William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus (1533 – 1 July 1591, at
Glenbervie
Glenbervie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Gleann Biorbhaidh'') is located in the north east of Scotland in the Howe o' the Mearns, one mile from the village of Drumlithie and eight miles south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The river Bervie runs through ...
) was a Scottish nobleman and zealous supporter of
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legit ...
.
Biography
Douglas was the eldest son of
Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt., by his spouse Agnes, daughter of William Keith, 3rd
Earl Marischal
The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.
History
The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held ...
, and upon the death of
Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton (15554 August 1588) was a Scottish aristocrat.
Family background
He was the son of David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus, David, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates i ...
without issue, William succeeded to that Earldom as heir-male, in 1588.
Sir Robert Douglas states that "Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie
s he was styled prior to his succession to the earldom
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
...
was a man of great honour and integrity, and a steady friend of Queen Mary. He accompanied her in her expedition to the north, and behaved with utmost fortitude and resolution at the
fight of Corrichie ''anno'' 1562".
According to
David Hume of Godscroft, Angus and
Lord John Hamilton argued over precedence in the king's privy or outer chamber at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...
. James VI came out of his bed chamber and made them reconcile. Meanwhile,
Sir John Carmichael
Sir John Carmichael (died 16 June 1600) was a Scottish soldier, the Keeper of Liddesdale, a diplomat, and owner of Fenton Tower at Kingston, East Lothian.
Career
He was the son of John Carmichael and Elizabeth Somerville, a daughter of Hugh Somer ...
, Captain of the Guard, had made the palace secure, and Angus had to signal to his followers from a window that all was well.
The earldom was claimed by
James VI
James may refer to:
People
* James (given name)
* James (surname)
* James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician
* James, brother of Jesus
* King James (disambiguation), various kings named James
* Prince Ja ...
, who brought a suit against Douglas, for reducing the charters connected with the title, but on 7 March 1589, a decision was given in favour of the latter.
He had two charters under The
Great Seal of Scotland
The Great Seal of Scotland (; also the Scottish Seal; formally the Seal appointed by the Treaty of Union to be kept and made use of in place of the Great Seal of Scotland) is a seal used by the first minister of Scotland to seal letters pate ...
, from Queen Mary, of the lands and barony of Glenbervie, Kemnay, and several others.
Douglas died in July 1591, in his 59th year.
Family
The earl married Giles, daughter of
Sir Robert Graham of Morphie, and had six sons and four daughters:
*
William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus
William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus (15543 March 1611) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus (1533–1591).
Career
Douglas studied at St. Andrews University and joined the household of the Earl of Mo ...
, eldest son and heir,
* Archibald Douglas, Parson of Glenbervie (d. 1584).
* George Douglas (d. 1590), who attended James VI in Denmark.
[David Stevenson, ''Scotland's Last Royal Wedding'' (Edinburgh, 1997), p. 121.]
* Sir Robert Douglas of Glenbervie, received from his father the lands of Glenbervie by charter dated 14 July 1592.
* Duncan Douglas, Parson of Glenbervie (d.1591)
* Gavin Douglas (d. bef 1 October 1616) who married Elizabeth Keith; ancestors of the family of
Douglas of Bridgeford
* Sir John Douglas of
Barras
* Francis Douglas (d.c. 1600)
* Henry Douglas of
Tannachy (d. 5 October 1595) who married Janet Murray at sometime before 1580. Had issue Janet Douglas born 16 April 1580 Dunfermline Scotland.
* Margaret Douglas, married William Forbes of
Monymusk
Monymusk () is a planned village in the Marr area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
History
Malcolm Canmore first established Celtic foundation on the site in 1078 The Culdees of Munimusc are recorded as inhabiting the site in 1170. Monymusk Pri ...
* Jean Douglas, married John Wishart of Balisycht
* Elizabeth Douglas, married Thomas Gordon of Cluny
* Sarah Douglas, married 1st Robert Strachan, 2nd George Auchinleck of Balmanno
Notes
References
*
Fraser, Sir William, ''The Douglas Book'' (4 Vols). Edinburgh 188
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*
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Further reading
*
Earls of Angus
1533 births
1591 deaths
{{Scotland-earl-stub