Arthur Forbes, 2nd Earl of Granard ( – 1 April 1724) was an Irish soldier and peer.

Early life

Forbes was born as the eldest son of Arthur Forbes of

Castle Forbes Castle Forbes is a 19th-century country house in the Scottish baronial architecture style near Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Vale of Alford estate has been home to the Forbes for over 600 years. The original house was named Putachi ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

and the former Catharine (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Newcomen) Stewart (widow of Sir Alexander Stewart, 2nd Baronet). His mother was the eldest daughter of Sir Robert Newcomen, 4th Baronet of Kenagh and the former Anne Boleyn. His younger sister, Lady Catharine Forbes, was married to

Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

, as his second wife. His paternal grandfather was Arthur Forbes, who was created a Baronet of Castle Forbes in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

on 29 September 1628. In 1632, Forbes' father succeeded as the 2nd Baronet. In November 1675, his father was created Baron Clanehugh and Viscount of Granard in his own right, followed by the earldom of Granard on 30 December 1684.

Career

Forbes was a

Col. Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

18th Regiment of Foot 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

(the Royal Irish regiment) from 1686 to 1688, when he was removed by King

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

and was thrice imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

for his "suspected co-operation with the

Stuarts The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...

". He served on the Continent under

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshal of France, Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustr ...

and took part in the Siege of Buda in 1686 as part of the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...

. His younger brother, Lt.-Col. Hon. Robert Forbes was killed in the trenches in the Siege of Buda. He was in favour with William III's successor, Queen Anne, and during her reign, he received an offer of the governorship of Jamaica, which as a non-juror he declined.

Personal life

In October 1678, Forbes married Mary Rawdon (1661–1724), eldest daughter of

Sir George Rawdon, 1st Baronet Sir George Rawdon, 1st Baronet (1604–1684), of Moira, County Down which he founded, was an English army officer and politician. Early life Born in November 1604, he was the only son of Francis Rawdon (1581?–1668) of Rawdon Hall, near Leeds. ...

of Moira by his second wife, Hon. Dorothy Conway (eldest daughter of

Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway The Rt Hon. Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway, PC ( bapt. 10 August 1594 – 26 June 1655), was an English politician, military commander, bibliophile and peer. Early life and education Conway was the eldest son of The 1st Viscount Conway and ...

). Together, they were the parents of several children, including: * Arthur Forbes, ''styled'' Lord Forbes, who died unmarried in 1704. *

George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard PC (21 October 1685 – 19 June 1765) was an Anglo-Irish naval commander and diplomat. He was at the Capture of Gibraltar. He took a very valuable prize ship and was briefly a Governor of the Leeward Islands. ...

(1685–1765), who married Hon. Mary (nee Stewart) Preston, widow of Phineas Preston and eldest daughter of

William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy (1653–1692), was an Anglo-Irish soldier. Early life William Stewart was born in 1653, the son of Sir Alexander Stewart, 2nd Baronet, of Ramelton. His family was from Donegal, Ulster Scots, and Protes ...

and Hon. Mary Coote (herself the eldest daughter of

Richard Coote, 1st Baron Coote Earl of Bellomont, in the Kingdom of Ireland, was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came on 9 December 1680 when Charles Kirkhoven, 1st Baron Wotton, was made Earl of Bellomont. He had already be ...

), in 1709. * Lady Jane Forbes (d. 1760), who married Rev. George Champagné of Portarlington (d. 1737). * Lady Dorothy Forbes (d. 1779), who died unmarried. Lady Granard died on 1 April 1724. Lord Granard died on 24 August 1734 and was buried at Newtownforbes,

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Granard, Arthur Forbes, 2nd Earl Of 1650s births 1734 deaths Earls of Granard