was a Scottish politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Linlithgow (formerly West Lothian) from 1962 to 2005. A member of the Labour ...
as Commander of Chief in Scotland, which may explain why he was asked to lead a diplomatic mission to France in July.Glozier, p.197. In 1684, Charles paid him £1,500 in compensation for losses incurred as a result of his Catholicism. James became king in February 1685 and in June, Dumbarton helped put down
Argyll's Rising Argyll's Rising, also known as Argyll's Rebellion, was an attempt in June 1685 to overthrow James II of England, James II and VII. Led by Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, the rising was intended to tie down Royal forces in Scotland while ...
; he served briefly as Commander-in-Chief, Scotland but was replaced in October by the Presbyterian William Drummond, Viscount Strathallan. However, in return for his support, he received the forfeited estates of
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655 – September 1716) was a Scottish writer and politician, remembered as an advocate for the non-incorporation of Scotland, and an opponent of the 1707 Acts of Union 1707, Act of Union between Scotland and Engla ...
; in 1687, he was a founder member of the
Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The ...
, along with his nephew the Earl of Arran. After James was deposed in the November 1688
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
, Dumbarton accompanied him into exile in France. Dumbarton landed at
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
on 20 January 1689 with
Henry Jermyn, 1st Baron Dover Henry Jermyn, 3rd Baron Jermyn and 1st Baron Dover, 1st Jacobite Earl of Dover Privy Council of England, PC (c. 1636 – 6 April 1708) was an England, English courtier, peer and favourite of James II of England, James II. Jermyn was born into a ...
. The exiled king paid him a pension of 166 livres. He died at
St Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint- ...
in March 1692 and was buried at the
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The co ...
, amongst other members of his family.


See also

* Dumbarton's Drums


References


Sources

* Balfour, Paul; ''The Scots Peerage, Volume III;'' * Cannon, Richard; ''Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI of Subsequent Services to 1846;'' (2016 ed.); * Childs, John; ''General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army;'' (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014); * Dalton, Charles; ''The Scots Army 1661-1688;'' (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1909); * Davenport, Frances; ''European Treaties bearing on the History of the United States and its Dependencies;'' (1917) * Glozier, Matthew; ''Scottish Soldiers in France in the Reign of the Sun King: Nursery for Men of Honour;'' (Brill, 2004); * Harris, Tim; ''Scott ormerly Crofts James, duke of Monmouth and first Duke of Buccleuch (1649–1685);'' (Oxford DNB); * Harris, Tim, Taylor, Stephen, eds; ''The Final Crisis of the Stuart Monarchy;'' (Boydell & Brewer, 2015); * Jackson, Clare; ''Restoration Scotland, 1660-1690: Royalist Politics, Religion and Ideas;'' (Boydell Press, 2003); * Lynn, John; ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714 (Modern Wars in Perspective);'' (Longman, 1996);


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dumbarton, George Douglas, 01st Earl 1635 births 1692 deaths Earls in the Peerage of Scotland Earls of Dumbarton Peers of Scotland created by Charles II Knights of the Thistle George Douglas, 01st Earl of Dumbarton Scottish generals People associated with West Dunbartonshire French soldiers Burials at Saint-Germain-des-Prés (abbey) Royal Scots officers Younger sons of marquesses People of the Third Anglo-Dutch War