Lord Alfred Douglas to him in an article on Wilde. Douglas was either plaintiff or defendant in several trials for civil or criminal libel. In 1913 he was charged with libelling his father-in-law. Also in 1913 he accused Arthur Ransome of libelling him in his book "Oscar Wilde: A Critical Study". He saw this trial as a weapon against his enemy Ross, not understanding that Ross would not be called to give evidence. The court found in Ransome's favour and Douglas was bankrupted by the failed libel suit. Ransome did remove the offending passages from the second edition of his book. In the
John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie (or Balveny, Balvany) (c. 1433–1463) was the youngest of the five formidable Black Douglas brothers, who clashed with King James II of Scotland. Balvenie was the son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas and his wife, Beatrice Sinclair, daughter to Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney. Of him there is not much on record prior to 1445 when his father resigned the lands of Balvenie, Boharm, and Botriphnie to him. He is also mentioned as an heir of entail to his brother William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas in