Margaret Douglas, Countess of Douglas (c. 1427-c. 1474), known as the Fair Maid of Galloway, was a Scottish noblewoman, and a member of the Black Douglas family towards the end of the family's position as a major power in Scotland. Born 1427, she was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas, and Eupheme Graham, daughter of Patrick Graham, Earl of Strathearn and

Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn (died c. 1434) was a medieval Scottish noblewoman, the daughter of David Stewart, Earl Palatine of Strathearn and Caithness. She succeeded to both her father's titles after his death between 1385 and 1389 ...

. She acquired

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

when her two brothers (one of whom was

William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas William, 6th Earl of Douglas (c. 1424 – 24 November 1440) was a Scottish nobleman. In addition to his Earldom of Douglas, he was Earl of Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Lord of Bothwell, Selkirk and Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Lauderdale, and ...

) were murdered at the

Black Dinner Clan Douglas (Gaelic: ''Dùbhghlas'') is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in ...

at Edinburgh Castle in 1440.

Marriages

Margaret married her cousin

William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425 – 22 February 1452) was a late Medieval Scottish nobleman, Lord of Galloway, and Lord of the Regality of Lauderdale, and the most powerful magnate in Southern Scotland. He was ki ...

. He was assassinated by

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 his entourage. Margaret obtained a papal dispensation to marry his brother and successor,

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. Early life The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daugh ...

, with the marriage intended to retain the Douglas estates. In 1455, her second husband rebelled against King James II, was exiled and attainted. Margaret separated from him and petitioned the King to end her marriage. She had no children by the Earls of Douglas. She then married

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (15 September 1512), also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman and ambassador. Life He was the eldest child of Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland, Joan Beaufort, widow of James I ...

, who was half-brother to the King as the son of Joan Beaufort and her second husband James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne. They had two daughters: * Janet, wife of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly. * Elizabeth, wife of Andrew Gray, 2nd Lord Gray. Both had issue.

Margaret Douglas in fiction

She is a significant character in ''Black Douglas'' by

Nigel Tranter Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on history and architecture, both fiction and non-fiction. He was best-known for his popular and well-researched historical novels, covering centurie ...

, which is rather speculative about her relationship with the 8th and 9th Earls of Douglas. She is the protagonist and fictional author of ''Maid Margaret'', a 1905 novel by

Samuel Rutherford Crockett Samuel Rutherford Crockett (24 September 1859 – 16 April 1914), who published under the name "S. R. Crockett", was a Scottish novelist. Life and work He was born at Little Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway, on 24 September 1 ...

and also appears as an important character in his earlier novel ''The Black Douglas'' (1899).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Margaret, Fair Maid Of Galloway Year of birth unknown 1470s deaths Nobility from South Lanarkshire

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

Scottish countesses Daughters of Scottish earls 15th-century Scottish women 15th-century Scottish nobility Lords of Galloway