With their name derived from the Gaelic forba, meaning a field or district and also found in the landscape in the form of the Braes of Forbes, Clan Forbes thrived for centuries throughout western Aberdeenshire.
• The distant ancestor of the clan was the warrior Oconachan, who reputedly killed a bear that had devoured nine maidens. The Braes of Forbes had been the bear's main hunting ground, and Oconachan accordingly took this territory as his own.
• Oconachan's descendants prospered as they acquired high honours and distinction.
• John de Forbes fought at the side of the warrior King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Independence while, during the time of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, Duncan Forbes of Culloden was the Hanoverian government's main representative in Scotland and was later appointed Lord President of the Court of Session.
Borthwick Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
With the proud motto of ‘He who leads', the Borthwicks feature prominently in the pages of the colourful tableau that is Scotland’s frequently turbulent history. • The Borthwicks have roots of their...
Taylor Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
Although their name is of French origin, bearers of the surname Taylor have been at the heart of Scotland's affairs for centuries, sharing in its glories and its tragic misfortunes. • As proud...
Simpson Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
From roots in Saxon England and the French provinces of Anjou and Normandy, the Simpsons found themselves at the forefront of Scotland's bitter Wars of Independence with England and later rallied to...
Colquhoun Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
The entrance of the Colquhoun clan onto the Scottish scene came in 1241 when the Anglo-Norman Sir Humphrey de Kilpatrick was granted the lands and barony of Colquhoun, in Dunbartonshire, and...
Haig Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
Of truly martial stock, the Haigs can trace a descent that stretches back to a warrior of mixed Pictish and Norwegian extraction who survived a shipwreck off the Berwickshire coast in the Scottish...
Borthwick Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
With the proud motto of ‘He who leads', the Borthwicks feature prominently in the pages of the colou…
Taylor Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
Although their name is of French origin, bearers of the surname Taylor have been at the heart of Sco…
Simpson Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
From roots in Saxon England and the French provinces of Anjou and Normandy, the Simpsons found thems…
Colquhoun Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
The entrance of the Colquhoun clan onto the Scottish scene came in 1241 when the Anglo-Norman Sir Hu…
Haig Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
Of truly martial stock, the Haigs can trace a descent that stretches back to a warrior of mixed Pict…