Arms of the first three Earls of Morton[1]

John Douglas, 2nd Earl of Morton died 9 September 1513 at the Battle of Flodden.[2]

Life

He was the son of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Princess Joan Stewart, Countess of Morton, daughter of James I of Scotland by his wife Lady Joan Beaufort.[3] He became earl in 1493, upon his father's death. He was succeeded by his son James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton.

A very wealthy man, John, unlike many of his peers, did not become embroiled in the intrigues and politics of his day.[4] Instead, the shrewd Earl of Morton worked to improve his holdings and was quite the litigator in his time, successfully defending his interests in court.[5] It turned out later that John, as lord of Dalkeith was aware the land had great value both above and below the surface and in fact sat on what was later described as the Great Midlothian Coalfield.[4]

Marriage and issue

He married Janet Crichton, daughter of Patrick Crichton of Cranston-Riddel[6] and had two sons and two daughters:

References

  1. ^ The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Vol. I, Ed. Sir Bernard Burke (London : Harrison, 1884), p. 295
  2. ^ Guthrie, William (1767). A General History of Scotland. Vol. 4. Paternoster Row, London: A. Hamilton, Robinson and Roberts. pp. 371-372. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. ^ The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Sir James Balfour Paul, Vol. VI (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1909), p. 356
  4. ^ a b Herbert Maxwell, A History of the House of Douglas, Vol. I (Freemantle & Co., London, 1902) pp. 242–3
  5. ^ The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Sir James Balfour Paul, Vol. VI (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1909), pp. 357–8
  6. ^ a b c d e The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Sir James Balfour Paul, Vol. VI (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1909), p. 358

Notes

Peerage of Scotland Preceded byJames Douglas Earl of Morton 1493–1513 Succeeded byJames Douglas


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