William Douglas (le Hardi)

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Sir William Douglas "le Hardi" (the bold), Lord of Douglas was a Scottish Crusader in 1270, a knight and nobleman born after 1243 who died in the Tower of London on November 6 1298. He held the castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed as constable for the Scottish crown under the Guardians of Scotland during the first interregnum.

He was the father of the Good Sir James Douglas, Bruce's deputy; and Sir Archibald Douglas, Regent of Scotland and commander of the army at Halidon Hill.

He was imprisoned on three occasions by the English under Edward I; the first occasion was in the spring of 1290 when his wife Eleanora of Lovaine posted bail for his release with four manucaptors in May 1290, these four knights, all her cousins, were John de Hastings, Nicholas de Segrave, William de Rye and Robert Bardulf; his arrest was for a charge of contempt; marrying Eleanora of Lovaine without the king's license and he was held at Knaresburgh. The second time he had surrendered Berwick Castle to end the genocide at Berwick on Tweed and he was confined to Hog's Tower only to be released before 10 June 1296 when he appeared in Edinburgh to put his seal for the first of two times to the infamous 'Ragman Roll'. The third time he was held a prisoner of Edward Plantagenet was after 9 July 1297 when he was accused by Sir Henry de Percy of breaking his covenant of peace with Edward that was agreed to in the document known as the Capitulation at Irving Water, where Douglas was in the company of Robert Brus, Alexander de Lindsay and John and James Stewart (the latter three his brothers in law). He was the first nobleman to join with Sir William Wallace in 1297 in rebellion; combining forces at Sanquhar, Durisdeer and later Scone Palace where the two liberated the English treasury. With that booty Wallace financed further rebellion including the successful Battle at Stirling Bridge fought on September the 11th,1297. By that time Sir William le Hardi was again Edward's guest at Berwick Castle; staying in what was now called 'Douglas Tower'. After Wallace's success at Stirling Bridge the English fled Berwick on Tweed with Douglas and another Scottish prisoner Thomas de Morham; both were later admitted to the Tower of London on 12 October 1297 with Douglas meeting his end there in 1298.