Newbie enquiry.

[Judith Allison Macleod]

Thanks for adding me to this site.

I am looking forward to learning more about the Douglas’s. 

I have requested a DNA kit so that I can share my ref number but it’ll be 2 months before the process will be complete. I’ll just need to be patient.

In the meantime could I ask if anyone knows how the Douglas’s in Alnwick, Northumberland, UK arrived there?

My earliest family member I have records for was Thomas Douglas, born in Alnwick in the late 1700’s and was a shoemaker to trade. I’m hoping to visit there sometime during the next couple of months in a hope to find out more about them.

Kind regards,

Judi

[Judith Allison Macleod]

Hi William,

I’m afraid I don’t know about Garlston, my hubby Murdo says he thinks it may be a different place, he’s having a look into it.

I wasn’t aware that Galston was important to the Douglas family, however today whilst working on my tree in AncestryDNA I found a Douglas Douglas Bruce from Ayrshire with connections to a Ann Douglas b 1798 in Galston.

I was interested to see the connections between a Bruce and a Douglas in my home town!

Hubby just read out to me that Sir William Keith of Galston  brought the heart and bones of James Douglas as well as King Robert the Bruce back to Scotland. But you will already know this. 
I live in a little cottage next door to Cessnock Castle, Galston but know very little about it. Hubby has just told me that quite a few well known figures have stayed there including briefly Mary Queen of Scots!! Ha! I had no idea, I had better get doing some researching about my town’s history. I have only lived here for 10 years.

Oh how wonderful it would be if I found out my Douglases came from here!!! 

[William Douglas]

Alnwick is well worth a visit.  The bookshop in the former railway station is amazing! But of course one has to visit the castle and grounds.

Meanwhile, closer to home, Galston has strong Douglas connections too.  The is a General Robert Douglas of Garlston, NB (North Britain) that I cannot place and wonder if it should be Galston.

[Judith Allison Macleod]

Thank you so much William for all of this information.

It’s all very interesting!

I found the Bailiffgate site yesterday and found some information on my 3 times Great Grandparents Thomas and Sarah Douglas and their son John Douglas. I became quite emotional  as I read through it and realised that’s my family history. Brilliant! 
It does seem William that Robert Douglas is part of their family too. I’m going to gather and record this information on my family tree and see where it takes me.

Hubby and I spent a few hours yesterday watching YouTube videos about the Douglases so I have increased my understanding of the Clan. I do realise that it may be difficult to actually find out where my Douglases originally came from, but that’s ok. I’m even more eager now to take that trip to Alnwick, even if it’s just to walk the streets where they lived. 
Thanks again for your help.

[William Douglas]

I am sure that you will know about this: https://bailiffgatecollections.co.uk/family-history/1849-cholera-ou... 

Robert Douglas, by trade a skinner was one of the large number of trades people in Alnwick at the time whose income was derived from the slaughter of animals ( butchers, skinners, curriers, shoemakers etc). His wife Jane Douglas was 57 years old when she died from Cholera on 30th September 1849. She was therefore born about 1792.

Could Robert be kin to your Thomas?

Additionally, I have a note of a Thomas Douglas who was a schoolmaster in Alnwick in 1825.

[William Douglas]

Welcome to our community, Judith.

The Douglases raided into Northumberland many times, and some may well have stayed behind. Others will have settled there having fled from Scotland.

They also owned land in Northumberland, Fawdon and Warndon as examples.

Alnwick appears many times in the Douglas Achives.  If you use the search function 40 or 50 will show up.

Yours aye,

William