Present at the siege of Berwick
in 1296 which saw the massacre of the whole of the town
by Edward Longshanks, Robert stood hostage in London
for the good conduct of William Douglas, known as "le
Hardi", a distant relation but one who had ensured
that all who went by the name of Douglas would prosper,
and who had taken the young Robert under his wing. William
had been the Scottish governor of Berwick, but on its
surrender he was among those who fixed their seals to
the "Ragman Roll", granting Scotland to Edward.
With the rising of Wallace in
1297, William Douglas was the first Scottish noble to
join his cause, conveniently forgetting the surety he
had given. Robert was moved to the Tower, and William's
English estates at Faudon in Northumbria were declared
forfeit.
With William's capture in 1298,
Robert was released from the Tower to make way for the
head of his family, but was prohibited from returning
to Scotland. Seeking experience and security, he was
granted permission to participate in tournaments across
England. Now, with the coronation of Edward II and the
ongoing struggle for control in Scotland in which Sir
James Douglas plays a prominent part on the Scottish
side, he remains in England in the hope of further advancement.
In the current uncertainty, he
defends the King from his detractors, not from any loyalty
to the man himself (as Douglas is all too aware of his
failings), but from his belief in the God-given right
of kings to rule. For others to dispute this seems to
him to be close to heresy...
Douglas is played by Paul Murphy,
originally from Greenock but now living near Cambridge.
With twenty years experience of re-enactment, he now
relies on experience rather than speed to keep himself
in one piece. Of Douglas, he says "the shifting
loyalties of the border families were a necessity in
a time of constant strife, so I enjoy playing someone
who's not quite the classical hero, but who generally
gets a much better reception than de Boissey!"
