William Forbes, 7th Lord Forbes

Last updated

William Forbes, 7th Lord Forbes (1513-1593) was a Scottish landowner.

William was the son of John, 6th Lord Forbes and Christian Lundie.

His eldest son John, Master of Forbes, and his half-brother "Black" Arthur Forbes signed a band on 27 April 1560 at Edinburgh with other Scottish nobles committing themselves to Protestant reformation, and to join with the English army sent to expel French troops from Scotland. [1]

In July 1568 Forbes was at Largs with the Earl of Argyll and with others signed a letter to the Duke of Alva complaining of the treatment of Mary, Queen of Scots in England, and asking him to write to Philip II of Spain to petition Elizabeth I of England and to send troops into Scotland against their enemies. [2]

Despite this, William was reckoned by English diplomats to be a friend to England. He took sides against the supporters Mary, Queen of Scots in the Marian Civil War. The Earl of Huntly sent troops against him in October 1571, and the king's side sent 200 men to aid him. "Black" Arthur Forbes, the earl's brother, was killed at the Battle of Tillieangus. They fought again in Aberdeen at the Battle of Craibstone and John, Master of Forbes, was captured and taken to Huntly Castle. The English ambassador Henry Carey was inclined to view this as a "private quarrel" or feud between the Forbes and Gordons. [3]

In 1590 John, Master of Forbes, was accused of imprisoning his father in a chamber at Druminnor Castle and hitting him on the head with the pommel of his sword. Two younger sons, Robert Forbes Commendator of Monymusk and James Forbes of Fechell brought their father's complaint to the Privy Council, but the Master of Forbes denied it. The Council declared that Drumminor should be kept by William Forbes of Tolquhoun and others till Lord Forbes came to Edinburgh or sent further testimony. In May 1591 the Master of Forbes claimed his brothers had turned his father against him, and while Lord Forbes was lying sick at Dundee they had entered and robbed the House of Druminnor. The younger Forbes brothers obtained royal letters against the Master of Forbes to support their occupation of Druminnor. [4]

In November 1591 Lord Forbes made an alliance with George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal, Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, and others against the Earl of Huntly. [5] In 1592 Forbes and Huntly promoted rival candidates as Provost of Aberdeen. [6]

Family

William married Elizabeth Keith heiress of Inverugie. Their children included:

In July 1592 John, Master of Forbes, wanted his son to marry a sister of the Earl of Gowrie, which the Earl of Huntly opposed, as it would weaken him politically. [8]

Arthur, Master of Forbes, married Jean Elphinstone, in Edinburgh on 5 February 1600. This was double wedding of sisters, daughters of the Master of Elphinstone celebrated at the Mint in the Cowgate, the other couple being, Anna Elphinstone and the Earl of Sutherland, James VI gave both brides a gold chain and fore and back gold garnishing for their hair. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll</span> Scottish nobleman

Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll was a Scottish nobleman. A convert to Catholicism, he openly conspired with the king of Spain to try to unseat the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus</span> 16th and 17th-century Scottish nobleman

William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus (1533–1591). He was a direct descendant of King James I through his paternal grandmother, Agnes Keith, a daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane</span>

John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, of Lethington, Knight (1581), was Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Forbes</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Forbes is a Highland Scottish clan from Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell</span> Scottish nobleman (1562–1612)

Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings against his first cousin, King James VI, all of which ultimately failed, and he died in poverty in Italy after being banished from Scotland. Francis's maternal uncle, the 4th Earl of Bothwell, was the chief suspect in the murder of James VI's father, Lord Darnley.

Sir Thomas Lyon, Master of Glamis was a Scottish nobleman and official, Lord High Treasurer of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Seton, 7th Lord Seton</span>

George Seton V, 7th Lord Seton (1531–1586), was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland, Master of the Household of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Provost of Edinburgh. He was the eldest son of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton, and Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of John Hay, 3rd Lord Hay of Yester. His childhood and schooling were in France.

Adam Gordon of Auchindoun (1545–1580) was a Scottish knight, younger brother of the Earl of Huntly and military leader during the Marian civil war on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots in north west Scotland. In Scottish ballad lore, Adam became known as Edom o'Gordon.

John Seton, Lord Barns was a Scottish diplomat, courtier and judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Druminnor Castle</span>

Druminnor Castle is an L-plan castle, dating from the early 15th century, about two miles east of Rhynnie, in a steep valley by the Keron burn, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone</span> Scottish courtier, landowner and Lord Treasurer

Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone (1552-1638), was a Scottish courtier, landowner, and Lord Treasurer.

Patrick Gray, 5th Lord Gray, was a Scottish landowner

Sir William Keith of Delny was a Scottish courtier and Master of the Royal Wardrobe. He also served as ambassador for James VI to various countries. He was an important intermediary between George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and the king, the king and courtiers, and the king and foreign governments.

Elizabeth Douglas, Countess of Erroll was a Scottish aristocrat.

Alexander Abernethy, 6th Lord Saltoun was a Scottish landowner and courtier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Scrimgeour</span> Scottish landowner (d. 1612)

James Scrimgeour Scottish landowner and Constable of Dundee.

Michael Gilbert was an Edinburgh goldsmith and financier.

Janet or Jean Scott, Lady Ferniehirst was a Scottish landowner. She was a member of the Border family of Scott who succumbed to an arranged marriage that healed the feud with the family who killed her father. Her marriage to Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst was successful and she took a role in Scottish politics between the Scottish court and the exiled Mary, Queen of Scots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes</span> Scottish landowner.

John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes was a Scottish landowner.

John Forbes, 8th Lord Forbes (1542–1606) was a Scottish aristocrat.

References

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Lord Forbes
1547–1593		Succeeded by
  1. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 383.
  2. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1563-1569, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 469.
  3. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1571-1574, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1905), pp. 15, 29, 43, 54, 67.
  4. ↑ Register of the Privy Council, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1881), pp. 497, 617-8.
  5. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 587.
  6. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 801.
  7. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 9 (Edinburgh, 1915), pp. 613, 614.
  8. ↑ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 730.
  9. ↑ Letters to King James the Sixth from the Queen, Prince Henry, Prince Charles etc (Edinburgh, 1835), p. lxxv-lxxvi: William Fraser, Elpinstone Family Book, vol. (Edinburgh, ), pp. 134, 169.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.