The surname FORBES is derived from the lands of Forbes, Donside, Aberdeenshire, and comes from the Gaelic forba,a field or tract of ground, with the place-name suffix ais, probably Pictish. Duncan de Forboys, who rendered homage in 1296, was probably a Forbes. Another John appears in an English roll of 1306, and a third was dominus ejusden in 1358. Sir John de Forbes, justiciary of Aberdeenshire, 1394, was father of Sir Alexander, 1st Lord Forbes (1445), and of Sir William, progenitor of the Pitsligo branch of the family. Over the next three centuries the Forbes family had disputes the Gordons. James, 2nd Lord Forbes, was permitted to fortify the tower of Drymynour, commmonly called Forbes, and in 1467, the 3rd Lord "Grey Willie", entered into a mutual bond with the heads of the cadet houses of Pitsligo, Tolquhoun and Brux, and Duncan Macintosh, Captain of the Clan Chattan, for defense and protection against all but the king and their respective superiors.
William, 7th Lord of Forbes, was faithful to Mary, Queen of Scots, and in 1573 had a charter of the lands of Corsindae. He married Elizabeth, the daughter of Margaret, Countess of Marischal and Sir William Keith of Inverugie. One of their daughters, Christian, married George Johnston of Caskieben, and was mother of Arthur Johnston, 1587-1641, the famous physician and Latin poet. William Forbes, 1570-1606, would have been 9th Lord, but entered the Capuchin monastery at Ghent in 1589 as "Brother Archangel". His brother John was also partial to the monastic life, and when he died in 1606, was succeeded by his half-brother, Arthur, 10th Lord. His son, Alexander, soldiered under Gustav Adolph of Sweden, becoming a Lt General. The 13th Lord was a supporter of the Treaty of the Union, 1707. James Ochoncar, 17th Lord, had a distinguished military career, and for some years commanded the forces in Ireland. One of his daughters, Charlotte, married Sir John Forbes of Craigievar, farther of William, Lord Semple. Walter, his eldest surviving son, was also a soldier, and at Waterloo commanded a company of the Coldstream Guards in the defense of Hougoumont. Atholl Laurence Cunyngham, 21st Baron, served as a major in the Grenadier Guards during World War I. His son, the 22nd Lord Forbes, Sir Nigel Ivan, was a Major in the same regiment World War II. He was Minister of State at the Scottish Office, 1958-59, and is Chief of the Clan.
During the Jacobite Risings, serveral Forbes men distinguished themselves. Robert Forbes, 1708-1775, Rector of the Episcopal Chapel at Leith, recorded the main events of the '45, and his collection of material was printed by the Scottish History Society, in 3 volumes, 1895-96, under the title of The Lyon in the Mourning. Alexander, 4th Lord Pitsligo, escaped attainder for taking part in the '15 Rising, and in 1745 became a hunted rebel for raising a troop of horses for Prince Charles. His estates were forfeited, and the title has remained under attainder. The male heirs are probably the Forbes family of Newe, Aberdeenshire, baronets. Sir John Stewart Forbes, 6th Bt., died in 1984. The most distinguised Forbes of the Jacobite period was Duncan of Culloden, President of the Court of Session. The 1st Bt., (NS 1630) of Craigievar, Sir William, built the outstanding castle there, now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The baronetcy of Monymusk (cr. NS, 1626) was conferred on Sir William Forbes. This family is now represented by Sir William Stuart-Forbes, 13th Bt., who resides in New Zealand.
<1>(Story by Donald Whyte "Scottish Surnames and Families" 1996)
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