Francis Brown Douglas

from The Douglas Archives http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/francis_brown_douglas.htm

Francis Brown Douglas was born on 2 April 1814 at Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. He was a practising advocate and held the office of Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 1859-1862.

He was the son of Archibald Douglas, advocate, (1779-1848) of 21 Moray Place, Edinburgh, and Jean, daughter of Francis Brown of St Vincent. Archibald was a descendant of William Douglas, 1st of Whittinghame.

Francis Brown Douglas married, firstly, Mary Turner Christie, second daughter, (born 8th April 1823) of Charles Maitland Christie of Durie and Mary Butler Lindsay, on 14 January 1845 at Scoonie, Fife, Scotland.

He married, secondly, Marianne Leslie-Melville, daughter of Hon. Alexander Leslie-Melville and Charlotte Smith, on 27 January 1852, by whom he had nine children. His son, Rev. William Henry Brown Douglas was a minister in Newton Stewart.

On 7th August 1860, there took place during the provostry of Francis Brown Douglas the Great Review before the queen and Royal family of 22,000 Scottish Volunteers, one of the grandest and most succesful puplic spectacle ever witnessed in Old or New Edinburgh.

He made two claims for compensation for slaves held on St Vincent. He was awarded £6,418 15s. 6d compensation for 245 slaves on the Sans Souci estate, St Vincent.

He died on 8 August 1885 at age 71 in Melville, Nr Ladybank, Fife.