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XL— JAMES DOUGLAS, SECOND MARQUIS OF DOUGLAS.
LADY BARBARA ERSKINE (Mar), his first Wife.
LADY MARY KER (Lothian), his second Wife.
1660—1700.
JAMES, second Marquis of Douglas, was the son of Archibald, Earl of
Angus, and his first wife, Lady Anna Stewart. By the death of his
father during the lifetime of William, first Marquis of Douglas, the subject
of this memoir became heir to the family titles and estates, and succeeded to
them on the death of his grandfather in the year 1660. Previous to that
date, and subsequent to the death of his father, he bore the courtesy title of
Earl of Angus.
Born in or about the year 1646, James, second Marquis of Douglas, was
but a boy at his father's death, and still much under age when he succeeded
to his grandfather. When his son died, the first Marquis made a new dis-
position of the earldom in favour of his grandson James, Earl of Angus. 1
This step, which was taken by advice of the Duke of Hamilton and the cele-
brated lawyers, Sir John Gilmour and Sir John Nisbet, was necessary on
account of the embarrassments which, by injudicious cautionries and the
large provisions of his marriage-contract with Lady Jean Wemyss, without
his father's consent, Archibald, Earl of Angus, had brought upon the family.
In the charter power was taken to pursue a judicial reduction of the
marriage-contract of the Countess of Angus. The Countess, however, con-
1 Dated 8th August 1655. Infeftment of on 4th October following. Documents in
the young Earl of Angus was taken thereupon Douglas Charter-chest.