William Douglas was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas of Whittingehame and his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass by his spouse, Elizabeth Lawson. The Douglases of Whittingehame near Haddington, East Lothian, had held the estate from before the 1500s.
Career
He obtained, following the Scottish Reformation, on 17 August 1560 a charter of the ecclesiastical lands at Whittingehame from Claud Hamilton, then Dean of Dunbar. This grant included "8 husbandlands and four 'terras' cottages in the 'villa' of Whittinghame". He joined the Lords of the Congregation and seems to have been frequently employed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in their communications with Mary, Queen of Scots and the Privy Council of Scotland. It is said that the plot to murder Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, was discussed at length in the grounds of Whittinghame Castle early in 1566. The Privy Council cited William Douglas of Whittinghame, brother to Master Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas, as one of the conspirators in the murder of David Riccio, for which he was pardoned on 24 December 1566. In 1567 he joined the Association for the Preservation of James VI. Whittingehame prospered under Regent Morton. Prior to 20 October 1575 he was appointed an Ordinary Lord in the College of Justice. On 9 January 1579 he and his brother Archibald were excused attendance at court due to Archibald's illness, which was thought to be so serious that his brother should not leave him. After the fall of Regent Morton in March 1581 Whittingehame was threatened with torture by the boot, a device to crush the victim's leg, as were other servants of the Earl of Angus and Morton including George Auchinleck. The inquiry was intended to find Morton guilty of the murder of Lord Darnley. Whittingehame offered to implicate others, provided he gained a remmission for himself. The English ambassador Thomas Randolph was deeply disappointed with Whittingehame's compliance with the new regime, and disavowal of the letters he had recently brought from England which painted Esmé Stewart in a bad light. Whittingehame proclaimed the letters forgeries made his brother Archibald. The confessions of Whittingehame and his colleagues led to the execution of Morton. On 26 August 1582 he was cited in the Privy Council as one of the 'Ruthven Raiders'. He resigned his position at the College of Justice prior to 1 August 1590, on which day his son and heir Archibald was presented to it by King James VI, although these positions were not hereditary. Material given on behalf of his grandson, the Field Marshal Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge, to the Swedish genealogical authorities, mention that this William, laird of Whittinghame, was sometime during the reign of James VI of Scotland, a Scots envoy to king Christian IV of Denmark and Norway .
Marriage
William Douglas married in 1566 Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington by his spouse Mariotta, daughter of Sir Thomas Cranstoun of Corsbie. They had six sons and two daughters. Of them:
Sir Archibald Douglas of Whittinghame, Senator of the College of Justice, who married in 1597, Helen Lumsden, and died between 1630 – 1642 with no issue. He settled Whittingehame upon his niece Isobel's husband, Sir Arthur Douglas, a grandson of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton.
