Sholto Douglas

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This article is about the mythical Scottish figure. For the Marshal of the Royal Air Force, see William Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside.

Sholto Douglas was the mythical Progenitor of the House of Douglas, a powerful and warlike family in Medieval Scotland. A Mythical battle took place: "in 767, between King Solvathius rightful king of Scotland and a pretender Donald Bane. The victory was so nearly Donald's when a certain noble man, disdaining to see so bad a cause have good successe, struck in for the king and turned the fortunes of the day. When the king inquired about the knight who had done such valuable service, somebody exclaimed "Sholto du glasse!"..."Behold the black gray man!".." (Ane Historie of the House and Race of Douglas and Angus, David Hume of Godscroft, Edinburgh 1646).

There are no records in Scotland predating a William de Douglas, who witnessed a charter in 1174 and might be offspring of Freskin the Fleming, the progenitor of the House of Moray and of Sutherland. However, in Italy there is a family with the surname Douglas-Scotti, whose ancestor was supposedly a son of Sholto, and was in service with Charlemagne when he settled near Piacenza in the late eighth century.

[edit] Sources

• Godscroft, David Hume of. Ane Historie of the House and Race of Douglas and Angus. Edinburgh 1646
• Maxwell, Sir Herbert. A History of the House of Douglas Vol.I. Freemantle & co., London, 1902