Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar

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Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar, 2nd Earl of Ormonde (3 May 165311 November 1712) was a Scottish peer.

He was the second son and youngest child of Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and 1st Earl of Ormonde, by his second wife, Jean Wemyss, the daughter of David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss and The Hon. Anna Balfour of Burleigh. He was also the younger step-brother of James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas and the younger brother of Lady Margaret Douglas, wife of Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount Kingston.

He was made the Earl of Forfar and Lord of Wandell and Hartside on the 2 October 1661 at the age of eight.

He married Robina Lockhart (b.1662-d.1741), daughter of Sir William Lockhart of Lee and Robina Sewster, on the 19th of August, 1679 at Lincoln's Inn Chapel, London, England.

His only son, Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar, was born in 1692.

He was a Privy Counsellor to both King William III and Queen Anne from 1689 until his death in 1712. He served as Commissioner of the Privy Seal from 1689-1690 and Commissioner for the Treasury from 1704-1705.

In 1700, he moved the family residence from Bothwell Castle to his new mansion, Bothwell House, which was dubbed "New Bothwell Castle".

He voted for the Union of the Crowns in 1707, having allegedly received £100 in payment from the English.

He died on the 11 December 1712 and was buried in Bothwell Church, Scotland.

  • Scottish Earls of Forfar [1]
  • Forfar Town, Seat of County Angus[2]
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by
Archibald Douglas
Earl of Ormonde
1655–1712
Succeeded by
Archibald Douglas
Preceded by
New Creation
Earl of Forfar
1661–1712
Succeeded by
Archibald Douglas
Political offices
Preceded by
Earl of Atholl
Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
1689-1690
Succeeded by
Earl of Kintore