William Douglas's Blog (611)

This year sees the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden Field.

The 1513 clash between the English and Scottish armies resulted in a catastrophic defeat for the Scots, the death of their king, James IV, and the end of their country as a major, independent power.

The northern kingdom never recovered from the disaster and within a century, the two crowns were…

The Clan Douglas Association of Australia was established on December 3, 1986 in Brisbane. 





Aims and Objectives of the Association: 



To act as…

I have never owned a pair of jeans, but it might almost be worth getting a pair just so I can sport my own logo!

http://www.locksicker.com/

The Sunday Times reports that the remains of a lost First World War hero who won the Victoria Cross may have been found almost 100 years after he was killed defending British lines on the western front.

On 25/26 September 1915 during operations on Hill 70, in France,…

Lady Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, born Natalie Scarritt Wales in Cohasset, Massachusetts in 1909 died on 14 January, 2013, aged 103. She grew up in Boston and New York City.

From her earliest years, she was a generous, outgoing and enthusiastic person of drive and great optimism. Her career began in 1939 when she learned of the devastation and isolation of Great Britain…

Celebrate National Hug Day by telling us who gives you the perfect hear hug, and win Hugless Douglas goodies

It's National Hug Day and we're celebrating with Hugless Douglas, a huggable, lovable young brown bear who wakes up one morning in need of a hug and…

Assisted by Sally Douglas, I have been looking at ships bearing the name Douglas.  This was not an avenue I expected to be going down, and I certainly never expected to find so many. However, several of the vessels have very interesting histories.

So far, we have located three ships that met their fate at the hands of the German navy - U-boats in particular.

First to go was a…

Andrew Douglas-Home was honoured with an OBE in this year's New Year’s honours list for services to fishing and Scottish heritage, recognising his long involvement with two of the biggest visitor draws in the Scottish Borders, the River Tweed and Abbotsford House.

Mr Douglas-Home, from Coldstream, has been recognised for his three decades’ service with the River Tweed…

In an open letter, Harold Edington has announced that he is standing down as the Clan Douglas Society for North America Regent for Kansas and Missouri.

Dear Clan Douglas members of Kansas, Missouri, and neighbouring states,

It is with sadness that I am announcing that I will be stepping down as CDSNA Regent for Kansas and Missouri;…

Deceased Online is a central database of statutory burial and cremation registers for the UK and Republic of Ireland -- a unique resource for family history researchers and professional genealogists.

Records for 18 more burial grounds, cemeteries and churchyards in Fife have…

According to the entry in the History section of the Douglas Archives, John Douglas, the second son of William Douglas of Leith (3 December 1696-) and Katherine Dunlop (of Garnkirk) (1695-1785c), was born about 1745 and baptised at Glasgow in Lanarkshire, Scotland on 15 December 1745.

The entry states that John Douglas married Cecilia Buchanan, the daughter of George Buchanan (1686-1773) and Cecilia Forbes (1715-),…

Getting the website right for the modern user is a problem that I am struggling to respond to.

Of the 11,000+ visitors to X-Factor finalist Jahmene Douglas's page in the past month, nearly 2,000 used a mobile phone or tablet.  However, my page design was done before…

I am hearing that a number of events are planned in Scotland to commemorate both the 500th anniversary of the battle of Flodden and 500 years of the Scottish Soldier. These will take place during September 2013.

However, I have no details yet.

The above watch was made by James Douglas of Chertsey in 1774. Described as: An 18^th Century English verge in silver pair cases.  Full plate fire gilt movement with square baluster pillars.  Pierced and engraved cock, pierced and engraved foot and plate for the silver regulator disc.  Fusee and chain with worm and wheel barrel setup between the plates. Plain three arm steel balance, blue steel spiral hairspring. White enamel dial with Roman and Arabic…

Two years ago, Douglas rode a five-foot fiberglass board, powered by a 96-square-foot kite, down an artificial channel in Lüderitz, Namibia, and hit a speed of 55.65 knots, or 64.04 miles per hour.

But on Nov. 16 an unorthodox craft called the Vestas Sailrocket smashed that record on Walvis Bay in Namibia, hitting an average speed of 59.23 knots, more than 68…

I received this interesting response to a question about Archibald Douglas, who changed his name to Campbell.

There are three Colins in the family tree at that time, according to "A Short History of Mains" which I happen to have left in my briefcase and can refer to right now.The first Colin was Laird of Mains and died in 1801, marked in the Wikipedia article as 15th. His brother Robert assumes the title on his death and has issue, firstly John who dies in 1803 (a year before his…

Bonaly Tower is located on the site of the 17th century farmhouse that once stood at the centre of the village of Bonaly, on the south-western outskirts of Edinburgh . On the directions of Lord Cockburn, the farmhouse was extended, and the village cleared to create his country residence. In 1839, the architect William Henry Playfair added an imitation peel tower to the…

 Lady Alice Douglas Pennant (born 1863, died in London at the age of 76 in March 1939) is a the centre of a mystery at the National Trust's 19th Century neo-Norman Penrhyn Castle in Gwynedd. 

Following a falling out between George Douglas-Pennant, Lord Penrhyn,   (1836-1907). -…

A gingerbread house was once three cottages owned by local farmers who can be traced back to the mid-18th century.

The properties were built using Hornton or ‘gingerbread’ stone that is a feature of many Oxford colleges.

Douglas House, in Chipping Warden, is named after one of the old farming families and has many period features including stone fireplaces and…