Clan Forbes Society
Castles and Mansion Housesstles
Castles & Mansion Houses of the House of Forbes
This slim 46-page photographic survey explores nine of the great castles and mansion houses linked with the Scottish House of Forbes and delves into some of their history. The sites include Castle Forbes, Druminnor Castle (the original Castle Forbes), Craigievar Castle, Tolquhon Castle, Pitsligo Castle, Corse Castle, Corgarff Castle, Culloden House and Callendar House. Volume includes a foreword by Malcolm, Lord Forbes, Chief of Clan Forbes. Hardcover, 46 pages, 10×8 in (25×20 cm), $59.99 plus tax and shipping. Click here for more.
For just over two hundred years, the current Castle Forbes has served as the headquarters of the Chief of Clan Forbes and the spiritual home for Clan Forbes Society members throughout the world. See more here.
Druminnor was the seat of the Chiefs of Clan Forbes for over 500 years until it was sold by the 16th Lord Forbes in 1770. Castle Forbes, as it was then called, was the stage for much of Forbes history. See more here.
The seven-story Craigievar Castle was completed in 1626 by the Aberdonian merchant William Forbes, ancestor to the "Forbes-Sempill family" and brother of the Bishop of Aberdeen. See more here.
Pitsligo Castle is a ruined castle half a mile east of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It originated as a 15th-century keep. An arched gateway is in the west wall of the outer court, with the date 1656 and the arms of the Forbes and Erskines. See more here.
Corse Castle near Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire, now ruined, was a fortress and center of a landed estate in the northeast of Scotland. The castle stands by the Corse Burn, about 3.1 miles northwest of Lumphanan. See more here.
The castle was built in the mid 16th century by the Forbes of Towie. In 1571 it was burned by their enemy, Adam Gordon of Auchindoun. It was rebuilt as a barracks and a detachment of government troops were stationed there, on the road from Braemar Castle to Fort George. See more here.
Tolquhon Castle was built by William Forbes, 7th Laird of Tolquhon, between 1584 and 1589 as an extension to the earlier tower house known as Preston's Tower. Preston's Tower was constructed in the early 15th century. See more here.
Now a premiere hotel and restaurant, the stately Culloden House stands on the site of a 16th century castle and has been the focus of blood and destruction which nearly obliterated the highland way of life. See more here.
Now a 4-star hotel, Bunchrew House was the birthplace of Duncan Forbes, 5th Lord of Culloden (1685 - 1747) and Lord President of the Court of Sessions. Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat (c. 1572–1633) built a castle on this site in about 1615, complete with a moat and a drawbridge. John Forbes, 2nd Lord of Culloden (died 1688) purchased Bunchrew in about 1669 from a son of Lovat, Simon Fraser of Inverallochy. See more here.
In 1783, the Callendar estates in Falkirk were sold by the government to William Forbes (1756–1823), a cadet of the first Forbes of Newe family. See more here.