General Notes

REFN: 2808AN
Alias:<ALIA> The /Grim/
REFN: P2809
Archibald "The Grim", 3rd Earl of Douglas
The illegitimate son of Sir James "The Good", Archibald has been called
the most able statesman and soldier of his time. Under his leadership the
Dougla ses gained the Lordship of Galloway and, through marriage to Joanna
Murray, t he family possessions of the Murrays of Bothwell. Archibald's
daughter, Mary, married the Duke of Rothsay, Prince of Scotland while his
son and heir, also Archibald, wedded Princess Margaret, eldest daughter
of Robert III. Archibal d was also responsible for the construction of
Threave Castle, a long time Bl ack Douglas Stronghold. In 1384, Archibald
defeated the English garrison at L ochmaben Castle and in so doing removed
the last of the English Army in Annan dale. He died at Threave Castle in
1400.
Archibald 'The Grim', 3rd Earl of D ouglas ; Archibald is listed as an
illegitimate child of James Lord of Dougla s who was killed in 1330.
" .. surnamed the 'Grim,' from his swart complexion and stern expression
of countenance. Before he succeeded to the earldom he fo ught with great
gallantry in the wars of both France and England. In 1356 he accompanied
William, Earl of Douglas, to France, and was taken prisoner at th e battle
of Poitiers (13th September), but made his escape through a dexterou s
strategem of Sir William Ramsay of Colluthie. In 1378 he inflicted a
sign al defeat, near Melrose, of a body of English spearmen and archers
under Sir Thomas Musgrave. Before the battle he knighted on the field two
of the King's sons, who were under his banner, along with his own son.
The conflict was ke enly contested, but was quickly decided. Douglas,
according to his general cu stom, as Froissart mentions, when he found the
fight becoming hot, dismounted , and wielding a large two-handled sword,
made such havoc among the enemy tha t they gave way on all sides. Great
numbers were slain, and Musgrave and his son, with many other knights and
squires, were taken prisoners. After the Ear l became the head of the
family, he was regarded as the most powerful subject in the kingdom He
was noted for his courage, firmness, and sagacity, and not less for his
pride. Hume of Godscroft says, 'He was a man nothing inferior t o any of
his predecessors in any kind of virtue. In piety he was singular thr ough
his whole life, and most religious according to those times! He founded
the Collegiate Church of Bothwell, a part of which still remains to
attest its former magnificence. Godscroft affirms that the Earl had a
mind free from all ambition, but his conduct in regard to the marriage of
his daughter Marj ory to Daivd, Duke of Rothesay, the heir-apparent to the
throne, shows that h e was scarcely entitled to that eulogium. The Prince
was affianced to the dau ghter of the Earl of March; but Douglas, jealous
of the aggrandisement of a r ival noble, by the offer of a much more
splendid dowry prevailed upon Albany, the King's brother, to get that
contract set aside, on the plea that the san ction of the Estates had not
been given to it, and to wed Rothesay to Marjory Douglas. The result of
this dishonourable transaction was highly injurious t o the happiness of
the Prince, and the peace of the country. Notwithstanding, the influence
of the Earl was on the whole beneficial during the feeble reig n of Robert
III; and when he and the Queen-mother, Anabella Drummond, and the
venerable Bishop Traill of St. Andrews, all died, A.D. 1400, within a
shor t time of each other, according to Fordun it was commonly said
throughout the kingdom that the glory and honesty of Scotland was buried
with these three n oble persons."
The Great Historic Families of Scotland, James Taylor
Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas (c. 1328-1400), known as 'the Grim
', was a Scottish nobleman. A cousin of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Dougl
as, he inherited the earldom of Douglas and its entailed estates follo