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Clan Forbes (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Forbes

Gaelic Name: Foirbeis

Clan Crest: A stag’s head attired with ten tines, Proper

Clan Motto: Grace Me Guide

Origin of Name: Placename, Aberdeenshire

Clan Badge: Broom

Lands: Aberdeenshire

Clan Chief: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Forbes K.B.E., D.L.

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Forbes Clan History

Forbes is a parish in the county of Aberdeenshire. According to legend, the 'Braes o' Forbes' were once uninhabitable due to the presence of bears in the area. Oconachar, the clan's founder, killed the bears and claimed the land as the "first occupier." The current chief retains a portion of the Lordship of these Forbes lands.

R.R. McIan's 19th-century depiction of a Forbes clansman

Duncan de Forbes, the chief at the time, obtained a charter from Alexander III for the land in 1271, confirming his claim. John de Forbes of the Black Lip had four sons in the fourteenth century, with whom the family expanded widely and prosperously. William founded the Pitsligo branch, John founded the Polquhoun branch, and Alistair of Brux founded the Skellater and Inverernan branches.

Alexander, the eldest of the brothers, fought in the 1411 Battle of Harlaw against the invaders led by Donald from the Isles. James I made him Lord Forbes around 1444. The Lordship is still regarded as Scotland's premier. His three sons would add the branches of Corsindae and Monymusk, Corse, and later the Baronets of Craigievar to the family.

There was a time when there were 150 Forbes houses and estates from the coasts of Banff and Buchan to the mountains of Aberdeenshire. Throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Clan Forbes was constantly at odds with their powerful, predatory neighbors, the Gordons, Earls of Huntly. The consistent murders by both sides escalated, fueled by religious self-importance, into two battles in 1571 at Craibstone and Tillieangus.

The plunder of Lord Forbes' seat was followed by the murder of twenty-seven Forbes' of Towie at Corgarff. It took two Acts of Parliament to finally force them to lay down their weapons against each other.

Duncan Forbes of Culloden, President of the Court of Session during the 1715 rebellion, was opposed to the Jacobite cause. He is remembered, however, for his efforts to obtain better treatment for the rebels from their captors. Butcher Cumberland, speaking out for the people after Culloden, responded with a sneer, 'that old woman talked to me about humanity.' A memorial to Duncan Forbes can be found in Edinburgh's Parliament Hall.

Castle Forbes was built in 1815 on land claimed by Oconachar and overlooks the Don.

Forbes Places & People

Forbes Clan Members

William Forbes (circa 1671–1745)

After becoming an advocate in 1696, he became Glasgow University's first Regius Professor of Law in 1714.

His presence there was intended to boost the University's reputation and increase the number of law students. He authored books on Scottish law and the responsibilities of Justices of the Peace. "Institutes of the Law of Scotland," published in 1722, became a standard for students. His most famous work, "Great Body of the Law of Scotland," is currently unpublished at Glasgow University.

Culloden's Duncan Forbes (1685-1747)

Lord Advocate Forbes, who also practiced law, was involved in events that shaped Scottish history and became well known and respected on all sides. He rose from Sheriff of Midlothian in 1709 to Lord Advocate by 1725.

Despite being a government supporter himself, he called for clemency for those arrested following the Jacobite Rising of 1715. When their trials were in England and their sentences were harsh, he continued to appeal on their behalf.

His popularity fell after his role in the aftermath of the Shawfield Riots, when he brought in General Wade, and then rose again after his role in the aftermath of the Porteous Riots, when he reduced Edinburgh's chastisement. His deft diplomacy persuaded many Highland chiefs to stay out of the 1745 Rising. He appealed for tolerance toward captured Jacobites, as he had done in 1716, but the evil Duke of Cumberland would not be deterred from his bloody agenda.

Main image: James David Forbes (1809-1868).

JD Forbes was a Professor of Natural Philosophy by the age of twenty-four.

He studied the polarisation of radiant heat at Edinburgh University before moving on to research glacier compositions in Norway and the Alps.

He was the first to climb several of Skye's Cuillin peaks and helped reform the structure of Scottish degree courses.

Forbes Tartans

Clan Forbes Tartan (Forbes - 1819)

This is the Forbes that is currently in use. It was said to have been designed in 1822 by a Miss Forbes for the Forbes family of Pitsligo, but earlier records appear to refute this story. Wilson's pattern book from 1819, Grant No. 15, and William and Andrew Smith's 1850 "Authenticated Tartans of the Clans and Families of Scotland" all featured it.

"The correctness of the Forbes Tartan here given appears to be beyond doubt in the opinion of the Trade: it was once worn by the 74th regiment, but that corps now wears the Lamont."

The Lamont is identical to the Forbes except for the absence of black guards on the white. In November 1949, the Clan Chief approved and registered a new Forbes sett with Lord Lyon. Forbes Ancient - see # 212 - has modern doubts about its accuracy, and it is assumed that an error was made in recording it in Lord Lyon's book.

The Liverpool Scottish also wear Forbes today. In response to the crisis of the Boer War, the Liverpool Scottish was formed as an infantry battalion in 1900. The 8th (Scottish) Volunteer Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) was formed from among the city's highly educated and professional young Scotsmen. There was a ten shilling (50p) annual subscription fee and a two-pound entrance fee. Colonel C. Forbes Bell V.D. served as the first Commanding Officer. The regiment adopted the Forbes tartan kilt, and the Highland full dress uniform included a khaki tunic with a scarlet collar and facings, a feather bonnet or glengarry, and tartan plaid. The earliest known date is 1827, according to a list compiled by D C Stewart from Wilsons of Bannockburn letters.

Forbes Contemporary

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Forbes the Elder

Forbes Crest & Coats of Arms

Forbes Clan Crest

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

Properly dressed stag's head with ten tines

Coat of Arms of Clan Forbes

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.