Ancestory

Clan Forbes

scottish clan · living · pillar

Also: de Forbes , Forbes of that Ilk

Where Clan Gordon came north from the Borders, the Forbeses are the genuine article in Aberdeenshire: one of the oldest families of the north-east, taking their name from the lands of Forbes on Donside. The name is territorial — most likely from Gaelic forba, “a field”, with a Pictish suffix, though the exact etymology is debated contested [oxfordFNBI] .

Origins

The family is reputed to have held the lands of Forbes since the reign of William the Lion in the late 12th century probable [oxfordFNBI] — tradition that runs ahead of the firm record. In the documents themselves, John of Forbes appears in 1364 established [poms] ; the gap between the two is the honest measure of how much of an old family’s early history is tradition rather than charter. In the 15th century the chief was raised to Lord Forbes — reckoned the premier (oldest) lordship in the Scottish peerage established [wikidata] .

The feud with Clan Gordon

Forbes history is defined above all by its rivalry with the Gordons — the north-east’s counterpart to the MacDonald–Campbell enmity in the west. It turned bloody during the civil war over Mary, Queen of Scots: at the Battle of Tillyangus in 1571 the Gordons (for Mary) defeated the Forbeses (for the young James VI), and “Black Arthur” Forbes was killed established [wikidata] . The two houses contested Aberdeenshire for over a century.

Their name in the north-east

That shared country shows in the records: in the 1696 Aberdeen poll tax, Forbes is the second most common clan surname in the shire, just behind Gordon — the two rivals, side by side in the tax rolls of their own heartland. As ever, commonness of the name marks the family’s territorial reach, not descent from the chief.

Status today

Clan Forbes is a living clan. Its chief, Lord Forbes, is recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon established [lordLyon] , with the seat at Castle Forbes in Aberdeenshire.

Sources