To our 21st century sensibilities, being a “Gentleman of the Bedchamber” does not sound like anything special. Some might say the job title hints at a domestic chore, and they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. In the 17th century, however, “Gentleman of the Bedchamber” was an high status designation in the royal household of the Kingdom of England, and an honor. The men who served in this capacity were invariably gentlemen, and almost always a member of the nobility. Their duties involved assisting the King as he dressed and ate in private, but what was most coveted about the position was the role of providing companionship, which is to say, a Gentleman of the Bedchamber had access to the King’s ear.
Initially, there were twelve Gentlemen of the Bedchamber, but King James II pared that number down to eight making this gift of the Crown even more exclusive, and thus coveted. In 1867, one of those eight Gentlemen was Major General George Douglas, the first Earl of Dumbarton. George had an interesting life.
He was one of thirteen children born to the Marquess of Douglas, and a Catholic. As a young adult, he was able to avoid a forced conversion to Protestantism by snagging a safe conduct pass that gave him permission to travel to France. As it happened, James II had also fled to France and would return to England only after the Restoration of his brother, Charles II, to the throne.
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton portrait by Henri Gascar, Image from the Public Domain
George became a soldier in the French Army at the age of seventeen, rose in the ranks and eventually earned the rank of Major-General. When King Charles II was restored to the throne, Charles summoned George back to England. The King secretly sympathized with George’s Catholicism, and even paid off the fines that had been imposed upon George for not being a Protestant. The apparent fondness continued because at the age of forty-two, George was made the Earl of Dumbarton, a title created for him as a reward for his military service. The title would pass on to George’s only son, but that son died unmarried, and thus the title became extinct in 1749.***
By now you’re wondering what on earth any of this has to do with dogs. We like to “flesh out” the stories of the people who impacted a breed, and certainly, one of the most famous monikers for the Scottish Terrier is tied to our boy, George. In the late 1600s, George kept a pack of terriers from Scotland that he dubbed the “Diehard Pack” because of their toughness and undying determination. He later went on to name his favorite regiment, The Royal Scots, the “Dumbarton’s Diehards” after his dogs. To this day, Scotties are sometimes referred to as “Diehards,” and now you know more about the man who gave them that nickname.
***And finally, it’s interesting to note that on the occasion of his wedding in 2018, Queen Elizabeth bestowed upon Prince Harry the Scottish title, the Third Earl of Dumbarton, a title not held since 1749 when George’s son died. Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle made her the Countess of Dumbarton. Neither have visited the Scotland town of Dumbarton. As for the Diehards, the 57th Regiment of Foot is now part of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. While that British title will probably always be associated with Princess Diana, it is actually held by the wife of the Prince of Wales, and that person is now Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Image:English Terrier Dog Bronze Sculpture, yours for $792.00 here