MP pays tribute to late Earl of Morton

Former MP Tam Dalyell paid tribute to Mr Douglas

Known as the 21st Earl of Morton, he served as the Lord Lieutenant from 1985 to 2002. A Scottish peer and landowner, he succeeded to the earldom in 1976, upon the death of his first cousin, the 20th Earl.

The Earl was a property consultant, a partner in Dalmahoy Farms, chairman of Edinburgh Polo Club and director in Scotland of the Bristol and West Building Society.

He married Mary Sheila Gibbs in 1949 and the couple had three children, Mary, John and Charles.

Tam Dalyell, West Lothian and Linlithgow MP from 1962 to 2005, knew the Lord Lieutenant well.

He said: “As Lord Lieutenant of West Lothian from 1985 to 2001, the 21st Earl of Morton carried out his duties on behalf of the Queen assiduously, with charm and, where appropriate, with sensitivity and concern for individuals.

“As West Lothian County councillor John Douglas in the 1960s and 1970s, albeit as an independent, he earned the respect and affection of the Labour group with whom he worked constructively, never seeking any limelight.

“I’m in a position to know he did a lot for West Lothian.”