William Douglas's Blog (620)

This letter was sent to the French ambassador to England less than two months following Mary's daring escape from Lochleven castle on the 2nd May 1568, where she had been imprisoned following her forced abdication in favour of the infant James VI. Mary's escape from Lochleven was aided by George Douglas, the brother of the landowner,…

Elizabeth "Lizbeth" Baird was daughter of Lewis M. Baird's Zebedee B. who fought alongside 6+ of his brothers in the Civil War. She was the wife of Andrew Douglass and was affectionately known as "Mother Douglas" for her vital role in caring for her son, George Washington Douglas's six children after their mother, Ollie Marshall's, untimely death in Newcomb, TN in 1922 of viral infection at the age of 30.

Lizbeth is pictured with Jessie Esler (right) with brother…

The news of the death of Sir William Arbuthnot in October has only just reached me.

Known to many as Kittybrewster, he was a Wikipedian and genealogist, and it seems in his spare time, a London banker.

His brother James, Baron Arbuthnot of Edrom, of Edrom in the County of Berwick PC, reported:

...he had awful Parkinson's Disease, and…

Congratulations to:

*Jill Douglas who has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the  New Years Honours - 2022 for services to for services to Sport and Charity.

See: http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/jilldouglas.html ;

* Major James Alexander DOUGLAS, Adjutant General’s Corps (Staff and Personnel Support Branch) also appointed a Member of the…

Found in central Scotland, this seal could be the winged heart of a Douglas family. But is it?

And if not, whose crest might it be?…

Seaforth House, Simonstown.

“Captain Thomas Talbot Harrington, of the East India Company, was born in Wiltshire in 1780, and moved to the Cape in 1814 and built a house which he named after his wife's (Jemima Douglas 1784-1820) uncle, the Earl of Seaforth. The house was subsequently dismantled after his…

https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2017/05/silenced-voices/?fbclid=IwAR0r34IayJRpRkDcRCzNRCY1Tna9OTkcYV_j-ynJX9V-DXGFUeLLPbTdl64 ;

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Dr Amy Blakeway, lecturer at the University of Kent and author of Regency in Sixteenth-Century Scotland, and Historic…

A remarkable artist’s sketch book has come to light in, I think, a house clearance. 

I have been researching who the subjects might be and find that they were all in or serving with the Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) in Mesopotamia in 1916. 

With a couple of exceptions, those whose portraits I have seen were either killed on wounded.

A. Douglas.

Embarked, Marseilles, 5th December, 1915.

Disembarked, Basrah,…

Not many followers will have passed along Lower Gilmore Place in Edinburgh recently, so won't have spotted a powerful new addition to the urban landscape: a striking mural of African American freedom fighter Frederick Douglass.

The Battle of Old Byland was part of First War of Scottish Independence, fought on 14th October 1322 on Scawton Moor, Yorkshire, England.

The Battle of Old Byland (also known as the Battle of Byland Moor and Battle of Byland Abbey) was a significant encounter between Scots and English troops in Yorkshire in October 1322, forming part of the Wars of Scottish Independence. It was a victory for the Scots, the most significant since Bannockburn, though on a far smaller scale.

I am…

I am attempting to identify which officer this item refers to.

Can you help?

From the history of the 37th Regiment

In mid-April (1858) a column from the recently relieved Lucknow under Brigadier Lugard attacked the rebels in the rear at the Jaunpore bridge. Kunwar Singh fled southwards towards the Ganges, pursued by two columns of British troops, including one comprised of 37th soldiers under Brigadier Douglas. This came up with the enemy…

In the early 16th century Charles II D'Amboise commissioned Bernardino de' Conti to do a portrait painting for him in 1505 AD. Although a friend and patron of Leonardo Da Vinci, D'Amboise picked de' Conti for his traditional style of oil painting.

Prominently inscribed on the top left the painting reads, "The Earl of Douglas surnamed Black Dudley"…

Not the Front Stairs!

Congratulation go to the following on their appointments in Her Majesty's Birthday Honours:

• Commander of the Order of the British Empire: Susan Frances DOUGLAS, Chief Executive Officer, Eden Academy Trust, and Senior Adviser, Schools, British Council. For services to Education; High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

• Member of the Order of the British Empire:  Clive Anthony DOUGLAS, Chair of the Board of Trustees, The Boleyn Trust. For services to Education; London

• Member of…

I received the following, which I have translated from French:

Comments: Hello,

I am contacting you, because, almost 200 years ago (July 16, 2021), Antoine Leclerc aka Milfort Tastanegy died on the property of friends in a small village in France, Villevallier (Yonne). He was born in Thin le Moutier (Ardennes-France).

In the meantime, this colorful character went to the USA for almost 20 years. He lived among the Creek Indians near Little Tennesse in Alabama, where…

I have just stumbled upon a family tree of the pirate, Long John Silver. Whilst I know about many ne'erdowells amongst our extended family (see: www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/articles/rogues&vagabonds.htm ) the…

I have just seen an advanced copy of the CDSNA newsletter - all 86 pages of it!

If you are not on the mailing list, now would be a good moment to join.…

The heart has always been important in Scottish history, but nowhere is it more important than in Douglas history.

In 1298 when Lord John Balliol died, his grieving widow, Dervorguilla of Galloway, had his preserved heart placed in an ivory casket which she then carried everywhere with her. When she died, she was laid to rest at Sweetheart Abbey clutching her husband's heart. That's not the only heart-wrenching tale though, Melrose Abbey was so beloved by Robert the Bruce that it was…

Douglas Corner Cafe, a premier Nashville venue that has hosted performances by artists as varied as Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Guy Clark, Kevin Costner, Jon Bon Jovi, and Neil Diamond, closed its doors for good after 33 years. A key destination in the city’s Eighth Avenue South neighborhood, the club has been shuttered since March 15th 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Nashville’s subsequent stay-at-home order.

Douglas Corner owner Mervin Louque, a one-time…

Congratulations to the following for their appointments in the New Years Honours

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

William Barry Douglas OBE. Concert Pianist. For services to Music and to Community Relations in Northern Ireland. (Lurgan, County Armagh)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Robert Peter Douglas Miller. For services to Wildlife Conservation in Scotland. (Haddington, East Lothian)

Members of the Order of the British…