Cecilia Douglas
Cecilia Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 February 1772 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 25 July 1862 (aged 90) Orbiston House (formerly called Douglas Park), Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Known for | Plantation inheritor; art collector |
Cecilia Douglas (née also Douglas) (28 February 1772 – 25 July 1862) was a Scottish owner of West Indian plantations by marriage, and a significant collector of paintings and sculptures. She was one of Scotland's wealthiest women during her lifetime, with a net worth of £40,000 (about £2.4 million in 21st century money).
Early life
Cecilia Douglas was born to John Douglas, a Scottish merchant of the planter class of the West Indies,[1] and Cecilia Buchanan, on 28 February 1772.[2] She was the fifth of eleven siblings, and one of only two daughters, and the sister of Lieutenant-General Sir Neil Douglas.[2] Her cousin was Sir James Douglas, Governor of Vancouver Island.[1]
Marriage
Douglas married Gilbert Douglas (1749 - 1807),[2] a West Indian plantation owner from Balcony, on 26 January 1794, in Glasgow.[1] Their marriage lasted until Gilbert's death in 1807. No children resulted from the union.[2]
Gilbert owned two plantations: Fairfield, a cotton plantation in Demerara, and Mount Pleasant, a sugar plantation on St. Vincent.[2] After the death of Gilbert in 1807,[2] Cecilia inherited half shares in his plantations, including their slaves.[1] Her late husband also bequeathed to her the use of estates in Lanarkshire in Scotland, namely Douglas Park and Boggs.[2]
She thereby became one of Scotland's wealthiest women during her lifetime, with a net worth of £40,000 (about £2.4 million in 21st century money).[3]
Paintings and sculptures
In the 1820s she toured Europe, especially Italy, acquiring a variety of paintings and sculptures,[2] and made profitable investments in British industry and commerce.[1] Douglas lived at Orbiston House (formerly called Douglas Park), Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, for the remainder of her years.[2]
She commissioned a stained glass window in Glasgow Cathedral to commemorate her legacy[2] that has since been removed.[1]
She bequeathed her entire collection of paintings and sculptures to the Corporation of Glasgow, who deposited them in their Galleries in Sauciehall Street.[2] Some of her paintings are displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.[1]
Death and memorial
Douglas died at Orbiston House (formerly called Douglas Park), Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 25 July 1862.[2] There is an extant memorial plaque on the wall of St Brides Collegiate Church, Bothwell, Lanarkshire, to her and her husband.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ewan, Elizabeth, ed. (2018). The New Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-4744-3629-8. OCLC 1057237368.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Cecilia Douglas (nee Douglas) | Legacies of British Slavery". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ↑ "Currency Converter: 1270-2017". The National Archives. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- 1772 births
- 1862 deaths
- Businesspeople from Glasgow
- Philanthropists from Glasgow
- Scottish slave owners
- Women slave owners
- 19th-century owners of plantations
- Sugar plantation owners
- Scottish art collectors
- 19th-century Scottish businesspeople
- 19th-century Scottish businesswomen
- Scottish women philanthropists
- 19th-century Scottish philanthropists
- 19th-century British women philanthropists