William Douglas of Kirkness
Brigadier-General William Douglas (b. 1688[1] - d.1747), of Kirkness, Kinross, was Member of Parliament for Kinross-shire 1715 - 1722, and a soldier.
Descended from the earls of Morton, Douglas was returned for his county as a Whig in 1715. No votes of his are recorded, nor did he stand again.[2]
First commissioned in 1709, Captain Douglas joined Croft's Light Dragoons from which, in 1720, he was appointed to the Coldstream Guards.[3]
He served with distinction in the War of the Austrian Succession, and was given the command of the 32nd Regiment soon after Fontenoy.
The 32nd Regiment served briefly in England in 1745/46 in the army of the Duke of Cumberland. The regiment subsequently did 'good service' in Lancashire. They were employed in Scotland on the dispersal of the clans, remaining there but a short lime, as they could ill be spared from Flanders.
Family
William was the oldest son of Sir Robert Douglas of Kirkness by Jean, daughter of John Balfour, 3rd Lord Balfour of Burleigh, widow of George Oliphant of Gask, Perth.
On 11 June 1737, contrary to the wishes of her relatives, Anne, third daughter of Charles Howard, M.P., 3rd Earl of Carlisle married, as her second husband, at St. George's, Hanover Square, Colonel William Douglas.[4]
Anne had been married previously to Rich Ingram, 5th Viscount of Irvine, who had died in 1721. She was appointed in 1736 a Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales (mother of George III), and for the rest of her life was a prominent figure at Court. She was forced to keep her second marriage with Colonel William Douglas a secret for fear of losing her paid position in the royal household. She was author of several poems, and is noticed in Duncombe's Feminead.
Brigadier-General Douglas died at Brabant on 5 August 1747, falling a victim to the unhealthiness of the climate. Dying without children, on his death, his sister Isabel was retoured heir to him. There is a memorial to him on the north wall of Kew Chapel.
Anne died 2 December 1764, and is buried near her second husband at Kew.
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir John Malcolm (to 1713) |
Member of Parliament for Kinross-shire 1715–1722 |
Succeeded by John Hope (from 1727) |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Henry Skelton |
Colonel of the 32nd Regiment of Foot 1745–1747 |
Succeeded by Francis Leighton |
References
- ↑ Harleian MS 6442
- ↑ Simpson, J. M. "Kinross-shire Constituency". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trus. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ Clayton, George. "Historical Records of the 32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry,". SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & Co., Limited. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. "The Scots peerage; founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom". The Scots Peerage. JAHES MACLEHOSE. Retrieved 29 October 2012.