The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Scots living in Holland in 17th & 18th Centuries

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_International_Church

The Scots International Church or the Scottish Church (Dutch: Schotse Kerk) is located in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

The church was first built in 1643 for the many Scottish merchants, sailors and soldiers who lived in Rotterdam, and was built on behalf of the city. The first Scottish minister was Alexander Petrie, who travelled from Perth in Scotland to take up his position.

The Netherlands Archives holds quite a few Douglas & Drysdale records from this era, including from the Scots church

https://www.openarchieven.nl/

A search for Douglas 1599-1660 gives 137 results


A search for Drysdale 1587-1720 gives 36 results

Some birth record examples of Drysdale & Douglases

Jonat Drysdeal baptism 10-7-1646 Daughter to William Drysdeal & Margaret Ramsey Rotterdam

Page 36 in Image file

Lodovick Douglas son of George Douglas of Chossor?? & Kathrin Lindsay his lady was baptised on this tenth day November 1651

Page 41 in Image file

Could this be the 4th son of :

William [Douglas], 7th Earl of Morton, KG PC born c. 1584 mar. c. Mar 1604 Lady Anne Keith (d. 30 May 1649), 1st dau. of George [Keith], 4th Earl Marischal, by his first wife Hon Margaret Home, only child by his first wife of Alexander [Home], 5th Lord Home

children

1. Hon Robert Douglas, later 8th Earl of Morton

2. Hon Sir James Douglas of Smithfield, later 10th Earl of Morton

3. Hon John Douglas (k. at the Battle of Carbisdale 27 Apr 1650)

4. Hon George Douglas, in the Dutch service (dsp.)

1. Lady Anne Douglas (bur. 6 Dec 1677), mar. after 7 Sep 1622 George [Hay], 2nd Earl of Kinnoull, and had issue

2. Lady Margaret Douglas (b. 1610; d. 13 Mar 1677/8), mar. 7 Aug 1626 her first cousin once removed Archibald [Campbell], 1st Marquess of Argyll, and had issue

3. Lady Mary Douglas (d. c. 1659), mar. after 9 Nov 1632 Charles [Seton], 2nd Earl of Dunfermline, and had issue

4. Lady Jean Douglas (d. Jun 1694), mar. after 13 Jul 1640 James [Home], 3rd Earl of Home, and had issue

5. Lady Isabel Douglas (d. 16 Dec 1672), mar. (1) as his third wife Robert [Ker], 1st Earl of Roxburghe, and (2) 15 Nov 1656 James [Graham], 2nd Marquess of Montrose, and had issue by her second husband

Ref: http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/morton1457.htm

Best regards

Views: 40

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by William Douglas on April 1, 2025 at 21:35

Isabella Benjamin Douglas seems to have a connection withe the Reformed Church.  Perhaps baptised there?

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale on Tuesday

The record seems to be just a few scribbles on a bit of paper - in Dutch

The website notes that go with the bit of paper: 

Zoelen religious community
Zoelen Description:        Church village near Tiel with an almost entirely Protestant population.  
The few Catholics of Zoelen belonged to the Roman Catholic station of Tiel. 
In addition to the city of Tiel, the catchment area of ​​the Roman Catholic Statie Tiel 
also included the Catholics from Echteld, Drumpt and Zoelen. 
As a rule, no place names are mentioned in the relevant DTB of Tiel.

Best regards

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale yesterday

Douglases in Holland & Belgium

Two early mentions of Douglas in Belgium:

Inschrijving [Registration] Universiteit Leuven in 1432 in Leuven (Belgium)
Registered - Jacobus Dengloes Extra information - Bisdom [Diocese] Tornacensis

https://www.openarchieven.nl/abl:47fcaffc-72fe-773c-fb7a-94588180b41a

Inschrijving [Registration] Universiteit Leuven on August 21, 1505 in Leuven (Belgium)
Registered - David Dugles, born in Moray Extra information - Herkomst [origin] de Moravia

https://www.openarchieven.nl/abl:c25321f8-921e-a856-1af3-1b75b1524e...

Earliest record found for Douglas in Holland:

Minute deeds of notary Salomon Lenaertsz. van der Wuert, 1596.
Type of registration: Notarial deeds
(Deed) date: 08-07-1596
Location: Leiden
Municipality: Leiden
Details: Notary: Wurt, Salomon Lenaertsz van der
Registered - Willem Dougles

https://www.erfgoedleiden.nl/collecties/personen/zoek-op-personen/d...

There are many Douglases recorded in Holland after this date:

One notable example:

Birth records of Robert Baron van Breugel 31-7-1791 to Casper baron van Breugel & Mary Douglas & 1861 decree re name change to Douglas

Father: Casper baron van Breugel, secretary of Hertogenbosch, director of Direct Taxes in Friesland, member of the Council of Haarlem
Mother: Mary Douglas
Child - Robert baron van Breugel Douglas - Born in Hertogenbosch 26 juli 1791

https://www.openarchieven.nl/frl:55a71804-537f-4909-8903-51788b6f93...

Type of registration: DTB baptismal certificate (Deed) date: 31-07-1791
Location: Hertogenbosch
Particulars: By His Majesty's decree of the thirtieth of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-one,
number sixty-seven, the Jonkheer Robert Baron van Breugel, mentioned in this deed, was permitted
to adopt the surname of Douglas, with the consequence that..........

Baptism Robert van Breugel
Father Casper van Breugel
Mother Mary Douglas

Witness
Robert Douglas
Helena Douglas

https://www.bhic.nl/memorix/genealogy/search/deeds/a8c60fc9-4dd4-d4...

Image (see below) available at:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89QX-R96R?cc=20379...

Records of the first marriage of Robert van Breugel [Douglas] to Louisa Albertina Glinstra van Sminia on 08-09-1821

Huwelijksregister 1821
Registration type BS Huwelijk akte (Deed) date: 08-09-1821 Place: Leeuwarden Deed type: Huwelijksakte
Father of the groom
Casper van Breugel
Mother of the groom
Mary Douglas
Groom
Robert van Breugel (inspecteur der belasting)
age 30 jaar
Bride
Louisa Albertina Glinstra van Sminia
age 22 jaar
Father of the bride
Hector van Sminia
Mother of the bride
Wiskje van Haersma
https://allefriezen.nl/en/search/persons?ss=%7B%22q%22:%22robert%20...

Image on 2 pages

Best regards

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale yesterday

Earliest records found for Drysdale in Holland:

'Lootjesboek', register of persons admitted for care at the expense of the institution, mainly foreigners and poor residents, 1584-1599 - Almshouses Middelburg

Date - 1587
Drijsdel, Berries [Bessie]; Patient
Details:Scottish, came with her child.

https://www.openarchieven.nl/zar:6c4ef985-439f-1c5a-6d74-d9878d1b31d6

Date - 1588
Marriage announcement Westfries Archief - wedding in Enkhuizen July 21, 1588
Groom Robbert Driesdil, soldier under scoutmaster Jakis Moers
Bride Griet Taems, residing in Westerstraat

Marriage announcement Robbert Driesdil and Griet Taems, 03-01-1588
Date of marriage: 21-07-1588
Place of legal marriage: Enkhuizen
Groom: Robbert Driesdil
Bride: Griet Taems
Access number : 1702-09 Baptism, marriage and burial records Enkhuizen, 1581-1910

Also a Drysdale - Crichton link at Rotterdam in 1748:

24-3-1748 Alexander Cricton a witness to the Baptism of Margrita Drysdal, daughter of Jacob Drysdal & Johanna Blankerts in Rotterdam, Netherlands

https://www.westfriesarchief.nl/archieven/?mivast=136&miadt=136...

Alexander Crichton was obviously a friend of Jacob Drysdal as he was a witness to the baptism of three of Jacob's children

It is possible that this Alexander Crichton was a sailor/mariner as there is a reference to him as a chief mate in a court case heard at the Scottish Court of Session, Feb 20, 1751. Where Charlestown, Borrowstounness & Rotterdam were the 3 ports mentioned in the 1747 voyage that was examined by the Court.

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/uk/5a8ff80860d03e7f57eb811d/amp

Best regards

Permalink Reply by William Douglas yesterday

Borrowstounness, commonly known as Bo'ness, is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland.
Charlestown is a village and port on the south coast of Cornwall, England, and Charlestown is also a village in Fife, Scotland, with a harbour

Permalink Reply by William Douglas yesterday

There is a bit on the van Breugel family here:
https://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/caspar_breugel-douglas.htm

These posts will help with further research.

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale 23 hours ago
Permalink Reply by Russell Lynn Drysdale yesterday

https://douglashistory.ning.com/group/drysdale-archives/page/hendri...

https://douglashistory.ning.com/group/drysdale-archives/page/willia...

Also ages ago  I dug these names up.  Sailors headed toward Batavia Given their names I would say all were local to the Netherlands except for William, his record states (uit Edinburgh) 

Below a burial record I believe for a Jan Drysdale [right page about 3rd or 4th from the bottom] but he predates all the above Fellows perhaps father of Jan Seir and Hendrik  (uit Rotterdam) 

Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Russell Lynn Drysdale yesterday

Ronald, you probably have these already 

Important addresses for the history of the VOC
Dutch Maritime Museum Amsterdam
Maritime Museum Rotterdam
Rijks Museum Amsterdam
The archives of the VOC are in the
National Archives
The inventory of the VOC archive can be found at http://www.gahetna.nl/.../zoe.../VOC/aantal/20/eadid/1.04.02
For an overview of the Transferred Letters and Papers in the VOC archive see http://obp.tanap.net/index.cfm
Source publications concerning the VOC can be found at
Huygens Institute of Dutch History
click through to overseas territories
An important collection of visual material about the VOC is offered by
Atlas of Mutual Heritage
Koninklijke Bibliotheek
Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale yesterday

Hi Russell,

Thank you very much for these additional references, I've been entering up all of the early Dutch 'Drijsdales' I've found into the Familysearch world family tree and will also enter up these additions shortly.

Best regards

RSS

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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