The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

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Regnal dates

Some of old editions Burke's Peerage have "living temp Henry II", which is fairly obvious, but what does "living 5 Henry IV" mean, I wondered?



If it meant 5th year of his reign, why not just say 1404?



I discovered that this is the system of regnal years which in medieval times was more commonly reckoned from 25 March (or sometimes from 25 December). In England, and later the United Kingdom, until 1963, each Act of Parliament was defined by its serial number within the… Continue

Added by William Douglas on June 21, 2010 at 12:21 — No Comments

Sir James Scott Douglas - a delightful obituary

On the scent of Sir James Scott Douglas: hare coursing or coarse hareing?



James Scott Douglas Sir James Scott Douglas (on right, with Northern Daily Express editor John McDonald, circa 1966) taught me that gentlemen recognise each other rather like dogs recognise other dogs - by scent. We were companions in a human crush during hare-coursing near Liverpool (not a sporting entertainment I could possibly enjoy) and James was hailing people and being hailed by people who were several layers of… Continue

Added by William Douglas on June 18, 2010 at 20:31 — 1 Comment

Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours

Our congratulations go to Mrs Elizabeth Margaret Douglas, who receives an MBE for her work with the British Red Cross in Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours.

We also congratulate Mrs Patricia Anne Douglas, who receives an MBE for services to Dance in Edinburgh.

Added by William Douglas on June 12, 2010 at 13:00 — No Comments

Angus Alan Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, has died

One of Scotland's most senior noblemen, and potential chief of the House of Douglas, the Duke of Hamilton, has died, Buckingham Palace has announced.



Angus Alan Douglas-Hamilton, who suffered from dementia, died on Saturday 5th June 2010 at the age of 71.



A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen is sending a personal message of sympathy to the family."



The duke was the Premier Peer of Scotland and was the Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of… Continue

Added by William Douglas on June 7, 2010 at 9:43 — 1 Comment

James of Pittendreich, 4th Earl of Morton executed on 2nd June 1581

The Maiden

After ruling Scotland under favour of Elizabeth for nearly ten years, Morton fell a victim to court faction, which probably could not have availed against him if he had not forfeited public esteem by his greed and cruelty.

It must have been a striking sight when that proud, stern, resolute face, which had frowned so many better men down, came to speak from a scaffold, protesting innocence of the crime for which he had been condemned, but owning… Continue

Added by William Douglas on June 1, 2010 at 1:00 — No Comments

Edward and Joseph Douglas, both of the 28th Maori Battalion were killed on the same day, in the same unit and in the same action.

Edward and Joseph Douglas, both of the 28th Maori Battalion were killed on the same day, in the same unit and in the same action. Another tragic case of brothers dying together:…



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Added by William Douglas on May 26, 2010 at 10:00 — No Comments

The Bride Index

A friend has just shared this link: http://brideindex.info/d-surnames/douglas.html

I have not tried it yet, so let me know how you get on!

Added by William Douglas on May 25, 2010 at 20:34 — No Comments

Leslie Douglass-Walker's tattoo!

Added by William Douglas on May 19, 2010 at 20:03 — No Comments

Ghosts in Glendevon?

Some time ago, I was asked if I knew anything about ghosts in Glendevon. They had been camping there, and had an 'out of world' experience, and wanted to know more.



I was not able to help them, but today, I have received an email containing several references to ghosts and ghostly activity.



I have put an edited version on the website, and it prompts me to find out more about Douglass ghosts! Maybe… Continue

Added by William Douglas on May 14, 2010 at 10:38 — No Comments

Relationships to the new Prime Minister

Many people are having fun checking their relationship to the new British Prime Minister, David Cameron, and his wife, Samantha.


Both families of descended from nobility and, indeed, royalty.


A quick summary of David Cameron's pedigree id shown below. That of his wife can be found in our genealogy section.


My relationship?…
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Added by William Douglas on May 13, 2010 at 11:16 — No Comments

Word Processing and Genealogical Writing

The following is extracted from the Rootsweb Review

Whether you're transcribing a historical…

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Added by William Douglas on May 12, 2010 at 18:30 — No Comments

Women in Douglas History

How many women are listed in the Douglas Archives? At the last count there were nearly 70,000 females in the database (80,000 men), but that is not what I meant.



How many women merit a Biography? And how many have got one? Not enough is the best answer that I can give.



With this in mind, I went in search of more Douglas ladies, and managed to add nine in the last month - and only eight men!



One of those women won Wimbledon 7 times! How could I have not known… Continue

Added by William Douglas on May 11, 2010 at 10:12 — No Comments

Author and friend assume name of Mr and Mrs Sholto Douglas

Mary Diana Dos (c1791 – c1830) was the illegitimate daughter of a peer. To make her own financial way in the world, the distinctly unattractive Mary assumed the male pseudonym of ‘David Lyndsay,’ in order to have her work published in Blackwoods Magazine and other such popular annuals. Her works included Dramas of the Ancient World (1821), which brought her to the attention of Mary Shelley and her circle. Shelley later helped Dods secretly remove to Paris, dressed in male attire, where she… Continue

Added by William Douglas on May 9, 2010 at 17:23 — No Comments

Lieutenant General Douglas - who is he?

King William When King William arrived at Carrickfergus, Lieutenant General Douglas had hoped he would go straight to Lisburn saying, "Lisburn is a healthful place, the air there is much purer than Belfast", doubtless thinking of the Kings asthmatic condition, hot it was not until… Continue

Added by William Douglas on April 23, 2010 at 12:49 — No Comments

Our Community - the future

As you will have noted from Adrian's discussion, Ning have given us a problem.



Behind this social network, there is a 'platform' that runs the service, owned by Ning. Until now, they have provided the service 'free', but we must take their advertising. to pay for it. Clearly their business model is not working, and they have decided to run 'Premium' accounts only.



Sadly, I… Continue

Added by William Douglas on April 22, 2010 at 9:17 — No Comments

Ancient Mausoleum Receives First Funding Award

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given the green light to Argyll Mausoleum Ltd to work up plans to restore the ancient Mausoleum located next to St Munn’s Church in Kilmun, it was announced today (12th April…
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Added by William Douglas on April 15, 2010 at 18:48 — No Comments

An unhelpful response

The following response was posted on a forum (NOT here!). Thankfully, most genealogists are a little more helpful.



In the 28 generations [+ -] from Sir James "the good" Douglas to now, Sir James has roughly 20 billion descendants. When only 6 billion people live on the planet presently, you must have a "family tree" the size of a football field? :-)



Considering that the theoretical number of our ancestors is exponential, and calculating that a century is equivalent to… Continue

Added by William Douglas on April 6, 2010 at 14:50 — No Comments

Without a double lung transplant young mother, Milly Douglas-Pennant, a cystic fibrosis sufferer, will not live to see her baby daughter, Lucia, grow up.

The mother propped up on pillows with her baby by her side is waiting for someone to die. Breathing is difficult, even with the help of nasal oxygen, so her sentences are short, punctuated by quick, sharp coughs. Her hospital bag has been packed for six months. Her husband has given up his job to care for her and their one-year-old daughter, Lucia. Her parents are ready for the telephone call that will summon her to Harefield Hospital for a double lung transplant operation. But as the days…
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Added by William Douglas on April 2, 2010 at 18:04 — 2 Comments

Jenny Douglas could be Dorothy

Jenny Douglas The latest BBC reality TV show seeks to find a star to play the part of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's forthcoming production, Over the Rainbow. Contestants have been whittled down from around 9,000 contenders to the final 10. Amongst them is Jenny Douglas.


Jenny has always loved to sing, but discovered she had a distinct voice at the age of around six or seven. She is currently halfway through her first year of acting classes and her first year of…
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Added by William Douglas on March 28, 2010 at 16:00 — 2 Comments

Spam attacks - it is not the Canadians!

Acknowledged by many as the Internet's worst case of criminal offending, Canadian Pharmacy has infiltrated the Ning network, on which the Douglas Archives Comunity is based.


First of all, I want you to know how seriously we consider this issue. Spam isn’t just an annoyance for Network Creators and their members. Spam gets in the way of member participation and interaction, which is the lifeblood of a successful, vibrant Ning Network like ours. I have already…
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Added by William Douglas on March 23, 2010 at 15:00 — No Comments

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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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