Archibald Douglas (d. 1741)
Encyclopedia
Archibald Douglas 13th of Cavers came from an ancient Roxburghshire
family with a strong Covenanting
tradition. He was the
heritable sheriff of Teviotdale, Roxburghshire and sat in the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
in 1707-8. He was the Member of
Parliament for Dumfries burghs
1727-34.
His father William Douglas 11th of Cavers had been deprived of the hereditary sheriffdom on account of his
opposition to the court, and his mother, Katherine Rigg the reputed 'good Lady Cavers', was imprisoned in
Stirling Castle
in November 1682. She was only released permanently in December 1684, when, upon being given
the choice of conforming or leaving the country, she took up residence in England.
The family's status naturally revived with the Revolution, whereupon the heritable jurisdiction of Roxburghshire was restored.
Douglas succeeded his elder brother, William, to the sheriffdom and the estate of Cavers in 1698. He was
Receiver-general for Scotland 1705-18 and postmaster-general in 1725 .
Prior to the Union of Scotland and England (1701), Douglas had been able to return himself as one of Roxburghshire's four
representatitves to the Scottish Parliament
. In his electoral capacity, he consistently opposed the
Rosburghe interest both in the Scottish and British Parliaments. Repeated successes prompted his son
William to remark with pardonable exaggeration in 1712 that "you have it in your hands to make the Member
for the county."
He died in 1741.
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
family with a strong Covenanting
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
tradition. He was the
heritable sheriff of Teviotdale, Roxburghshire and sat in the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
1st Parliament of Great Britain
The first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain was established in 1707, after the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. No fresh elections were held in England, and the existing members of the House of Commons of England sat as members of the new House of Commons of...
in 1707-8. He was the Member of
Parliament for Dumfries burghs
Dumfries Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumfries Burghs was a district of burghs constituency 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 1918...
1727-34.
His father William Douglas 11th of Cavers had been deprived of the hereditary sheriffdom on account of his
opposition to the court, and his mother, Katherine Rigg the reputed 'good Lady Cavers', was imprisoned in
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
in November 1682. She was only released permanently in December 1684, when, upon being given
the choice of conforming or leaving the country, she took up residence in England.
The family's status naturally revived with the Revolution, whereupon the heritable jurisdiction of Roxburghshire was restored.
Douglas succeeded his elder brother, William, to the sheriffdom and the estate of Cavers in 1698. He was
Receiver-general for Scotland 1705-18 and postmaster-general in 1725 .
Prior to the Union of Scotland and England (1701), Douglas had been able to return himself as one of Roxburghshire's four
representatitves to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. In his electoral capacity, he consistently opposed the
Rosburghe interest both in the Scottish and British Parliaments. Repeated successes prompted his son
William to remark with pardonable exaggeration in 1712 that "you have it in your hands to make the Member
for the county."
He died in 1741.