For centuries, the House of Forbes has been a major influence in both the Shire of Aberdeen and the City of Aberdeen. John, the fifth laird of the land of Forbes, was born in 1350 and was known as “John of the Black Lip” due to a facial birthmark. He was invested as a Knight sometime before April 6, 1391, and in 1394, Sir John was appointed Justiciary and the first recorded hereditary “Crowner” (representative of the Crown) of Aberdeenshire. This became a hereditary title for many of his descendants. He had four sons: Alexander (later the first Lord Forbes), William (progenitor of the Pitsligo branch of the House of Forbes), John (of the Tolquhon branch), and Alistair of Brux (founder of the branches of Skellater and Inverernan)
Tolbooth Castle Street, Aberdeen
The French-Norman Gordons and the Dalriadic-Pictish Forbeses first came to blows as an outgrowth of the Forbes feud with the Leslies. The daughter of Alexander Leslie, first baron of Wardis, was Elizabeth Leslie. Her first husband was William Seton of Meldrum, great-grand-nephew of Alexander Seton, Lord Gordon and first Earl of Huntly. Their son was Alexander Seton of Meldrum. After her husband died, Elizabeth married John Collison, later of Auchlunies, who was elected as a Provost of Aberdeen in 1521.
On the last day of September in 1525, the Aberdeen burgesses ratified a resolution that only residents of the City of Aberdeen should vote for the city officers and that the baillie should prevent any person not eligible to vote from the Aberdeen Tolbooth. On October 2, John Collison rallied his stepson Alexander Seton of Meldrum, his brother-in-law John Leslie of Wardis, and cousin-in-law William Leslie of Balquhain to attack the City of Aberdeen under cover of night. The Aberdeen Annals relate that they “wreaked their fury on the inhabitants, who flew to arms” and that “eighty of the inhabitants were either killed or wounded, among whom were several of the magistrates.” Among the wounded were 12-year-old William Forbes, the son of John, 6th Lord Forbes. Lord Forbes retaliated against the Leslies by capturing and demolishing their clan seat at Balquhain Castle.
See: Clan Feud: Leslie
Crabstane Boundary Stone 67 Langstane Place, Aberdeen
In 1567, many Scottish Protestant lords forced Queen Mary to abdicate. As Catholics, the Gordons supported the deposed Queen. As a Protestant, William, 7th Lord Forbes, supported her half-brother James Stewart, Earl of Moray, the Regent for her infant son James. After the Earl of Moray was assassinated in 1570, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, became the Regent for his grandson King James VI. In September 1571, the Regent, the Earl of Lennox, was killed during a raid on Stirling Castle, led by the George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly.
This resulted in a series of armed conflicts between the Forbeses and Gordons. At the battle of Tilliangus, Gordons killed 36 “gentlemen of the name of Forbes,” including Lord Forbes's stepbrother, and another 100 prisoners were taken, including a younger son of Lord Forbes. Gordons then burned and sacked Castle Forbes (now known as Druminnor Castle.) Adam Gordon of Auchindoun sent Captain Thomas Kerr to Corgarff Castle, built in about 1550 by John Forbes of Towie. Margaret Campbell Forbes, wife of John Forbes of Towie, was in control of the castle and refused to surrender. Gordon ordered the castle to be burned with its occupants, including Lady Towie. A popular Scottish ballad called “Edom o' Gordon,” first printed in 1755 by Robert and Andrew Foulis, recounts the tragic events.
In the meantime, John, Master of Forbes, received five companies of footmen and some horsemen from John Erskine, Earl of Mar, who was then Regent for the infant James VI. However, the Gordons were similarly reinforced.” Forbes marched to Aberdeen, not knowing that the Gordons placed a company of musketeers lying in ambush at the Craibstane, on November 20, 1571. The Gordon musketeers killed a number of the Forbeses, both armies “joined with great violence.” At this Battle of Craibstane, Gordon captured the Master of Forbes and imprisoned him in Strathbogie Castle (later called Huntly Castle.)
Bon Accord Terrace Gardens, 1644 Battle of Aberdeen Willowbank Road, Aberdeen
The 1644 Battle of Aberdeen, also known as the Battle of Justice Mills, pitched supporters of Charles I under James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, along with an Irish army against supporters of the Scottish Parliament that included Robert Balfour, 2nd Lord Balfour of Burleigh; Lewis Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Huntly; and Sir William Forbes of Craigievar, 1st Baronet.
In 1638, thousands of Scots signed the National Covenant, pledging to resist the King’s efforts to conform to English liturgical practice and church governance. This led to the Bishops’ Wars in 1939 and 1940. “Royalists” supported the rule of bishops appointed by the King. Most Scots supported a Presbyterian kirk ruled by presbyters, elected by local congregations. After military victories during the Bishops’ Wars, Covenanters took control of Scotland – and King Charles was distracted by a Civil War with the English Parliament.
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, signed the National Covenant and originally fought against the Royalists in the Bishops’ Wars. However, he was opposed by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, leader of the Presbyterian and national party. Montrose changed allegiances, pledged his support for the King, and offered armed forces from several Scottish nobles. In 1644, the King appointed Montrose as Lord Lieutenant of Scotland. On September 1, 1644, Montrose marched on Aberdeen. The Aberdeen council chose Sir William Forbes of Craigievar, 1st Baronet, to lead the defending troops that included Sir William Forbes of Tolquhon, Thomas Forbes of Waterton, Sir William Forbes of Monymusk, John Forbes of Leslie, Captain Arthur Forbes of Echt, Robert Forbes of Echt, John Forbes of Corsindae, and John Forbes of Lairgy.
On the morning of September 13, 1644, the Covenanter force marched out of the town and established a defensive position on a steep ridge at Justice Mills, near Crab’s Stone (or Craibstane.) Montrose sent a messenger and drummer under a flag of truce to demand the surrender of the city. Sir William refused and Montrose’s Royalist forces routed the Covenanter troops and many fled into Aberdeen. Montrose allowed his Irish mercenary troops to plunder the town “for their good service.” One source reported that “nothing heard but pitiful howling, crying, weeping mourning, through all the streets.” Hardgate Well was rumored to have been filled with the blood of casualties from the battle.
See: Fecht of Aberdeen
St. Machar’s Cathedral & GraveyardThe Chanonry, Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen
The House of Forbes has a strong connection to St Machar's Cathedral, which is now a High Kirk of the Church of Scotland. Three Forbeses were leaders of he church and over 40 are memorialized in the graveyard.
The Alexander Forbes (1564–1617) was appointed as Bishop of Aberdeen in 1616 but never took up the post since he died in 1617 in Leith near Edinburgh.
He was succeeded as bishop by Patrick Forbes (1564 –1635) who served from his installation in 1618 until his death in 1635. Patrick was the eldest son of William Forbes, 4th Laird of Corse, and Elizabeth Strachan at Corse Castle. His siblings included Sir William Forbes of Menie and Craigevar; Rev. John Forbes; Sir Arthur Forbes, 1st Baronet Forbes of Longford; Alexander Forbes; and James Forbes. Forbes attended the High School of Stirling, the University of Glasgow and then the University of St Andrews. In 1598, Forbes's father died, leaving him his estate. He married Lucretia Spens, daughter of David Spens of Wormiston. They produced five children, one of whom was the noted theologian John Forbes. In 1613, Forbes wrote the theological treatise An Exquisite Commentarie upon the Revelation of Saint John (1613), in which he argued that the Catholic Church had become corrupted by the greed of bishops. In March 1618, Forbes was elected as Bishop and was appointed Chancellor of King’s College of the University of Aberdeen. In that role, he oversaw the repair of many buildings; he increased the library; revived the professorships of divinity, canon law, and physic; and procured the addition of a new professorship in divinity. Forbes began to suffer from apoplexy and died on 28 March 1635. He was buried in Aberdeen Cathedral.
Bishop Patrick Forbes's son Dr. John Forbes of Corse, is also memorialized here, along with his wife Christian Barclay Forbes. He was Professor of Divinity at King's College in Aberdeen,
Patrick Forbes (1776–1847) was the son of Rev. Francis Forbes of Camphill, and his first wife, Isabella Copland. He was elder half-brother to Sir Francis William Forbes, Chief Justice of Newfoundland. He studied at Marischal College in Aberdeen graduating MA in 1793. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the period 1829 to 1830. He was Professor of Humanities and Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen and served as Minister at St. Machar’s Second Charge from 1816 to 1847. He is buried at St. Machar’s.
His son, George Forbes, (1825 – 1874) is memorialized on a cenotaph, as is this son Rev. John Forbes, DD LLD (1802 – 1899), professor of oriental languages.
The graveyard includes a memorial for Lt. Col. Arthur Forbes (1760 – 1850) of the 32nd Regiment. He was the son of Sir Arthur Forbes of Craigievar, 4th Baronet. The line of Craigievar was created by William “Danzig Willie” Forbes, who was the brother of Patrick Forbes, Bishop of Aberdeen. His son, also named William, became the first Baronet of Craigievar. Lt Col. Forbes’s brother, Sir William Forbes, 5th Baronet, married the Hon. Sarah Sempill. Also buried in the graveyard is his wife Isabella MacLeod (1796 – 1866) and son Athur Forbes Gordon of Rayne (1806 – 1873.) Lt. Col.
A bench on the graveyard memorializes coppersmith William Forbes (1708 - 1762), his wife Janet Dyce, and several of his children: Andrew, Elizabeth, James, George, Jean, Katharine, David, Janet, and Robert, who is noted as buried separately at the east end of the Cathedral of St Machar. Also listed is his son William “Copperbottom” Forbes who made a fortune in government contract to sheath the Royal Navy ships in copper. He purchased the Callendar Estate in Falkirk and greatly expanded Callendar House. He lies in a mausoleum at Callendar.
Church at Greyfriars: The Salmon War of 1530
Gallowgate, Aberdeen
The River Don flowed through the ancestral Barony of Forbes and was the spawning ground of salmon, or “black fish” (as opposed to “white fish” which were caught in the sea.) The Forbes family traditionally protected the fishing rights for Aberdeen fishermen and in return received a tun of wine every year. However, in 1521, John, 6th Lord Forbes, first commenced offensive operations against the town by “using every expedient to interrupt and destroy the salmon fishings.” (Council Register, Volume X, page 335.) As a result, the city of Aberdeen started withholding the wine payment. On May 20th, 1530, the Council of Aberdeen sent a demand letter that Lord Forbes ignored. On July 29th, 1530, the Council charged the Provost and baillies “to make ready all the artillery of the town” in case of Forbes invasion. Lord Forbes, John Forbes of Pitsligo, Arthur Forbes of Brux, and several clansmen and servants did indeed invade the town of Aberdeen. The citizens drove the Forbes party to take refuge in the Grey Friars section of Gallowgate, home of the Order of Friars Minors of the Observance of St. Francis. One of the Forbes' adherents and several citizens were killed, and the assailants were eventually allowed to retreat. Alexander Forbes of Brux filed a “breach of peace” lawsuit against the Aberdeen Provost and citizens. However, the defendants were acquitted by the High Court of Justiciary at Linlithgow. In the end, Lord Forbes had his wine, and the salmon were protected in spawning time.
See: Aberdeen Salmon War
Forbes of Newe Obelisk
Westburn Gardens, Berryhill Road, Aberdeen
An obelisk in the grounds of Cornhill hospital commemorates John Forbes from Newe, Strathdon. Motivated by his friend, Susan Carnegie who founded Montrose Asylum in 1781, the first public asylum in Scotland, he gave £10,000 towards the building of the Aberdeen Asylum which opened in 1800.
John “Bombay Jock” Forbes (1743-1821) was the second son of John Forbes, 2nd Laird of Bellabeg and great-grandson of William Forbes, 5th Laird of Newe. Forbes built a trading and banking empire in India that survives to this day in the form of Forbes & Company, one of the oldest continuously operating firms in the world. He left his fortunes and estates to his nephew Charles Forbes, who become the first Baronet of Newe. When Forbes died in 1821 at his house in London, his fortune was estimate at just under £350,000 (over US$20 million today), excluding his estates. He left several bequests, including £10,000 to build a lunatic asylum at Aberdeen. He left his estates of Newe to nephew Charles Forbes and bequeathed him funds for the specific purpose of enlarging the family home initially built in 1604. Charles Forbes selected Marischal College architect Archibald Simpson to greatly expand what was to become Castle Newe. Castle Newe was demolished in 1927.
The inscription on the south face of the obelisk reads “To the memory of JOHN FORBES, Esquire of Newe, Aberdeen shire. Formerly merchant in Bombay, who munificently bequeathed the sum of TEN THOUSAND POUNDS STERLING, for the building of the new Lunatic Asylum. His nephew and Executor, Sir Charles Forbes Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the worthy successor of his uncle in all the virtues of liberality and benevolence, with a munificence shedding lustre on the bequest itself, paid to Government the Legacy duty amounting to One thousand pounds Sterling. This Pillar was erected by public subscriptions limited in amount to two guineas each, by the inhabitants of the City and County of Aberdeen.”
The obelisk was originally erected in St. Nicholas' Graveyard in the city centre. The obelisk was moved to the asylum and restored in 1838, where it stood for 180 years until a new housing estate was built on part of the site. Once again it was moved, this time a few yards to a better site for viewing by the public, after once again being restored.
University of Aberdeen, Sir Duncan Rice Library
Bedford Road , Aberdeen
The Sir Duncan Rice Library now includes two paintings by renown portraitist Anne Forbes (1745-1834). Anne Forbes was born to Hugh Forbes in Inverask in 1745. Hugh was the son of Lieut.-Colonel John Forbes and Elizabeth Graham, daughter of an Edinburgh merchant. When Anne was 15, her father Hugh died in 1760 and left her widowed mother and two elder sisters in “genteel poverty.” In 1767, family friend Robert Chalmers and family friends arranged for her art studied in Rome. She studied under Scottish artists Gavin Hamilton and James Nevay. She settled in London in 1772. While she excelled at portraits, she was less skilled in backgrounds such as draperies. Disheartened, she wrote: “I would with pleasure relinquish the idea of making a fortune, which I am now fearfully convinced I never can, could I make a comfortable living at home which I flatter myself I might be able for…” She returned to Edinburgh and fulfilled her wish to “make a comfortable living” from painting and teaching. In 1788 she was appointed Portrait Painter to the Society of Antiquaries in Edinburgh. She never married and died in 1834. Three of her portraits are in the collection of the Sir Duncan Rice Library of University of Aberdeen: Queen Anne (thought to be copied after original by Godfrey Kneller.; George, Prince of Denmark (also thought to be a copy); and Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman. (The first portrait below is of Anne Forbes by David Allan.)
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