Of the Douglases, "the great, turbulent, daring, and too often treacherous house," as Lang calls them (History, I, p. 236), Hume of Godscroft, the old historian of the family, writing of their origin says "We do not know them in the Fountain but in the Stream; not in the Root, but in the Stock and Stem, for we know not who was the first mean Man that did raise himself above the Vulgar" (History of the house and race of Douglas, 1743, pref., p. XIV). Of the sixteenth-century legend of the knight of 770 A.D. who was rewarded with the Clydesdale lands in return for his aid rendered a Scottish king at an opportune time there is not the slightest evidence, and no one nowadays places any dependence in the tale. The statement of Chalmers (Caledonia, I, p. 579) that the Douglases sprang from Theobaldus a Fleming, who obtained a grant of lands on the Douglas Water from the abbot of Kelso is equally discredited. The lands granted by the abbot to Theobald the Fleming (Theobaldus Flamaticus) between 1147 and 1160, though on the Douglas Water, were not a part of the ancient territory of Douglas, and "there is no proof nor any probability of William of Douglas of the twelfth century, the undoubted ancestor of the family, being descended of the Fleming who settled on the opposite side of his native valley" (Lanes, Sketches, p. 184) William de Duglas, the first of the family in record, between 1175 and 1199, witnessed a confirmation charter by Jocelin, bishop of Glasgow to the monks of Kelso (Kelso, 454), and was a witness to another charter to the canons of Holyrood by William the Lion about the year 1200 (LSC., p. 44). Between 1204 and 211 William de Duueglas also witnessed a charter by Thomas, son of Thancard, in favor of the Abbey of Arbroath (RAA., I, 99). His son and heir, Archibald (Archabaldus, Archembald, Arkembaid, Arkenbald, Erkembald or Erkenbald) de Duueglas appeurs as a witness to numerous charters in the chartularies of Melrose, Kelso, Newbattle, and Moray. The subsequent history of the Douglases is coextensive with the history of Scotland. The principal stems are as follows: (1) the old Douglas of Douglas dale (the Blade Douglas), illustrious in the War of Independence; (2) the senior cadet branch, the line of Morton, so largely bound up with the fortunes of Mary Queen of Scots; (3) the house of Drumlanrig and Queensbeny, which came to its zenith with the "Union Duke;" and (4) that of Angus, the Red Douglas, which, after overthrowing the elder stock at Arkinholm (1455), played much the same part between Scotland and England as its kindred of the Black. In Argyllshire this territorial surname is used as an Englishing of Maclucas (Maclugash), which see. Dawgleiss 1540, Dogles 1633, Douglace 1504, Douglase 1429, Dougleische 1583, Dougles 1529, Douglles 1688, Dovglas 1499, Dowglace 1511, Dowglas 1679, Dowglass 1559, Dowglasse 1684, Dufglas 1225, Dulglace 1454, Dulglass 1433, Duueglas 1220, Dwglas 1688, Dwglass 1399. The old pronunciation of the name was Doo-glas, the modern Dug-las. The Hon. Henry Maule alliteratively described Hume of Godscroft's History as "full of fables, falsehoods, and errors" (Panmure, I, p. lxxiii).

(Celtic) Dweller at the Black-Water [Gaelic and Irish dubh, black + glas, glais(e, water, streamlet]

“Black Water” in Gaelic (Dubb Glas).

(Scottish) Dweller at the black water or stream.

The most powerful and widely celebrated family that Scotland ever produced. The name was assumed from lands on the small river Douglas, in Lanarkshire, (Gael, duf-glas, du-glas, i.e., dark grey, from the colour of its waters), where William of Dufglaswas established as early as 1175. This illustrious race, renowned throughout western Europe for its romantic career, may well be accounted an "historical" family, for as Hume, the annalist of the House, has it —

There is the following tradition in regard to the origin of the name. In the year 770 Solvathius king of Scotland, obtained a victory over Donald Bain of the Western Isles, by the assistance of a man who was unknown to him. After the battle, being desirous to see one who had done him so signal a service, he was pointed out to him with these words: "Sholto Dhuglass," behold that swarthy man. One of this family. Sir William Douglas, entered into the service of Charlemagne and was the founder of the family of Douglassi in Tuscany. Sir James de Douglas took the heart of Robert Bruce to the Holy Land, to commemorate which.

This family descends from Theobald le Fleming (Flandrensis), who received, after 1147, lands at Douglas, Lanark, from Arnold, abbot of Kelso (Chalmers, Caledonia, i. 418, &c.) He was probably brother of Baldwin le Fleming (Flamingus), who about the same time had a grant of Biggar from David I., and was Viscount of Lanark.

The latter, as Baldwin Flandrensis, in 1130 was excused payment of a fine in England at the instance of William, Castellan of St. Omer (Rot. Pip.). William Fitz-Baldwin, his son, held lands in Devon 1165, with Erchembald or Archembald le Fleming, his cousin (Lib. Niger). The latter was son of Stephen, and grandson of Archembald le Fleming or Flandrensis of Devon; the latter of whom held estates there 1086 (Domesd.). From the Devonshire line descended the Le Flemings, barons of Slane, in Ireland. Baldwin of Biggar was ancestor of the Le Flemyngs, who were invested with the earldom of Wigton 14th cent. Theobald le Fleming, of Douglas, had issue William, whose son Erchembald was ancestor of the Barons and Earls of Douglas, the Earls of Angus, now Dukes of Hamilton, Earls of Morton, of Selkirk, and many other families. The connexion of William de St. Omer with this family has been noticed. The arms of the Earls of Wigton (a chevron) are those of the family of Bethune or De Arras, of which William de St. O. was a member. It is probable that Bald­win le Fleming, of Biggar (1130), was a nephew of William, his grandfather, Archembald le Fleming (1086), being of a branch of the house of Bethune. (See Beaton.) This joint connexion of the Le Flemyngs of Biggar, and the Douglases, with the Devonshire house, appears from the Liber Niger.

(Scotch), Dubh glas, Dark-gray or Azure, if, as is most probable, it originated with the river, which may have been so called from the color of its waters. The first of this family was Theobald the Fleming, who, between the years 1147 and 1160, received a grant of lands on Douglas Water, in Lanark. He was called “Theobaldus Flamaticus” in the charter; and his immediate successor assumed, for the first, the name “de Duglas.”

A location name in Lanark.

Douglas was the name of one of the oldest and most powerful of the Scottish noble families. The principal home of the name is now in the Scottish border counties.