Douglas Cause

Print commemorating the victory of Archibald Douglas in the House of Lords. A portrait of Douglas appears in the medallion, supported on a plinth by a figure of Justice. The plinth bears two medallion portraits of the Lords Mansfield and Camden, who were judges in the case. At the foot of the plinth, trampled underfoot, lies the figure of Deceit, holding a mask.

The Douglas Cause was a cause célèbre and legal struggle contested in Great Britain during the 1760s. The main parties were Archibald Douglas (1748–1827) and James Douglas-Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton (1755–1769). The affair gripped the nation, leading to death threats and rioting.