William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton

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Coat of arms of Sir William, 7th Earl of Morton

William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton (* 1582 in Dalkeith , Midlothian , † August 7, 1648 in Kirkwall , Orkney ) was a Scottish peer and politician from the Douglas family .

Act

Sir William succeeded his grandfather William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton in the earliest dignity in 1606 , as his father Robert Douglas, Master of Morton had perished under unclear circumstances during his exile in 1585. From 1630 to 1635 he held the office of Lord High Treasurer of Scotland , a high government position in Scotland before the union with England in 1707 . After his resignation, he was appointed captain of the Yeomen of the Guard and Knight of the Garter appointed and member of the Privy Privy Council ( Privy Council ) sworn of the English king.

Under William Douglas, Aberdour Castle, raised by his grandfather to the ancestral seat of the Earls of Morton, was expanded to include a Renaissance-style wing , which was completed during his lifetime and marked the greatest display of splendor of the festivals.

East wing of Aberdour Castle built under William Douglas

family

Sir William married Lady Anne Keith († 1649) in 1604, eldest daughter of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal . From this marriage there were nine children, four sons and five daughters. The first-born, Robert Douglas, succeeded his father in 1648 as the 8th Earl of Morton, but in turn died in 1649 and was inherited by his son William Douglas, 9th Earl of Morton . When he died in 1681 without an heir, Sir Williams' second-born James Douglas, 10th Earl of Morton († 1686), succeeded his nephew in the earliest dignity. Since James was successively inherited by his three sons, the six Earls of Morton who followed Sir William were all his sons or grandsons. His third son, John Douglas, died in the Battle of Carbisdale in 1650, while his youngest, George Douglas, went into Dutch service.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b cracroftspeerage.co.uk: William (Douglas), 7th Earl of Morton, KG PC ( memento June 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on February 18, 2014. Note: Sometimes 1650 is given as the year of death, yes this seems to be based on an outdated state of research from the late 19th century.
  2. ^ Lodge, Edmund (1832): The Genealogy of the Existing British Peerage. Saunders and Otle. Page 255, archive.org
  3. ↑ The Douglas Archives : Sir William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 12, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.douglashistory.co.uk
  4. ^ Dictionary of National Biography (1888): Douglas, William (1582-1650) (DNB00) , on Wikisource , accessed February 12, 2014
predecessor Office successor
William Douglas Earl of Morton
1606-1648 		Robert Douglas
personal data
SURNAME Douglas, William, 7th Earl of Morton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Douglas, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 1582
PLACE OF BIRTH Dalkeith
DATE OF DEATH August 7, 1648
Place of death Kirkwall