Gehen zu:
The Douglas Diaries: Stories from around the world
Every month we choose a Scottish Clan to celebrate and throughout March we have discovered all sorts of intriguing tales and met some very interesting characters from Clan Douglas. We received some amazing stories over the course of the month from members of the clan all over the world. We are delighted to share our favourite tales with you and the rest of the clan today!
Brian J. Douglas
My great-grandfather was the last Scotland-born Douglas of our line, but we are all proud scots (supporting the national rugby team as well as loving to sport our kilts whenever possible). Being a part of such an important clan with, in some cases a dark, but always interesting past, is something one should celebrate and remember. The ancient colour tartan is a bit different to other tartans and more unusual, which one always gets asked about. Great to be able to put our surname on the map every so often!
Matthew Douglas
We stayed a few days after the Gathering and hit some of the Douglas landmarks. We visited the Douglas Heritage Museum, along with St. Bride's Kirk and what's left of Douglas Castle in Douglas. Anyone who's a Douglas and going to Scotland owes it to themselves to make that part of their visit. Mr. Fleming that runs the museum is a wonderful man, and an absolute wealth of knowledge on Clan Douglas. We also visited Melrose Abbey, Stirling Castle, the Bannockburn Memorial and Lochleven Castle. All are places that have ties to Clan Douglas. There are many more, but it's hard to get them all in during a single trip. When I came in 2009, I was a single man coming with my father to learn about my family history. When I visit again, I'll be bringing my son to teach him about where we come from.
Douglas Howard
According to my grandfather I was to take my albeit distant association with the Clan Douglas seriously. This tattoo is on my left shoulder. Not too certain what else I could do in terms of following his directive. I've had it for over 20 years... it could perhaps do with a wee bit of sharpening by now I suppose. Regardless, those that don't know always ask... and those that do, don't.
Mario and Maria Simonsen
Victoria Louise Scholes
My family on my mother's side descends from the Douglas clan. A coat of arms always hung in the hall way at home and our mother was very proud of it. When I was born, the name that my parents had already picked for me didn't fit, so James Douglas became Victoria Louise! My Dad gave up hoping for a son and became very happy and proud to have his three girls.
Luckily I have 2 boys now and the youngest bears the name Oscar Peter Douglas. I have always loved visiting Scotland and wear my tartan with pride. The Douglas wrap was sent to me on my 50th birthday from my dear sisters.
Harold Edington
In my opinion, there may never again be a Chief of the House of Douglas. Any petition to the Lyon Court for recognition will be met with opposition by at least one of the other contenders. Any final resolution would require a prolonged and bank-breaking court battle and/or pronouncement of Parliament – much like in the Douglas Cause. I imagine the entire issue could be laid to rest, if the Crown were to invest one of the principal stakeholders with the title of “Duke of Douglas.” I have to believe that the House of Douglas will continue to endure… even without a Chief.
For me, the lack of a Chief is less problematic than the lack of leadership within the House of Douglas. Currently, there are a few Douglas societies all over the world but each one exists independently and without any real oversight. It would be wonderful if all of these were somehow united under a single banner, but without a Chief, that does not seem likely. For me, this is reminiscent of the 1995 movie Braveheart moment when Wallace is trying to convince Bruce to assume the role of leader and king.
I do not know if it would be possible for the nine gentlemen named earlier as modern contenders for the seat of Chief of the House of Douglas to sit as equals on a Council of Chieftains but I do believe that their doing so would be the best alternative for the Chief-less House of Douglas. If just two or three of them would accept the challenge to create a Council of Chieftains, perhaps the Lord Lyon could offer some form of official recognition to the Council. Yes … this is a radical suggestion and a major “What if…” but it could also be THE solution for a Scottish House that has been Chief-less for nearly 250 years (and not for lack of a candidate). With the creation of a Council of Chieftains, one other major potential consequence of choosing a chief could be avoided: no family organization currently with one of these gentlemen as their chief would be disenfranchised through the loss of their chief.
Even though our celebrations of Clan Douglas for our clan of the month are coming to an end, our love for this powerful clan will never end. We always love to hear customer clan stories, so if you have any Douglas tales that you want to share with us, please get in touch!