John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton died 9 September 1513 at the

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

Life

He was the son of

James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton James Douglas (1426 – 22 October 1493), the 4th Lord of Dalkeith, was created the Earl of Morton, 1st Earl of Morton in 1458. Life He was the son of James Douglas, 2nd Lord of Dalkeith and Elizabeth Gifford, daughter of James Gifford of She ...

and Princess

Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton Princess Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton,"According to modern usage this lady would be titled princess, but the sons and daughters of the Kings of Scotland were seldom given that style of courtesy until after the union of the Crowns." Maxwell, ' ...

, daughter of

James I of Scotland James I (late July 1394 – 21 February 1437) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III of Scotland, Robert III and ...

by his wife Lady Joan Beaufort. He became earl in 1493, upon his father's death. He was succeeded by his son James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton. A very wealthy man, John, unlike many of his peers, did not become embroiled in the intrigues and politics of his day.Herbert Maxwell, ''A History of the House of Douglas'', Vol. I (Freemantle & Co., London, 1902) pp. 242–3 Instead, the shrewd Earl of Morton worked to improve his holdings and was quite the litigator in his time, successfully defending his interests in court.'' The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland'', Sir James Balfour Paul, Vol. VI (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1909), pp. 357–8 It turned out later that John, as lord of Dalkeith was aware the land had great value both above and below the surface and in fact sat on what was later described as the Great Midlothian Coalfield.

Marriage and issue

He married Janet Crichton, daughter of Patrick Crichton of Cranston-Riddel'' The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland'', Sir James Balfour Paul, Vol. VI (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1909), p. 358 and had two sons and two daughters: * James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton – died 1548. * Richard Douglas, referred to in an

entail In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust, established by deed or settlement, that restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents that property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise ali ...

of the Morton estates, had two sons William and James. * Agnes Douglas, married Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston. * Elizabeth Douglas, married her second cousin Robert Keith, Master of Marischal. Their son William became the 4th Earl Marischal.

References

Notes

15th-century births 1513 deaths Nobility from Midlothian Earls of Morton Deaths at the Battle of Flodden John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton Court of James IV of Scotland 15th-century Scottish peers 16th-century Scottish peers {{Scotland-earl-stub