Lords Forbes (c.1442)
1st Lord Forbes, Alexander Forbes, b.c.1380, a.c.1442, d.1448
The name Forbes comes from the Gaelic Ferbasach, meaning bold man, and
is of ancient origin in the Pictish North-East of Scotland. Alexander’s
grandfather John Forbes of that Ilk had been made Sheriff of Aberdeen by Robert
III. The precise date of the peerage is not known exactly but Alexander is
referred to as Lord Forbes in a precept dated 1442.
2nd Lord Forbes, James Forbes, b.?, a.1448, d.c.1461
Son of the 1st Lord and Lady Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus.
3rd Lord Forbes, William Forbes, b.?, a.c.1461, d.c.1483
Son of the 2nd Lord and Egidia Keith, daughter of William
Keith, 1st Earl Marischal.
4th Lord Forbes, Alexander Forbes, b.?, a.b.1483, d.c.1491
Son of the 3rd Lord and Lady Christian Gordon, daughter of
Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly. He
married Margaret Boyd (b.b.1468, d.1516), daughter of Thomas Boyd, 1st
Earl of Arran and Princess Mary Stewart, but he died
young and had no children.
5th Lord Forbes, Arthur Forbes, b.?, a.c.1491, d.1493
Younger brother of the 4th Lord. He also died young.
6th Lord Forbes, John Forbes, b.b.1483, a.1493, d.1547
Younger brother of the 4th and 5th Lords. He
married three times, firstly to Catherine Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 1st
Earl of Atholl, secondly to Christian Lundin, daughter
of Sir John Lundin of that Ilk, and thirdly to Elizabeth Barlow, widow of
Alexander Elphinstone, 1st Lord Elphinstone.
was accused of treason in 1536 and held in Edinburgh Castle, though he was
later released.
7th Lord Forbes, William Forbes, b.?, a.1547, d.1593
Son of the 6th Lord and Christian Lundin. His older brother
John Forbes, Master of Forbes (b.?, d.1537) was beheaded for treason, and in
compensation, William was treated well by the state and became a Gentleman of
the Bedchamber in 1539.
8th Lord Forbes, John Forbes, b.1542, a.1593, d.1606
Son of the 7th Lord and Elizabeth Keith, daughter of Sir
William Keith of Inverugie. He was a Privy Counsellor in 1593-1594 and fought
for the King at the Battle of Glenlivet.
9th Lord Forbes, John Forbes, b.c.1570, a.1606, d.1606
Son of the 8th Lord and Margaret Gordon (b.?, d.1606),
daughter of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly.
He was influenced by his mother and joined a religious order. He died soon
after succeeding his father and is sometimes not counted in the sequence of
lords.
10th Lord Forbes, Arthur Forbes, b.1581, a.1606, d.1641
Half-brother of the
9th Lord, being a son of the 8th Lord and his second wife
Janet Seton (b.?, d.1616).
11th Lord Forbes, Alexander Forbes, b.?, a.?, d.1672
Son of the 10th Lord and Jean
Elphinstone (b.1582, d.1628), daughter of Alexander Elphinstone, 4th
Lord Elphinstone. He served in the Swedish Army
before returning to Scotland during the Civil Wars, fighting against the
Catholics in Ireland. He was later held prisoner in England and returned to
Sweden on his release.
12th Lord Forbes, William Forbes, b.?, a.1672, d.1697
Son of the 11th Lord and Anne
Forbes, daughter of Sir John Forbes of Pitsligo.
13th Lord Forbes, William Forbes, b.c.1689, a.1697, d.1716
Son of the 12th Lord and Jean
Campbell (b.?, d.1666), daughter of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor. He reached the
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Horse Guards. He supported the Glorious
Revolution and was a Privy Counsellor by William of Orange. He was also a supporter
of the Act of Union.
14th Lord Forbes, William
Forbes, b.?, a.1716, d.1730
Son of the 13th Lord and Anne
Brodie, daughter of James Brodie of Brodie.
15th Lord Forbes, Francis
Forbes, b.1721, a.1730, d.1734
Son of the 14th Lord and
Dorothy Dale, daughter of William Dale of Covent Garden.
16th Lord Forbes, James
Forbes, b.1689, a.1734, d.1761
Younger brother of the 14th
Lord.
17th Lord Forbes, James
Forbes, b.c.1725, a.1761, d.1804
Son of the 16th Lord and Mary
Forbes, daughter of Alexander Forbes, 3rd Lord Forbes of Pitsligo.
He reached the rank of Captain in the 26th Foot Regiment in 1746 and
was Grand Master of the Freemasons from 1754 to 1755.
18th Lord Forbes, James
Ochoncar Forbes, b.1765, a.1804, d.1843
Son of the 17th Lord and
Catherine Innes (b.?, d.1805), daughter of Sir Robert Innes, 6th
Baronet Innes of Balvenie. He joined the Coldstream Guards in 1781 and reached
the rank of Major General in 1802 and of Lieutenant-General in 1808. He was
Colonel of the 94th Foot Regiment from 1809 to 1816 and thereafter
Colonel of the 21st Foot Regiment (Scots Fusiliers) and reached the
rank of General in 1819. He was a Representative Peer from 1806 to his death
and High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from
1825 to 1830.
19th Lord Forbes, Walter
Forbes, b.1798, a.1843, d.1868
Son of the 18th Lord and
Elizabeth Hunter (b.1775, d.1830). He served in the Coldstream Guards and
fought at the Battle of Waterloo, where he is reckoned to have been the
youngest serving officer. His older brother, James Forbes, Master of Forbes
(b.1796, d.1835), also fought at Waterloo but died unmarried.
20th Lord Forbes, Horace
Courtenay Gammell Forbes, b.1823, a.1868, d.1914
Son of the 19th Lord and
Horatia Shaw (b.1799, d.1862), daughter of Sir John Gregory Shaw, 5th
Baronet Shaw of the City of London. He was a Representative Peer from 1874 to
1906. He died unmarried.
21st Lord Forbes, Atholl
Monson Forbes, b.1841, a.1914, d.1916
Younger brother of the 20th
Lord.
22nd Lord Forbes, Atholl Laurence
Cunyngham Forbes, b.1882, a.1916, d.1953
Son of the 21st Lord and
Margaret Alice Dick-Cunyngham (b.?, d.1943), daughter of Sir William
Dick-Cunyngham, 8th Baronet Dick-Cunyngham of Lambrughton. He fought
in the Second World War and reached the rank of Captain in the Grenadier
Guards. He was a Representative Peer from
23rd Lord Forbes, Nigel Ivan
Forbes, b.1918, a.1953
Son of the 22nd Lord and Lady
Mabel Anson (b.1882, d.1972), daughter of Thomas Francis Anson, 3rd
Earl of Lichfield. He reached the rank
of Major in the Grenadier Guards and was invested as a Knight Commander of the
Order of the British Empire (KBE). He is the the premier ranked lord in the
Scottish Peerage and is also Chief of the Name and Arms of Forbes.
The courtesy title for the heir is
Master of Forbes.
(Last updated: 24/03/2010)