Cecilia Douglas (née also Douglas) (28 February 1772 – 25 July 1862) was a Scottish owner of West Indian plantations by marriage, and a significant collector of paintings and sculptures. She was one of Scotland's wealthiest women during her lifetime, with a net worth of £40,000 (about £2.4 million in 21st century money).
Contents
Early life
Cecilia Douglas was born to John Douglas, a Scottish merchant of the planter class of the West Indies, and Cecilia Buchanan, on 28 February 1772. She was the fifth of eleven siblings, and one of only two daughters, and the sister of Lieutenant-General Sir Neil Douglas. Her cousin was Sir James Douglas, Governor of Vancouver Island.
Marriage
Douglas married Gilbert Douglas (1749 - 1807), a West Indian plantation owner from Balcony, on 26 January 1794, in Glasgow. Their marriage lasted until Gilbert's death in 1807. No children resulted from the union.
Gilbert owned two plantations: Fairfield, a cotton plantation in Demerara, and Mount Pleasant, a sugar plantation on St. Vincent. After the death of Gilbert in 1807, Cecilia inherited half shares in his plantations, including their slaves. Her late husband also bequeathed to her the use of estates in Lanarkshire in Scotland, namely Douglas Park and Boggs.
She thereby became one of Scotland's wealthiest women during her lifetime, with a net worth of £40,000 (about £2.4 million in 21st century money).
Paintings and sculptures
In the 1820s she toured Europe, especially Italy, acquiring a variety of paintings and sculptures, and made profitable investments in British industry and commerce. Douglas lived at Orbiston House (formerly called Douglas Park), Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, for the remainder of her years.
She commissioned a stained glass window in Glasgow Cathedral to commemorate her legacy that has since been removed.
She bequeathed her entire collection of paintings and sculptures to the Corporation of Glasgow, who deposited them in their Galleries in Sauciehall Street. Some of her paintings are displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.
Death and memorial
Douglas died at Orbiston House (formerly called Douglas Park), Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 25 July 1862. There is an extant memorial plaque on the wall of St Brides Collegiate Church, Bothwell, Lanarkshire, to her and her husband.