Tolquhon Castle

Now in ruins, Tolquhon Castle (pronounced: "toh-HON") was a grand showplace in the 16th and 17th centuries that went into decline due to financial ruin from a speculative venture in Panama. In 1420, Sir John Forbes (c. 1390 – c. 1454) married the daughter of Sir Henry Preston (c. 1368 – c. 1433), Thane of Fermartyn. Upon Sir Henry’s death in 1433, Sir John, 1st Laird of Tolquhon, inherited the lands of Tolquhon. William vastly extended the castle between 1584 and 1589. The castle remained in the Forbes family until Alexander Forbes, 10th Laird of Tolquhon. Alexander and his brother Thomas Forbes of Little Auchry invested heavily with the Company of Scotland’s attempt to establish New Caledonia, a colony on the Isthmus of Panama, in the late 1690s. The project, which came to become known as the “Daren Scheme,” was a financial disaster that ruined many of the Scottish landowners, including Alexander, Laird of Tolquhon.

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

Forbes, Whisky, and Robert Burns

Scots all over the world celebrate the anniversary of the birth of poet Robert Burns on January 25, 1759. However, few people know about his favorite whisky – Ferintosh distilled by the Forbes of Culloden! Here’s a wee bit from 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?

Thae curst horse-leeches o' the' Excise,
Wha mak the whisky stells their prize!
Haud up thy han', Deil! ance, twice, thrice!
There, seize the blinkers!
An' bake them up in brunstane pies
For poor damn'd drinkers.

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

Keig Old Kirk

The Keig Old Kirk in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is now a roofless ruin but once served a parish that included the tenants and staff of Castle Forbes. Before the 12th century, the parish of Keig was a monastery of the Culdees, based on the Gaelic “Céilí Dé” or spouses of God. By 1245, the parish was absorbed into the Augustinian Priory of Monymusk. In the 15th century, the secular control of the priory was held by commendators who were primarily members of the Forbes family. In 1617, the priory was incorporated into the lands of the Episcopalian bishopric of Dunblane. The Keig Old Kirk was built in about 1638 and abandoned in 1835 after a new church was built. The old kirkyard is the resting place for some of the Forbes Clan Chiefs, including James, 15th Lord Forbes; James, 16th Lord Forbes; Horace Courtenay, 19th Lord Forbes; Atholl Monson, 20th Lord Forbes; and Atholl Lawrence Cunyngham, 21st Lord Forbes.

To learn more and download a map with complete listings, visit: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/keig-old-kirk

2022 Clan Forbes Tour Featured at January Clan Gathering

On January 30, the Clan Gathering of Active, Patron, and Legacy Members featured the 2022 Clan Forbes Tour. Janet Robertson of Thistle Dubh Enterprises produced a video of the highlights of the tour and answered questions about the trip and about travel to Scotland in general. We’ve posted her video on the Clan Forbes YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6HPg48XDf6Es8oHPxI2BFg 
 

Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Welcome Members!

Please welcome our new Active Members for January 2022:

• Charles Forbes Byrd, Florida, USA
• Ashley Forbes, Texas, USA
• Marja Leena Aleneff, Finland
• Forbes Irvine, New York, USA
• Janice Forbes McShea, Illinois, USA
• Catherine Williams Fort, North Carolina, USA

Please welcome back our Renewing Active Members for January 2022: 

• Catherine Forbes McCausland, Texas, USA
• Joan S. Michie, Maryland, USA
• Wendy Grubb, Louisiana, USA
• Elizabeth Forbes Mangrum, North Carolina, USA
• George Elliott Forbes, Kentucky, USA
• Bryan Lawrence Forbes, Oregon, USA
• Maura Phillips Mackowski, Arizona, USA
• Fred Alden Forbes, Florida, USA
• James G. Forbes II, Indiana, USA
• Alba M. Forbes, Indiana, USA
• Blake Forbes, Indiana, USA
• John James Forbes, Virginia, USA
• Janet L. Forbes, Massachusetts, USA
• Edward Benjamin Edelen, Jr., Maryland, USA
• John W. Forbes, Kansas, USA
• Sharon Dean Lee, Georgia, USA
• James Turner Forbes, Alberta, Canada 
• Robert H. Forbes, Jr., North Carolina, USA

Please welcome our new Lifetime Patron Members for January 2022: 

• Ciarán Daniel Brown, Greater London, England
• Shari S. Forbes, California, USA
• Natalie S. Gates, Colorado, USA

Become an Active Member or Renew Now!

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. Thanks to all our 2021 members – and now it’s time to renew your support for 2022!

Renew your membership here. 

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. Become a Patron here.

Highland Games & Festivals

Ann Forbes and her sister Carolyn Forbes hosted the Clan Forbes Society tent at the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games on January 15-16, 2022 – and even entered the shortbread contest!

Here is the latest list of Highland Games and Scottish Festivals, as compiled by Leslie Furbish, VP for Conveners. Please let her know if we missed an event or if you would like to host a tent. Please check the Clan Forbes Society website for the latest announcements: https://www.clan-forbes.org/games

United States

Sarasota Highland Games & Celtic Festival

February 5, 2022; Sarasota, Florida

​

Mount Dora Scottish Highland Festival

February 19-20, 2022; Mount Dora, Florida

Clan Forbes Convener: Ann Forbes

​

Northeast Florida Scottish Games and Festival

February 26-27, 2022; Green Cove Springs, Florida

Panama City Beach Scottish Festival & Highland Games

March 5, 2022; Panama City Beach, Florida

Southeast Florida Scottish Festival & Highland Games

March 5, 2022; Plantation, Florida

​

Calaveras Celtic Faire (Formerly Sonora Celtic Faire)

March 11-13, 2022; Angel, California

Clan Forbes Convener: Valerie Edwards

​

Phoenix Scottish Games

March 4-6, 2022; Gilbert Regional Park, Gilbert, Arizona

​

Las Vegas Highland Games

April 9-10, 2022; Floyd Lamb Park, Las Vegas, Nevada

​

Loch Norman Highland Games

April 9-10, 2022; Historic Rural Hill, Huntersville, North Carolina

​

Southern Maryland Celtic Festival & Highland Gathering

April 23, 2022; St. Leonard, Maryland

​

San Antonio Highland Games

April 2-3, 2022; Helotes, Texas

Clan Forbes Convener: Bart Forbes

Fair Hill Scottish Games

May 21, 2022, Elkton, MD, 21921

​

Scottish Fest USA

May 28-29, 2022; Costa Mesa, CA

​

Texas Scottish Festival & Highland Games

May 6-8, 2022; Decatur, Texas

Clan Forbes Convener: Rick Forbes, Bart Forbes

Savannah Scottish Games

May 7, 2022; Savannah, Georgia

​

Stirling Classic Scottish Festival

May 20-22, 2022; Yukon, Oklahoma

​

Northern Nevada Celtic Celebration

May 21, 2022; Reno, Nevada

St. Louis Scottish Games & Cultural Festival

May 21, 2022; Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, Missouri

​

Smoky Mountain Highland Games

May 21-22, 2022; Maryville, Tennessee

​

Glasgow Highland Games

June 3-5; 2022; Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Lucas, Kentucky

​

Garrett County Celtic Festival

June 4, 2022; Friendsville, Maryland

Milwaukee Highland Games

June 4, 2022; Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Maine Scottish Festival at Old Orchard Beach

June 4, 2022; Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Clan Forbes Convener: Leslie A. Furbish

​

Coastal Highland Games

June 4, 2022; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

​

Blairsville Scottish Festival & Highland Games

June 11-12, 2022; Blairsville, Georgia

​

Chicago Scottish Festival & Highland Games

June 17-18, 2022; Itasca, Illinois

​

Ohio Scottish Games

June 24-25, 2022; Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, Berea, Ohio

Alaska Scottish Highland Games

June 25-26, 2022; Palmer, Alaska

Round Hill Highland Games

June 26, 2022; Lakeville, Connecticut

​

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

July 7 - 10, 2022; Linville, North Carolina

Clan Forbes Convener: Ron Pearson

​

Skagit Valley Highland Games

July 8-10, 2022; Edgewater Park, Mount Vernon, Washington

​

Payson Scottish Festival

July 8-9, 2022; Payson, Utah

​

Kootenai Highland Gathering

July 15-16, 2022; River Bend Restaurant, Libby, Montana

​

Arizona Highland Games and Gathering

July 16-17, 2022; Rodeo Grounds, Williams, Arizona

​

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival

July 16, 2022; Look Park, Northampton, Massachusetts

Clan Forbes Convener: Leslie A. Furbish

​

Monterey Scottish Games & Festival

July 16 & 17, 2022; Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, California