George Douglas of Parkhead


George Douglas of Parkhead,, was a Scottish landowner, mining entrepreneur, Provost of Edinburgh, and Keeper of Edinburgh Castle.
George Douglas was a son of George Douglas of Pittendreich, the name of his mother is unknown. His half-sister, Elizabeth, daughter of Lady Dundas, married Smeton Richeson. He married Marioun Douglas, heiress of Parkhead or Parkheid, and so became known as George Douglas of Parkhead. Parkhead is close to the Lanarkshire town of Douglas. He was later Provost of Edinburgh and Captain or keeper of Edinburgh Castle.
After the Lang Siege of Edinburgh castle was concluded in August 1573, Douglas supervised the rebuilding of part of the back wall and other repairs, buying lime, sand, slate and glass. Part of the running expenses, or "sustenation" of the castle was paid to Douglas from the customs of Edinburgh town by Robert Gourlay. Douglas prospered during the regency of his brother, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, and his servant Florence Douglas was made Rothesay Herald.
When his brother resigned the regency of Scotland in March 1579, George Douglas of Parkhead made an inventory of the personal jewelry of Mary, Queen of Scots kept in Edinburgh Castle, and of the textiles, the royal tapestries, Mary's remaining costume, her pictures, , and library, and he itemised the and the tools in its workshops.
Douglas was involved in lead mining at Wanlockhead and Glengonnar or Leadhills in Lanarkshire and in Orkney. In June 1581 his interest in the lead mines with all the lead ore recovered was confiscated and given to James Stewart, Earl of Arran because he had withheld Torthorwald Castle from the earl.
Parkhead wrote to Francis Walsingham in June 1582 to thank him for hospitality in England, mentioning his friend John Selby of the garrison of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
In August 1584 George Douglas and his sons James and George were declared traitors and their goods and lands forfeited for their role "art and part" in the Raid of Stirling in April 1584.
After their kinsman William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton had been imprisoned in their keeping at Edinburgh Castle, Marion Douglas wrote to his wife Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton to thank her for a gift of cheese from her farms at Fossoway near Lochleven Castle. She said that Morton had "received but very simple entertainment here".
Another of Marion Douglas's letters concerns the lead mines. On 6 August 1592 she wrote from Parkhead to Lord Menmuir asking for his decision about the mining concessions between Eustachius Roche and her husband. She had been obliged to order her miners to suspend working, putting them to other work or laying them off.
On 20 December 1593 George Douglas and his son James made over some of their lead mining rights in Glengonnar to the goldsmith and financier Thomas Foulis.
An English prospector Stephen Atkinson writing in 1619 stated that "George Parkhead" was killed by a landslide in wet weather at a mine working at "Short-clough brayes". It took three days to dig him out. The Shortcleuch water joins the Elvan and falls into the Clyde. Some sources suggest the victim of this accident was a son of George Douglas of Parkhead, and it occurred in 1586 while he was prospecting for gold.
George Douglas of Parkhead's will was registered in Edinburgh in 1602. It mentions oats stored in the barn yard of "Auld Foulden".

Family

The children of George Douglas and Marion Douglas included;