Genealogy of the family of Forbes

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■this family is descended of Forbes of Corse, as also the follow-
ing:
Forbes Viscoiltit of Granard, in Ireland, azure, three bears'
heads couped argent, muzzled sable ; erest, a bear passant ar-
gent, seme of gouttcs dc sang, supported on the right by an uni-
corn or, powdered with ermine spots sable, and on the sinister
by a dragon ermine ; motto. Fax mentis iaccndium gloria;. Sir
George Mackenzie.
Those also of the surname of Mackay carry bear-heads of the
same tincture and field with the Forbesses, upon the account
they derive their descent from one Alexander, a younger son of
t)chonacher, the progenitor also of the Forbesses, who came
from Ireland to Scotland about the end of the twelfth century.
The fourth in descent from the above-mentioned Alexander
v.'as Donald of Strathnavcr, (as by the manuscript of the family)
whose son and successor was Y IMore ; from him began the sur-
name of Mackaj', (i. e. Y his sons), whose great-grandchild was
Angus Mackay, father of Y, alias Odo Mackay ; he was nuich in
favour with King James IV. who gave to him the lands of Alex-
ander Sutherland of Delred, as by a ciiarter of the date 1499
(id rotulis Jacobi Quarti), " Dedisse, concessisse & confirmasse
Odoni Mackay & heredibus suis, terras de Farre, Strathie, Ky-
Jievc, Kynned, Gosespie, Diirit, &c. quae quidem terrce fuerunt
quondam dicti Alexandri Sutlieraland hereditarie, & nunc nobis
pertinent, & in manibus nostris legitime devenerunt, ratione fo-
risfacturae dicti Alexandri," &c. From this Odo was lineally
descended Sir Donald Mackay of Farre, a valiant man, and of
great honour ; he, by a warrant of King Charles I. took over
into Germany a regiment of SdOO men of his own name and fol-
lowers, to the assistance of the King and Queen of Bohemia, in
the year 1626 ; and thereafter he entered into the service of tiie
King of Denmark against the Emperor ; and after that war end-
ed, he served with his own regiment under Gustavus, the King
of Sweden, with singular valour and success. King Charles I.
created him a Knight Baronet, 28th of March, 1627, and the
year following, for his great merit, a Peer of Scotland, by the
title of Lord Reay. He died in the year 1649, leaving issue by
Barbara, his lady, a daughter of Kenneth Lord Kintail, after-
wards Earl of Seaforth, John his successor, second Lord Reay,