James Douglas (antiquary)

James Douglas (1753–1819) was an English cleric, antiquarian and artist.

He was the third and youngest surviving son of John Douglas, an innkeeper in Hyde Park Road, London. After the death of most of the family, he went north to stay with his brother William, a cloth merchant in Manchester, and attended Manchester grammar school.

Douglas travelled on business for his brother William, but they fell out when he misused funds. He entered the Austrian Army, dropping out when on a mission to Great Britain. He entered Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1777; and in 1779 he served under Hugh Debbieg in the Leicestershire militia. In 1780 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and took holy orders.

The early part of Douglas's ministry was at Chiddingfold, Surrey. On 17 November 1787 he was instituted to the rectory of Litchborough, Northamptonshire, on the presentation of Sir William Addington, and towards the end of that year he was appointed one of the Prince of Wales's chaplains. He resigned Litchborough in 1799 on being presented by the lord chancellor, through the recommendation of the Earl of Egremont, to the rectory of Middleton, Sussex. In 1803 he was presented by Lord Henniker to the vicarage of Kenton, Suffolk.

The closing years of Douglas's life were spent at Preston, Sussex, where he died on 5 November 1819.

Douglas wrote:

Douglas painted portraits of his friends, both in oil and in miniature. In 1795 he contributed to John Nichols's Leicestershire a plate of St Michael's Church, Coston engraved by himself. He also engraved the full-length portrait of Francis Grose.

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