Forbes and the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh

King Henry VIII of England used diplomacy and then military might to encourage the marriage of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, to his young son, the future Edward VI. Even though Henry died in 1547, the war continued under the Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset. In early September 1547, Somerset led an army of about 16,800 men and fleet of 30 warships into Scotland. Queen Mary’s Regent James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, assembled a Scottish army of between 22,000 and 36,000 soldiers to resist the English invasion. Due to strategic blunders, the Scots were defeated on September 10, 1547, what was to be known in Scotland as “Black Saturday.” The battle was devastating to Scotland and disastrous to the House of Forbes. The family lost many men from the Forbes of Pitsligo, Boyndlie, Towie, Brux, Tolquhon, Towie, and even their clan chief John, 6th Lord Forbes.  
Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/pinkie-cleugh 

Judge Charles Edward Forbes and the Forbes Library

The Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States, was created due to the bequest of Judge Charles Edward Forbes, a descendent of John (Fobes) Forbes (1608 – 1661), the first Forbes in the United States. Forbes amassed a tidy sum through stocks in the New Haven-Northampton Canal and his investments in the railroad business. He left $220,000 to Northampton for the purpose of creating a library “to place within reach of the inhabitants of a town, in which I have lived long and pleasantly, the means of learning, if they are disposed to learn…” The library now houses the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum.

Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/forbes-library

Forbes, Whisky, and Robert Burns

Scots the world over celebrated the birth of Robert Burns on January 25. The House of Forbes has been inextricably bound up with whisky and has achieved fame in that regard with the help of no less than this national poet of Scotland! In 1670, John Forbes, 2nd Lord Culloden, built a whisky distillery at his Ferintosh estate. In 1689, Duncan Forbes, 3rd Lord Culloden, received a waiver for the whisky tax as compensation for damage by the Jacobites. By 1780, Ferintosh supplied two-thirds of the whisky consumed in Scotland. In 1782, Parliament removed the waiver with the Wash Act of 1784. Without that competitive advantage, Arthur Forbes, 7th Lord Culloden, closed the Ferintosh distillery. Robert Burns lamented the closing of Ferintosh in his poem “Scotch Drink:” 

Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost!
Scotland lament frae coast to coast!
Now colic grips, an' barkin hoast  
May kill us a';
For loyal Forbes' charter'd boast
Is ta'en awa?

Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/whisky

Forbes Memorial Fountain of Fettercairn

The Forbes Memorial Fountain in Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was funded and erected by the people of Fettercairn in fond memory of Sir John Stuart Forbes, 8th Baronet, of Monymusk, of Fettercairn and Pitsligo (1804–1866). Sir John became active in civic life and in philanthropy. Upon Sir John’s death, “a public meeting, presided over by the late Sir Thomas Gladstone, was held in the village to consider the propriety of providing a suitable memorial of the deceased baronet and to be acknowledgment of the esteem and respect in which he was held in the district.” The inscription reads: “Erected to the memory of Sir J. H. S. Forbes, Bart., of Pitsligo and Fettercairn, by his neighbours and other friends, 1869." (Photo by Neil Trasker)
Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/forbes-memorial-fountain-of-fettercairn 

Clan Forbes Tour Again Postponed to 2022

Due to the unabated spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new travel restrictions, the Society's Board of Directors voted to postpone the Clan Forbes Tour to August 2022. Tour manager Thistle Dubh Enterprises is currently contacting the venues and suppliers to move everything to 2022. We expect an increase in the tour cost as some suppliers are not able to offer the same pricing they offered in 2019.  Additionally, we may need to move to a much larger coach due to social distancing restrictions. We will inform you of the new pricing and details.

Farewell, Nancy Forbes

Nancy Forbes of Fairfax, Virginia, passed away after a brief illness on January 17, 2021. Ms. Forbes was a driving force behind the revitalization of the Clan Forbes Society and was one of the incorporators of the new 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. She earned her BS and MA degrees in physics from Columbia University, and an earlier degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Virginia. A respected intelligence analyst, she served on the National Academies of Science (NAS) Air Force Science and Technology Board and the NAS Intelligence Science and Technology Experts Group (ISTEG).  Ms. Forbes has published two books, Faraday, Maxwell and the Electromagnetic Field (co-authored with Basil Mahon) for Prometheus Books (2014), and Imitation of Life: How Biology is Inspiring Computing for MIT Press (2004), and numerous other articles.

Welcome Members!

Please welcome our new Active Members for January 2021:

• Mr. Joshua Nickles, Illinois, USA
• Ms. Michelle Gambetta, Missouri, USA
• Mr. Dylan Forbush, Ohio, USA

Please welcome back our renewing Active Member for January 2021:

• Ms. Sheryll Maree Forbes, Queensland, Australia

If you haven’t already supported the Society financially, please consider becoming a paid member! Active Membership is $25 annually will help the Society research the history and heritage of the House of Forbes; develop resources for tracing your genealogy with your cousins around the world; connect with other members in the Clan Forbes Community; and encourage more members to join us in events, tours and gatherings. 

Patron Members: If you don’t want the bother of renewing your membership every year, consider becoming a Patron Member for lifetime membership at the level of $600. 

Highland Games & Festivals

Our special thanks to Ann Forbes and her sister Julie for representing the Clan Forbes Society at the Scottish Highland Festival Games in Mt. Dora, Florida, on January 16-17, 2021!

Many of the 2021 Highland Games and Scottish Festivals have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check the Clan Forbes Society website for the latest announcements: https://www.clan-forbes.org/games