When the accounts of the Glorious Revolution were rewritten for the recent tri-centenary, the Earl of Dumbarton failed to make even a footnote. While Churchill and others have found many biographers, George Douglas, a senior courtier and commander in the English army, as well as one time General of Scottish army has slipped away from the limelight.

Yet his story crosses two great civil upheavals and found him at the centre of the courts of France and England. His 'decline' in visibility is perhaps due to the insecurity of a man of position who had only court influence to back up his authonty.

George Douglas was born around 1634, son of William 1st Marquis of Douglas, and his second wife, Mary. His father was leader of the great Douglas family which had been influential over the centuries in Scottish politics. A Catholic, his support for Charles I made him unpopular with the rising Calvinist opposition.

Boyhood

The boyhood of Dumbarton remains a mystery. When he was about six, his father fled to England, in advance of his almost certain arrest by the covenanters. Although his father returned in 1641, his support for Montrose lead to his imprisonment, and although he bought his freedom, his support for Charles II meant he was forced into exile in 1653 - having paid another fine.

During these turbulent affairs, Dumbarton grew up. He appears to history in the guise of Page of Honour to Louis XIV, a position reserved normally for sons of poor noblemen.

The Douglas connections with France were long standing. Recent ancestors had lived at the French court. More importantly the family had a claim to a regiment of Scots guards in the French army. George's stepbrother, Lord James, had commanded the regiment from 1637 till he was killed, in 1645. His elder stepbrother, Archibald, was absentee Colonel till he died in 1653, and it is possible that his father held it in trust until George was old enough to take command, in 1655.

The position of Colonel, Lord George Douglas, from 1655 is an interesting one, loyal to the Stuarts, he owed his position to his standing in the French Court. This clash of loyalty was always resolved in favour of loyalty to the Stuarts, however good terms with the French court seemed to have been kept.

In the 1660's, Dumbarton's regiment returned to England twice. In 1661, Louis XIV released them to help cover the period of the building of the royal army, following the Venner rising. While there seems to have been few problems with this, when Charles II wanted them back in 1665 to fight the Dutch, it was a different matter. The Venetian ambassador, Marc Antonia Giustiania noted he "has deserved well of the King here and is much beloved by his Majesty who is greatly upsa by this."

Odd Position

In England, Douglas occupied an odd position. While the army lacked any formal structure above regiment, he had no formal role, but seems to have been active in supervising the defences in the Thames area. He was perhaps not the most taaful of men, as while in Dover he was accused of abusing the Mayor.

With the war over, the regiment resumed to France. Louis, unwilling to lose his veterans again, wanted to send them as far away as possible - Canada to be exact. After two years of wrangling, Charles II, with his occasional, told Douglas to return home if he was ordered to Canada. The plan was shelved.

The European diplomatic crises of the later seventeenth century boiled over in 1672, with the French attacks on her eastern border. Douglas' regiment was in the thick of the action of the Rhine. It would be nice to report how his Lordship, like his kin, lead from the front and were rewarded with marshall's batons, however his exact position is unclear. It may be said that he was a general at this time and received 5000L a year, so whatever he did, he was good at it!

English international and domestic politics called for a realignment of alliances, and in 1674 Charles II withdrew his support for Louis XIV. It was perhaps a sign of where Charles' heart lay that, when Dumbarton returned to England in 1675, possibly for the funeral of his mother, he was made Earl of Dumbarton and Lord Ettrick. Further pressure on Charles, forced him to side against Louis, and in 1678 the regiment was recalled to England.

Dumbarton had maintained excellent relations with both family and friends while in France. During the 1670's, his nephew the Earl of Arran, visited him in Paris. Dumbarton tried to persuade Arran into attending M. de Valle's Academy, however his tutor felt M. Faubert offered better masters and horses, and was a more sober place. Dumbarton was pushing Douglas claims to French tides, and hoped, in vain, Arran would stay to try to recover the Duchy of Chatelherault.

England, in 1680, after the French war was over, liked neither professional soldiers, Scotsmen or Catholics. His regiment was quickly sent to Ireland and Tangiers to put it out of harms way. As neither place was a suitable place for a courtier, Dumbarton stayed in London, just as anti-catholic feeling was boiling over in the Popeish Plot.

Test Acts

The Test Acts applied only to English regiments, Douglas' men were safe abroad. This did not prevent him from being recorded on the lists of recusants, while living in Suffolk Street, St. Martin's in the Field. Things took a turn for the worse, when he had to petition against an order removing him and other catholics from London and Westminster. He stated he would give "security for his peaceable living".

While living in London, Dumbarton kept a Strong French connection. In 1681 he received 150L to pay for his brothers funeral. James had returned to France after the war. Furthermore, in 1683, he was sent as Charles II's ambassador to France for the Queen's funeral.

The final abandonment of Tangiers, the financial drain on the African coast, meant Dumbarton's regiment re-entered the English pay books. The Test Acts applying, Dumbarton as a catholic, was removed from his command. It is notable that no-one was promoted to take his place.

Fortunes

The fortunes of Douglas switched as quickly as did those of James, Duke of York.

In February 1685, Charles II died. The catholic monarchy took power without a whisper, however in March, Argyll was trying to revive the rebellious elements who had fared badly under the Stuarts. The Scottish army was tiny, and relied on local support. To ensure the rebellion was brought to a successful conclusion, Dumbarton was made a Lieutenant General and given command of the Scottish army. Arriving too late to contribute to the government victory, he interviewed Argyll at Glasgow and escorted him to his execution.

In September, James II overthrew the Test Acts and Douglas left the Scottish army and took up a Lieutenant Generalship and command of his regiment in the English army.

Freed of the restrictions against catholics, James appointed those loyal to him to positions around court. Dumbarton was made a Gentleman of the Bedchamber, with a pension of 600L a year. Added to this, Dumbarton was created one of the first Knights of the Order of the Thistle. His loyalty as a catholic gave him responsibility for politically sensitive issues, such as a survey of catholics in the army.

Crisis

The crises of 1688 saw Dumbarton standing beside James. As the army slowly destroyed itself, it was the advice of Dumbarton, who, with Faversham, were the most senior commanders still loyal to James, who persuaded him not to risk a battle with William's men.

Dumbarton remained loyal to James through his downfall, and was with him when he was allowed to escape. He did not flee to France himself, but later appealed, through the Earl of Carlisle, for a pass to travel to join the King. It was denied.

The position of Douglas was now one of powerlessness. His position was not, it would appear, based on military brilliance, nor great estates or popular political power. He had held his court position by loyalty to the Stuarts, with the skills of a courtier developed in France. His family was not united on one side or the other of the Orange/Stuart divide, and was no base for a comeback. The Churchills, English gentlemen, could desert James and enlist with William, and still toy with Stuart affections. Douglas, through personal attachment, was a partisan of James, on whose fortune his was based. He remained loyal to James, and could no nothing more than follow him into exile.

The exact nature of Dumbarton's life and the events of it between 1688 and 92 are difficult to follow. The one one event that is certain is that he died in 1692, in St. Germain de Pres, in French exile. It is said, in Kanes Military History, published in 1752, that he commanded 16 volunteers at Killiecrankie, which escorted him during a successful capture attempt on the royal artillery. No other source I have found confirms this.

George Douglas had the advantage of birth, but built his own career. A skilled courtier, he was not a brilliant commander, but seems to have been a reliable man to put into a military world always dependent on the political. He lacked the traditional power base of a career in the English army, and his lack of civil influence or military brilliance, meant he was dispensable. He left one child, George, who was born in 1687, and who died in 1749, having served the Hanoverians as a Colonel and diplomat. He died without an heir.