Sir William Douglas, 11th of Cavers

Biographical Summary

"(88) Sir William Douglas, died December 1676. He married Katharine, daughter of Thomas Rigg of Athernie. She was known as " the Good Lady Cavers," and was imprisoned for about two years in the covenant- ing times. They had five sons : —

• Sir William (No. 89)
• Archibald (No. 90)
• John Douglas
• James Douglas
• Thomas (No. 91)

ARMS recorded in Lyon Office, 1672-77. — Argent, a man's heart proper, on a chief azure three mullets of the first, a bordure of the third. CREST : A dexter hand holding aloft a broken spear. MOTTO : " Do or die." [Plate III., fig. 7.] In later times the heart is crowned. In Henry Fraser's (Ross Herald, 1687-1724)" Funeral Escutcheons" the heart is shown at different times crowned and plain ; the bordure is sometimes azure, and in others gules. Stacie and Sir Patrick Home show the bordure or, and describe the Arms as " Cavers of old." [Plate III., fig. 8.] Porteous (Snowdon Herald, 1 661) gives quite different Arms — Argent, a tree growing out of a mount in base proper, on a chief gules a heart between two stars argent. [Plate III., fig. 9] An MS. which belonged to Sir Robert Sibbald also shows these Arms, but with the chief azure."

SOURCE: The heraldry of the Douglases: with notes on all the males of the family, descriptions of the arms, plates and pedigrees, by G. Harvey Johnston, Published 1907, page 33, paragraph 88