Genealogy of the family of Forbes

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©f humble piety it displays, may, in some degree, be accept-
able : —
That a man may think equally of himself, it is proper that he
know the truth of his own pedigree, and therfore according to
the search that I have made, I understand myself to be of the
house of Tulqhon, and that oflfthe hous of Forbes. It was
our lott to take but litle out of the house we came from, and that
perhaps as little out of the house of Foibes, which makes me only
remember the origine, and the succession, untill our own prede-
cessor, John, second son of Lord Alexr. came off, which was
about the middle of the 15th century; and to be more par-
ticular upon the kyndness of the Lord towards us sinsyne, which
has put us, from small begining, in a condition noM' to make our
appearance lyke others who were of no better condition than
ourselves.
March 18, 1702. — Haveing gott that manuscript of the gene-
alogy of the Family of Forbes, begun by one Mr. Mathew Lums-
den of Tillj'carne, and continued to the year 1665 by the Laird
of Lesly, as they say, I have thought fit to note some things out
of it, which I think ought to be condemd. First, all the reports
anent the origine are fabulus, and the killing of the beast, &c.
There being a Land and Parish of Forbes, its probable that the
possessors begun when others did, to take a surname from
the place of the possession ; the old manner of speaking pleads
much for this, such as, Arthur of Forbes, Adam of Gordon, and
the lyke, not Arthur Forbes, or Adam Gordon, but that they
were called off, it insinuates ther coming out of it, and infers
more from it; as for those Douglasses, Gordons, Forbesses,
Morays, iind others, who say they gave name to the lands, its
all fals, for surely men were not so infamous in those days, as to
be worth the prophet's curse, psalm 49. 1 1 .' in calling their lands
after their names.' I have seen none as yet of the writts of the
Iiouse of Forbes, but tht; e'dest I hear talk of are a writt upon
the Ian is of Logy and Edenbanchry, from ALxr. Cuming, Earle
of Buchan, to Fergas Lord Forbes (as they call it); but if the
words be only Fergusso domino de Forbess, it will not infer so
much, for I have seen a charter as old as that (perhaps), aiul in
the same terms to a family that continues laird to this hour. Ano-
ther charter by King Alexr. the 5d, in the 25d year of his reigne^
Duncan Lord Forbes, super terras et tenejuentum de Forbes.