Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/231

 DOUGLAS 223 o< ! " of Lanarkshire, Scotland, on a river of the same name, 7m. S. by W. of Lanark; pop. of the parish about 2,500. The parish is owned al- most entirely by the heir at law of the Doug- las family, who takes from this place his title of baron. The duke of Hamilton is marquis of Douglas. Near the village are the ruins of the ancient church of St. Bride, noted for its numerous family tombs; also Douglas castle, the Castle Dangerous of Scott's novel, built in 1760 on the site of the ancient one, which had been destroyed by fire. DOUGLAS, the name of one of the most an- cient and powerful noble families of Scotland, descendants, according to one tradition, of a Fleming, Theobald, to whom Arnold, abbot of Kelso, made a grant of lands on the Douglas or Blackwater, in Lanarkshire, about the middle of the 12th century. According to another story, their progenitor was an unknown chief who, as a reward for success in battle, received lands in the same locality about 770. The best historians do not give credence to either of these legends, but pronounce it impossible to trace the authentic history of the race further back than William de Douglas, about 1175- 1213. From him were descended, through Archibald, William and Andrew, successive heads of the house, Sir James Douglas of Lou- don, and his cousin, " the good Sir James," who fought with Bruce at Bannockburn, and com- manded a portion of the Scottish army. Af- ter Bruce's death he was intrusted with the du- ty of carrying the king's heart, as he had direct- ed, to the Holy Land, and on his journey fell in a combat with the Saracens. From Sir James of Loudon was descended William de Douglas, lord of Liddesdale, called " the flow- er of chivalry," and from "the good Sir James " Sir William Douglas, knight of Lid- desdale, called by Fordun u England's scourge." These two leaders were among the most fa- mous feudal warriors of their time. Sir William, being a natural son, did not inherit the family estates, which passed to Hugh and Archibald, his uncles, through the latter of whom they descended to William, who was made earl of Douglas and lord justiciar of Lothian at the accession of King Robert II., in 1371. By marriage with a daughter of the earl of Mar he became earl of Douglas and Mar. His son James married the daughter of the king, but died without male issue, and the combined titles and estates were again divided, those of Mar going to his sister, and those of Douglas returning into the family of "the good Sir Jarnes " in the person of a second natural son, Archibald the Grim, who thus became third earl of Douglas. Meanwhile, George, a de- cendant of William, the first earl, and Mar- garet, sister of the third earl of Angus, had obtained in 1389 the earldom of Angus through his mother's resignation of her claim ; and nother of the family, a descendant of a young- er brother of William, lord of Liddesdale, was in 1458 made earl of Morton ; so that three 271 VOL. vi. 15 separate earldoms were held by the house of Douglas by the middle of the 15th century. The power of the family was so great in Scot- land that a current proverb declared, "No man may touch a Douglas, nor a Douglas's man ; for if he do, he is sure to come by the waur." The two great-grandsons of Archibald the Grim, whose power had been greatly increased through the influence of their father (who had been one of the council of regency after the death of James I., and afterward lieutenant general of the realm), brought the main branch of the family to its highest point of distinc- tion. Taking advantage of the infancy of the heir to the throne, and of the quarrels of the feudal nobles, they made themselves indepen- dent of all authority, assumed the state of kings, and for a long time practically main- tamed a kingdom of their own. Their ruin was effected through a series of political com- plications, and both were executed for treason in 1440, the earldom passing to a granduncle. By the latter's son William the power of the family was for a time restored, but he was also finally defeated in conflicts with the crown. He was murdered by James II. in 1452, leav- ing no issue ; and with the final defeat of his brother James, after similar attempts to main- tain a separate authority, this branch of the house of Douglas was overthrown. The earl- dom expired by forfeiture in 1455 ; and Earl James was compelled by James III. to become a monk, and died in the abbey of Lindores in April, 1488. Meanwhile the Angus branch of the family, in the persons of the descendants of George, had remained loyal during these com- plicated conflicts, and had consequently in- creased in power with the waning influence of the older line. In 1455 George, fourth earl of Angus, was rewarded for his devotion to the royal cause by a grant of the old family estate of Do.uglas Dale, taken from the earl of Douglas. Dying in 1462, he was succeeded by his son Archibald, called " Bell-the-Oat " or " the Great Earl." He derived the former title from an exclamation which he made at a deliberation of the nobles regarding the best means of removing Cochrane, one of the king's favorites, who had become obnoxious. Lord Gray compared the meeting to that of the mice, who decided that the best plan to de- liver themselves from the cat's tyranny was to hang a bell about her neck. On the question being raised as to who would dare to perform this feat, Douglas boldly replied, " I will bell the cat." He was warden of the east marches and lord high chancellor, an office which he re- signed in 1498. He used his whole influence to dissuade the king (James IV.) from the in- vasion that ended in the battle of Flodden (1513) ; and, heart-broken at the results and at the loss of his own sons, two of whom fell in the battle, he retired to the priory at Whit- hern, in Galloway, where he died shortly after. One of his surviving sons, Sir Archibald Doug- las of Kilspindie, sustained the family power