John Douglass, 14th Laird of Tilquhillie
John Douglass , 14th Laird of Tilquhillie (also John Douglas , born March 28, 1803 at Tilquhillie Castle near Banchory in Aberdeenshire ; † October 11, 1870 ibid) was a Scottish textile entrepreneur in Thuringia (Vorarlberg) , Austria.
Life
He was the son of the Scottish country nobleman John Douglas, 13th Laird of Tilquhillie (1772-1812) from his marriage to Penuel, daughter of John McKenzie of Drumtochty or Woodstock. He came from a branch line of the Clan Douglas . In 1812, when his father died, he inherited his lands in Aberdeenshire as the 14th Laird of Tilquhillie.
On June 1, 1837, he married Jane Margret Kennedy, daughter of the wealthy industrialist James Kennedy, landlord of Caledon House in Ancoats near Manchester . Through his wife, Douglass was also related to one of the successful English entrepreneurial families.
The favorable economic and political framework in Vorarlberg and the availability of hydropower attracted many foreign entrepreneurs and investors at that time. The Kennedys were already successful with a spinning and weaving mill in Feldkirch, together with the textile entrepreneurs and drive specialist Escher from north-eastern Switzerland, who are also related to their families. In Thuringia, where a waterfall and an old smithy operated with it were suitable for industrial use, in 1832 Peter Kennedy bought the smithy and the area around the waterfall on behalf of John Douglass. After further land purchases in 1834 and the construction of the spinning mill building in 1835/1836, part of the textile factory was able to start operations. In 1837, Douglass founded the “kk privileged cotton spinning and weaving” in Thuringia together with Albert Escher and Peter Kennedy.
From 1850 John Douglass was the sole owner of the company. In the early 1860s he passed the company on to his son John Sholto Douglass and retired to Scotland at his family estate, Tilquhillie Castle, where he died in 1870.
When the company was founded in 1837, the stately Villa Falkenhorst was built near the factory as a residence for John and his wife Jane Douglass . With the style features of English country houses, it is a fine example of Vorarlberg architecture from the industrialization and Biedermeier era.
progeny
From his marriage to Jane Margret Kennedy he had at least five children:
- John Sholto Douglass, 15th Laird of Tilquhillie (1838–1874) ⚭ Wanda von Poellnitz
- Archibald Kennedy Douglas (1839–1873)
- James McKenzie Douglas (1841-1842)
- George Louis Augustus Douglas (1845-1854)
- Edward Douglas (1852-1852)
Web links
- Review of the book Die Römer in Vorarlberg (1872) in the portal of Naturfreunde Vorarlberg
- John Sholto Douglass, Samuel Jenny: The Romans in Vorarlberg . Wagner, Innsbruck 1872 ( digitized version )
- Falkenhorst and the Douglass-Poellnitz-Jehly dynasty Information page of Villa Falkenhorst
- Robert Kohler: Collection Norman Douglas: Forbess family, Douglas, Pöllnitz, Jehly
- Annette Bleyle: Origin and development of Vorarlberg industry pdf online
- Douglas of Tilquhillie at douglashistory.co.uk
Individual evidence
- ↑ see web link review of the book Die Römer in Vorarlberg (1872)
- ↑ a b c d see web link information page of Villa Falkenhorst
- ↑ see web link Origin and Development of Vorarlberg Industry
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Douglass, John 14. Laird of Tilquhillie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tilquhillie, John Douglass 14. Laird of |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish textile manufacturer in Austria |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1803 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tilquhillie Castle at Banchory |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 11, 1870 |
| Place of death | Tilquhillie Castle at Banchory |