The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-08 00:00:00

GLASGOW, MONDAY.

James Douglas, Baron Douglas, died 'at his seat, Both-
well Castle, upon the Clyde, this morning. The deceased
peer had been in indifferent health for a lengthened period,
but the illness which finally carried him off was only of
two or three days' duration. He' was born in 1787, and
succeeded to the title and estates on, the death of his
brother, in Sep?Sinber, 1848. He married in May, 1813,
Wilbelmina, second daughter of the late General James
Murray. The deceased was in holy orders, brat subsequently
to his accession to the family estates he lived principally
either at Douglas Castle or 'at Bethwell Castle, and rarely
took any active part in ptiblic affairs. He was also very
seldom seen in the House of Lords. Dying childless, he is
succeeded in his estates—Which are principally situated in
Clydesdale, and:estimated to be worth about 65,000/. per
annum—by his sister, Lady Elizabeth, married in 1832 to
the Earl of Ficinie. This lady is the mother of a large
family, the eldest of whom is Lord Douglas.
The deceased peer was the son of the first Baron Douglas,
in whose name " The Great Douglas Cause"—the most im-
portant legal case of the last century—was carried on. In
connection with the death *of the last male heir, it may not
be out of place to give a brief sketch of this celebrated
ease. The Duke of Douglas died childless in 1761, when
the title became extinct, but the real and personal estate
was claimed whis nephew, Mr. Archibald Stewart, who
was served nearest heir to the Duke in the same year. The
assumption of the estates led to Allis memorable lawsuit.
Lady Jane Douglas, sister to the last Duke already men-
tioned, was one of the handsomest women of her time, and
in August, 1746, being then 48 years of ago, she was
secretly married to Mr.' Stewart, afterwards Sir John
Stewart, of Grandtully. They resided abroad, principally
in France, from 1746 till the end of December, 1749.
At the latter date they returned to this country and took
up their residence in London, bringing with them two
male children; of whom they gave out that Lady Jane
had been delivered in Paris at a twin birth in July, 1748,
The youngest of the twins, who was named Sholto Thomas
Stewart, died in May, 1753, and in November of the same
year Lady Jane died at Edinburgh. Immediately after
the Duke's death the guardians of the surviving youth pro-
ceeded to put'him in possession of the• estates of the Dou-
glas family. •He was served heir to the late duke before a
jury after the examination of a great body of evidence,
the examination or inquest having been Wended by coun-
sel on the part of the Duke of Hamilton, who claimed the
Douglas estate as heir male. The guardians of the Duke
of Hamilton were not convinced, however, of the legiti-
macy of StevVart or Douglas, and with the view of clear-
ing np the case they sent agents to the continent, who
brought back 'a great body of • evidence to prove that the
pretended delivery of Lady Jane was a fiction, and that
the twins really belonged 'to two poor- families in France,
named respectively Mignion and Saury. The guardians of
Mr. Stewart; on the other. hand, brought forward persons
to swear that'they had seen Lady Jane in a state of preg-
nancy, and that they were actually present at the birth of
these twins. After evidence had been collected, pro and
con. from every quarter, and most minutely sifted and cri-
ticised; the ease came on for judgment in the Court of Ses-
sion in Scotland on 'the 7th of July, 1767, and so important
was the cause deemed that the 15 judges took eight days to
deliver their' opinions. The result was that seven of the
judges voted in favour of the identity or legitimacy of Mr.
Stewart and seven against it; the Lord President, who
bad the casting vote, agreed with the latter, by which
Douglas, alias Stewart, was cast on the world without
either name or estate. An appeal from this decision was
taken to the House of Lords, however, by which the judg-
ment of the Court of Session was reversed in 1769, and
Archibald Stewart, or Douglas,' declared to be the un-
doubted son of Lady Jane, the sister of the late duke. He
now retained undisputed possession of the estates. Archi-
bald Douglas was created . a British peer, by the title of
Baron Douglas, by George 111., in 1796. The peer who
has just departed was his son and last male heir.