Douglas book > Angus memoirs

THE FAMILY OF DOUGLAS OF PITTENDRIECH. 165
Moray, was a member. It may here be noted that the lands of Pittendriech and
others mentioned were bestowed upon the younger son of Elizabeth Douglas, James,
Earl of Morton, who afterwards gave them to one of his illegitimate sons, Archibald
Douglas of Pittendriech. Archibald married Elizabeth, daughter of William Suther-
land of Duffus, and was a well-known supporter of his father, the Regent, on whose
execution he was forfeited and banished. 1
On the marriage of Sir George Douglas to Elizabeth Douglas, her father appears
to have settled his possessions upon them in fee, while he enjoyed the liferent. He
was still alive in 1528, 2 when his daughter, and no doubt he himself with her, took
strong exception to their lands being involved in the forfeiture of Sir George Douglas,
by protesting in Parliament, through an agent, that the forfeiture should not be to
their prejudice; 3 but in vain. It is a somewhat grim index to the rapacity of those
times that John Stirling of Keir, on the very day of the forfeiture, asked and received
from the king these lands of Pittendriech, etc., by a charter under the great seal, and
that next day they were requested from the king by his own natural brother, James
Stewart, Earl of Moray, who also received a charter of them. 4 Moray must have taken
possession shortly after, for on 7th October following, Elizabeth Douglas, as daughter
and heiress of David Douglas of Pittendriech, and present possessor of the lands,
executed a formal cassation of his sasine, and protested against the deprivation. 5 Seven
years later, when King James the Fifth had reached his twenty-third year, he was pre-
vailed upon to grant the lands again to Elizabeth Douglas in liferent, and her younger
son James in fee, on the ground that the lands had been the ancient heritage of the now
deceased David Douglas of Pittendriech, and that his daughter had committed no crime,
as also in consideration of the good services of Elizabeth Douglas and her friends, and for
large sums of money. In his charter to her the king revoked the grants formerly given
to Keir and Moray, and promised to ratify the grant on attaining his twenty-fourth year/'
But he did not do so. He granted them instead once more to his natural brother, James,
Earl of Moray, and revoked the charter to Elizabeth Douglas. 7 The lands then remained
with Moray until the reversal of the forfeiture of Sir George Douglas in 1542.
1 Registerof thePrivyCouneil,vol.iii.p.624. * Registrum Magui Sigiili, vol. iii. Nos.
2 On 28th October 1526 he obtained a re- 636, 665.
mission for intercommuning with Duncan 6 Notarial Instrument of Cassation of Sasine
Comyn, a rebel. [Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, in Douglas Charter-chest.
vol. i. p. 239.] 6 2d February 1535-6. Registrum Magui
3 Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, Sigiili, vol. iii. No. 1541.
vol. ii. p. 329. 7 4th April 1538. Ibid. No. 1768.