Percy Sholto Douglas, 10th Marquess of Queensberry (13 October 1868 – 1 August 1920) was a Scottish aristocrat. Born in Cummertrees,

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, he was the second son of the 9th Marquess of Queensberry and brother of

Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford University he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carr ...

, the lover of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

. From the death of his elder brother Francis in 1894 until his father's death in 1900, he was styled Viscount Drumlanrig.

Career

In his youth Douglas served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

as a midshipman, then in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

as 2nd lieutenant in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Highland Fusiliers ...

from 1889 to 1891. He went to

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, as a gold prospector during the gold rush beginning in 1893, and later managed a road house in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He returned to London, where he engaged in some failed financial undertakings. In 1911 he went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

where he worked as a reporter on

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

newspapers.

Dealings with his father and Oscar Wilde

Douglas, not his father's heir until his elder brother's death, had a troubled relationship with his father, who once called him "that so-called skunk of a son of mine". The

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

ninth Marquess disowned him for marrying a clergyman's daughter in 1893 before going to Australia, but effected a reconciliation when he returned. During the Oscar Wilde trials in 1895, his father assaulted him on a London street, leading to both men being bound over to keep the peace for £500 (worth at least £29,945 in 2005).
National Archives currency converter figure (based on year 1890) In 1900 his dying father spat on him when he came to visit.Article on 9th Marquess by John Davis. Three weeks following their father's funeral, the new Marquess and Lord Alfred visited Wilde in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where the Anglo-Irish Wilde recalled that they were "in deep mourning and the highest spirits. The EnglishNote the brothers were of Scottish blood but Lord Alfred Douglas was England-born. are like this." He dissipated what remained of the family fortune in less than eighteen months and was sued for bankruptcy in December 1901.

Family

The Marquess was married twice: *Firstly, on 11 September 1893, to Anna Maria (known as "Minnie"), daughter of the Reverend Thomas Walters, Vicar of Royston near

Launceston, Cornwall Launceston ( , ; rarely spelled Lanson as a local abbreviation; ) is a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is west of the middle stage of the River Tamar, which constitutes almost the entire borde ...

. She was born in 1866 and died on 25 April 1917, leaving issue a daughter and two sons: :*Dorothy Madeline Douglas, born 5 July 1894. Married, 1924, Esmond Brasnell Palmer on 4 Oct 1924 The Garrison Church, Saint Andrew, Jamaica. :* Francis Archibald Kelhead Douglas, 11th Marquess of Queensberry, born 17 January 1896, died 27 April 1954 :*Cecil Charles Douglas, born 27 December 1898, died 26 February 1981 *Secondly, on 4 December 1918, Mary Louise, daughter of Richard Bickel of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Wales, and widow of Ernest Morgan. The couple had no children and she died 4 April 1956. The Marquess died on 1 August 1920 in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

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, aged 51, and was succeeded as 11th Marquess by his elder son. He was buried in England at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

, London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queensberry, Percy Douglas, 10th Marquess of 1868 births 1920 deaths Nobility from Dumfries and Galloway Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Marquesses of Queensberry Military personnel from Dumfries and Galloway 19th-century British Army personnel King's Own Scottish Borderers officers