The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Special offer for Douglas Archives members

The Trials of Lady Jane Douglas
The scandal that divided 18th century Britain
by Karl Sabbagh

The truth about what happened to the beautiful Lady Jane Douglas in Paris in 1748 has never been established. Did she give birth to twin boys in a bug-infested boarding house, or did she buy her two sons from poor French peasants to ensure that the distinguished line of Douglas survived in Scotland?

The exploration of this 18th century mystery took place in public over twenty years, culminating in a dramatic session in the House of Lords. Combining, as it did, issues of sex, power, money, politics, and aristocracy, ‘the Douglas Cause’ was a fertile source of gossip and tittle-tattle. Karl Sabbagh gets as near as anyone ever will to the truth, in a definitive account of a case which divided the chattering classes at every level from the burgers of Edinburgh to the English Royal Family.

Karl Sabbagh is the author of a dozen non-fiction books, including Skyscraper, A Rum Affair, Remembering Our Childhood, Palestine: A Personal History, and The Hair of the Dog.

Regular price £16.99 ($28)

Douglas Clan members
£10 + £2.50 p&p (U.S. $18 + $5 p&p)

ISBN 978-0-9926270-1-0

“Karl Sabbagh has investigated one of the great British scandals of the 18th Century and produced a fascinating piece of detective work. It tells us more about high society in England and Scotland at the time than most conventional histories.” Magnus Linklater, former editor, The Scotsman

Special price for Douglas Clan members: Email order to skyscraper.books@btinternet.com, specifying postal address and number of copies. (Reduced p&p for more than 5) You will then receive payment instructions.

Editor's note:  This book is a good read and informs us about the Douglas family at that important point in history.

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Comment by William Douglas on October 2, 2014 at 10:02

Karl has said that he would sign books if asked.

Making conections

The more information you can give about the people you mention, the more chance there is of someone else connecting with your family.

Dates and places of births, deaths and marriages all help to place families.

Professions also help.

'My great-grandmother mother was a Douglas from Montrose' does not give many clues to follow up! But a bit of flesh on the bones makes further research possible. But if we are told who she married, what his profession was and where the children were baptised, then we can get to work.

Maybe it is time to update the information in your profile?


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