Archibald Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry
Encyclopedia
Archibald William Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry PC
(18 April 1818 – 6 August 1858), styled Viscount Drumlanrig between 1837 and 1856, was a Scottish Conservative Party
politician. He notably served as Comptroller of the Household
between 1853 and 1856.
, by Sarah Douglas, daughter of Major James Sholto Douglas. He became known by the courtesy title
Viscount Drumlanrig when his father succeeded in the marquessate of Queensberry in 1837.
cricket
for the Marylebone Cricket Club
in 1841.
in 1847. In early 1853 he was sworn of the Privy Council
and appointed Comptroller of the Household
under Lord Aberdeen
, a post he held until 1856, the last year under the premiership of Lord Palmerston
. The latter year he succeeded his father in the marquessate. However, as this was a Scottish peerage
it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords
. He stood down from the House of Commons in early 1857. Apart from his political career he was also Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfriesshire from 1850 to 1858.
, Scotland
, in 1840. They had six children:
Lord Queensberry died while hunting in August 1858, officially from the explosion of his gun. However, the event was widely believed to be a suicide. The Marchioness of Queensberry died in February 1904.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(18 April 1818 – 6 August 1858), styled Viscount Drumlanrig between 1837 and 1856, was a Scottish Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He notably served as Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
between 1853 and 1856.
Background
Douglas was the son of John Douglas, 7th Marquess of QueensberryJohn Douglas, 7th Marquess of Queensberry
John Douglas, 7th Marquess of Queensberry , styled Lord John Douglas from May to December 1837, was a Scottish Whig politician....
, by Sarah Douglas, daughter of Major James Sholto Douglas. He became known by the courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
Viscount Drumlanrig when his father succeeded in the marquessate of Queensberry in 1837.
Cricket
He played first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in 1841.
Political career
Lord Drumlanrig was returned to parliament for DumfriesshireDumfriesshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumfriesshire was a county constituency represented in the of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 2005. It was known as Dumfries from 1950...
in 1847. In early 1853 he was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
and appointed Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
under Lord Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he...
, a post he held until 1856, the last year under the premiership of Lord Palmerston
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
. The latter year he succeeded his father in the marquessate. However, as this was a Scottish peerage
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He stood down from the House of Commons in early 1857. Apart from his political career he was also Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfriesshire from 1850 to 1858.
Family
Lord Queensberry married Caroline Margaret Clayton (1821–1904), daughter of General Sir William Clayton, 5th Baronet, at Gretna GreenGretna Green
Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in 1840. They had six children:
- Lady Gertrude Georgiana Douglas (died 1893), married Thomas Stock.
- John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of QueensberryJohn Douglas, 9th Marquess of QueensberryJohn Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry GCVO was a Scottish nobleman, remembered for lending his name and patronage to the "Marquess of Queensberry rules" that formed the basis of modern boxing, for his outspoken atheism, and for his role in the downfall of author and playwright Oscar...
(1844–1900), the man behind the Marquess of Queensberry rulesMarquess of Queensberry rulesThe Marquess of Queensberry rules is a code of generally accepted rules in the sport of boxing. They were named so because John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry publicly endorsed the code, although they were written by a sportsman named John Graham Chambers. The code of rules on which modern...
that formed the basis of modern boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and, much later, the downfall of author and playwright Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
. - Lord Francis William Bouverie DouglasLord Francis DouglasLord Francis William Bouverie Douglas was a novice, British mountaineer. After sharing in the first ascent of the Matterhorn, he died in a fall on the way down from the summit.-Early life:...
(1847–1865), beaten by A. W. Moore and party by a day to first ascent of the Ober GabelhornOber GabelhornThe Ober Gabelhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland, located between Zermatt and Zinal.-Geography:The Ober Gabelhorn lies in the Swiss canton of Valais at the southern end of the Zinal valley . It rises, together with the Dent Blanche and the Zinalrothorn , above the Zinal Glacier...
, killed a week later in the first successful ascent of the MatterhornMatterhornThe Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
. - Reverend Lord Archibald Edward Douglas (1850–1938).
- Lady Florence Caroline DouglasLady Florence DixieLady Florence Caroline Dixie , before her marriage Lady Florence Douglas, was a British traveller, war correspondent, writer and feminist.-Early life:...
(1855–1905) (twin), war correspondent, travel writer, and feminist. - Lord James Edward Sholto Douglas (1855–1891) (twin), married Martha Lucy Hennessy in 1888, committed suicide.
Lord Queensberry died while hunting in August 1858, officially from the explosion of his gun. However, the event was widely believed to be a suicide. The Marchioness of Queensberry died in February 1904.