April 2026 Blog Posts (6)

Bootstrap is a popular CSS Framework for developing responsive and mobile-first websites.  I have been using elements of Bootstrap CSS for many years to add functionality to the Douglas Archives.

Recently, I was advised that I was using an image that was subject to copyright.  I tracked it down to one used by Bootstrap in one of its…

The story of the letter from Field Marshal Luigi Scotti Douglas to the Count of Cavour is one of the most striking episodes of "transformism" and political drama during the Italian Risorgimento. It captures the moment of collapse for the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the complex survival strategies of its aristocracy.

The Antecedents: The Kingdom in Peril (Summer–Autumn 1860)

By October 1860, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was in its death throes.…

The history of the Scotti Douglas family is a fascinating bridge between the noble traditions of Piacenza and the courtly life of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It is a saga of loyalty, military service, and a constant connection to their ancestral roots.

Here is a summary of their journey from the arrival in Naples to the events of the Risorgimento.

1. From Piacenza to Naples: Following Charles of Bourbon

The Scotti Douglas family, a noble house of…

The clash between the MacDougalls of Argyll and the Black Douglases in the 14th century sits right at the heart of Scotland’s Wars of Independence: a collision of loyalties, geography, and personal vendettas that shaped the political map of the west and the Borders.

The MacDougalls backed the Comyn–Balliol faction and the English Crown, while the Black Douglases were the fiercest allies of Robert the Bruce. That alignment made confrontation almost inevitable.

- Clan MacDougall…

A NOTE

FROM

YOUR EDITOR

We have a slightly smaller newsletter this quarter as our 16 pages were causing some concern in the Post Office. “Too fat”, we were told — not to be out‑done, our treasurer and band of willing helpers ironed all the newsletters flatter and they passed through the P.O. slot at the right price. We are hoping to come up with some ideas to solve this dilemma as I really have enough Douglas and Sept information to fill the 16…

The old family of the Inglises of Manner or Mannerhead traced their descent from Sir William Inglis, a knight of great courage in the reigns of Robert II. And Robert III., who, in 1395, distinguished himself at Ruel-haugh on the borders, when Sir Thomas Struthers, and English champion, had vauntingly defied any Scotsman to meet him in single combat. Sir William…