General Notes

REFN: 3617AN
REFN: P3618
William, Earl of Douglas
Nephew of Sir James, "The Good" and Hugh , "The Dull", William, was
created the first proper Earl of Douglas in 1352. In 1353 William was
responsible for the death of his kinsman Sir William Doug las, the famed
"Knight of Liddesdale", from the Morton line of Douglases. Wil liam was a
participant in a rebellion against King David II in 1363, but stil l
managed to earn an appointment as Justiciar of Scotland under Robert II
i n 1371. An affair with his first cousin, Margaret Stewart, Countess of
Mar an d Angus, resulted in a son, George, who became the 1st Earl of
Angus, foundin g the Red Douglas branch of the family. William died in
1384, leaving his tit les and possessions to his son James.
1st Earl of Douglas and Mar; 1st Earl of Angus; Lord of Liddesdale
"On the death of his brother-in-law [Thomas Stewart ] he obtained
possession of the historical earldom of Mar and transmitted it, along
with his own hereditary titles and estates, to his son James, the hero of
Otterburn, 'the dead man that won a fight' one of the most renowned in
Scottish history. The Douglas estates were inherited by Archibald 'the
Grim,' the kinsman of Earl James, while the earldom of Mar passed to his
sister, Is abella, wife of Sir Malcolm Drummond, brother of Annabella,
Queen of Scotland , wife of Robert III.
Though he is often shown as having married Margaret of M ar, daughter of
Donald of Mar, that is questionable. He had illegitimate chil dren with
Margaret Stewart, whose father was Earl of Mar, but she was Countes s of
Angus (having inherited this title from her brother). Widely varying
d ates of birth for the legitimate children make it possible that he was,
in fa ct, married twice.
" ... son of the Regent who fell at Halidon Hill, and nephe w of the 'Good
Sir James,' returned from France, where he had been bred to ar ms, soon
after the battle of Neville's Cross and the captivity of the Scottis h
king, and, with the hereditary valour and energy of his house, succeeded
in expelling the English from Douglasdale, and in the course of time from
Ett rick Forest, Tweeddale, and Teviotdale. He was created Earl of Douglas
by Kin g David in 1357. He faithfully supported the cause of national
independence, and even went so far as to unite with the Steward and the
Earl of March in a formal bond to compel David to change his counsellors
and to give up his intr igues for altering the succession to the crown in
favour of one of the sons o f the English king. He made a pilgramage to
the shrine of St. Thomas-a-Becket in the year 1363; but, unlike some
others of the great Scottish barons, who made such pilgramages a pretext
for treasonable intrigues with the English Go vernment, Douglas continued
steadfast in his adherence of his country's cause , and resolutely opposed
the atempts of the unworthy son of Robert Bruce to b etray it to the
enemy. On the accession of Robert II, the son of the Steward and Marjory
Bruce, the Earl of Douglas unexpectedly put forth pretensions to the
crown, but abandoned them on finding that they were not likely to meet
with public support. As a reward for the promptituDe of his submission,
the K ing's eldest daughter was promised in marriage to his eldest son,
and the Ear l himself was appointed Justicular of Scotland south of the
Forth, and Warden of the East Marches. This great noble, one of the best
of his race, died in 1384 at an advance age. He was succeeded by his
eldest son by his wife the Co untess of Mar."
The Great Historic Families of Scotland, James Taylor
1st Ear l of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, as which created 26 Jan 135 7/8; of
ageby 1348; present Battle of Poitiers 1356 where wounded fighting
al ongsiDe theFrench against the English; married probably just prior to
13 Nov 1 357 Margaret, Countess of Mar in her own right, and adopted her
Earldom of Mar as hisown by 21 June 1374; died May 1384.
Wil