Sir William Douglas, 4th Baronet

Sir William Douglas, 4th Baronet Kelhead (c. 1730 – 16 May 1783) was a British Member of Parliament.

Lockerbie House Hotel, 1959

Sir William Douglas, 4th Baronet Kelhead

The son of Sir John Douglas, 3rd Baronet Kelhead and his wife, Christian Cunningham, daughter of Sir William Cunningham of Caprington, 2nd Baronet, he was a descendant of Lady Catherine Douglas, sister of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry. He was educated at Glasgow University.

He served as Member of Parliament for Dumfries Burghs between 1768 and 1780. He succeeded his uncle Charles Douglas, a wealthy East India Company merchant to his Breconwhat estate in Dumfries in 1770. Sir William later commissioned the building of Lockerbie House. He was also a favourite of his relative the Duke of Queensberry, who bequeathed to him £16,000 upon his death in October 1778.

He married Grace Johnstone in 1772 and had five sons and four daughters. The eldest, Charles, succeeded as 6th Marquess of Queensberry.[1] Their third son, Lord John Douglas, granted the style and precedence of the younger son of a Marquess by Royal Warrant 4 May 1837, later became 7th Marquess of Queensberry. The youngest son, Lord William Robert Keith Douglas was Member of Parliament for Dumfries Burghs.[2]

References

1. Members of Parliament, Scotland, including the minor barons; Joseph Foster.
2. The House of Commons 1790-1820; Roland G. Thorne