DOUGLAS, ARCHIBALD [SSNE 1502]

Surname

DOUGLAS

First name

ARCHIBALD

Nationality

SCOT

Region

WHITTINGEHAME, EAST LOTHIAN

Social status

GENTRY

Text source

Archibald Douglas was the son of William Douglas of Whittingehame (East Lothian) and was a member of the Scottish embassy to German princes and to Denmark 1590 under William Stewart and John Skene. As Archibald Douglas of "Wittingen" in Scotland who approached King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in April 1590 regarding the timber he had purchased in Norway in order to build a cargo ship. As the king had passed a law banning the building of any ship larger than 20 lasts, Douglas had approached both Christian and King James VI for help. The Danish-Norwegian king finally authorised Douglas to continue building and eventually remove the vessel from Norway. In 1590, he was appointed senator of the College of Justice, resigning his seat in 1618. (He is not to be confused with his uncle, Archibald Douglas (d. 1603), parson of Glasgow, senator of the College of Justice, and ambassador to England, cf. DNB XV, pp.280-1.)

This entry was kindly updated by Thomas Brochard

T. Riis, Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot (Odense, 1988), p.59. (NLS. Ms. 2,912, fol.10r.); Norske Rigsregistranter, vol.3, (1865), p.119; G. Brunton and D. Haig, An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of Justice, from its Institution in MDXXXII (Edinburgh, 1832), 217-8.

Service record

SCOTLAND, DENMARK-NORWAY

Arrived 1590-01-01

Departed 1590-12-31

Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY