Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl Of Home

Charles Cospatrick Archibald Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home, was born on 29 December 1873 and died on 11 July 1951. He was known as Lord Dunglass from 1881 until 1918. He was a member of the British peerage and held positions in banking and public service.

He was the only son of Charles Douglas-Home, 12th Earl of Home, and Maria Grey, daughter of Captain Charles Conrad Grey, Royal Navy. Maria Grey was a great-niece of Charles, 2nd Earl Grey. His early education included attendance at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford.

Douglas-Home served in the military, participating as an officer in the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and later as Colonel in the Lanarkshire Yeomanry. He was awarded the Territorial Decoration for his service. During the First World War, he participated in the Gallipoli Campaign and was mentioned in dispatches for his conduct.

He inherited the earldom and associated titles on 30 April 1918 following his father's death. In 1918, he also inherited significant estates, including Douglas Castle, Bothwell Castle, The Hirsel, and land parcels totaling approximately 107,000 acres across Lanarkshire, Roxburghshire, and Berwickshire. Due to estate duties, he sold many of the family’s art collections, including notable portraits from the Earl of Clarendon’s collection, along with a significant collection of English and foreign silver.

In his professional career, he served as Governor of the British Linen Bank from 1930 to 1947. He was appointed as Justice of the Peace for Glasgow and Berwickshire and was a Captain of the Royal Company of Archers, the monarch’s ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland. In 1930, he was vested as a Knight of the Order of the Thistle, a Scottish chivalric order. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1930 until his death. The University of Glasgow awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

He married Lady Lillian Lambton on 14 July 1902 at St Margaret's, Westminster. Lady Lillian was born on 8 December 1881 and died on 26 September 1966. The marriage produced seven children:

1. Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995), who later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1963–1964).

2. Lady Bridget Douglas-Home (1905–1980).

3. Henry Montagu Douglas-Home (1907–1980), who married three times and was the father of the journalist Charles Douglas-Home.

4. Lady Rachel Douglas-Home (1910–1996), married Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott.

5. William Douglas Home (1912–1992), who married Rachel Douglas-Home, Baroness Dacre.

6. Edward Charles Douglas-Home (1920–2006), married Nancy Straker-Smith.

7. George Cospatrick Douglas-Home (1922–1943), who was killed in active service as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force.

He died at his home, The Hirsel, in 1951.