William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425 – 22 February 1452) was a late Medieval Scottish nobleman, Lord of Galloway, and Lord of the Regality of Lauderdale, and the most powerful magnate in Southern Scotland. He was killed by James II of Scotland.
Contents
Life
Douglas was the eldest son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas, and Beatrice Sinclair, the daughter of Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney.
His father, having been a part of the conspiracy that led to the "Black Dinner" and execution of the 6th Earl and his brother, on his death only three years later left the title and lands to his eldest son William, who may have taken part in the conspiracy. William gained the lordships of Galloway and Bothwell by marriage (by papal dispensation) to his cousin, Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway (daughter of the 5th Earl), thus becoming even more powerful and a danger to the throne.
The Earl and his party were issued with a safe conduct for three years, "to pass through England, to the Marches of Calais and elsewhere in the King of England's dominions" dated 9 November 1450. Douglas was planning to attend the Jubilee in Rome and would travel via England, Flanders and France. A further safe conduct, this time expressly stating that the Earl could take a party of 100 and naming many of them, was issued (presumably while they were still travelling) on 23 April 1451. The Earl had returned to Scotland by 14 August 1451 as he was the leading Scottish Conservator of the 3-year truce with England, concluded at Newcastle upon Tyne.
At this time he owned Glendevon Castle in what is now south Perthshire.