The Forresters are an ancient and noble

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

of the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

. The clan took their name from their ancient role as guardians of the

royal forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...

around Edinburgh. The Forresters had significant holdings in

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...

, and

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirli ...

. The clan does not currently have a

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

and is therefore considered an

armigerous clan An armigerous clan (from armiger) is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognised as such by Lyon Court. Befor ...

. The original ''caput'' of the clan is believed to have been Torwood Castle in Stirlingshire, as well as Corstorphine Castle on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Many clan chiefs and Lord's Forrester are interred in Corstorphine Church.

History

Origins of the clan

It is possible that the chiefs of Clan Forrester were of

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

and

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

ic origin.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The

Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...

). pp. 389- 390. The chiefs may descend from Marnin the Forrester who in about 1200 held lands in

Dunipace Dunipace is a village in the west of the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is south of Stirling and north-west of Falkirk. The village is situated on the north bank of the River Carron and adjoins the town of Denny, to the south of ...

. The founder of the clan is generally regarded as Sir Adam Forrester, 1st of Corstorphine who was an ambassador, merchant,

Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland The Great Seal of Scotland ( gd, Seala Mòr na h-Alba) is a principal national symbol of Scotland that allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix ...

and Deputy

Chamberlain of Scotland Holders of the office of Lord Chamberlain of Scotland are known from about 1124. It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called ''Camerarius Domini Regis'', and had a salary of £200 per annum allotted to him. He ancien ...

. In 1376 he acquired the estate of

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

which is now part of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. It was here that Corstorphine Castle (now demolished) stood as well as the

Collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

of Corstorphine, which has the effigies of three of the Forrester chiefs. Sir Adam Forrester's son, Sir John Forrester the elder, was also Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and Chamberlain of Scotland. He was also Keeper of the Household to

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...

. According to historian Alexander Mackenzie, Gerse or Grace, sister of Sir John Forrester of Corstorphine, possibly married

Robert de Munro, 8th Baron of Foulis Robert de Munro (died 1369) is the first chief of the Scottish Clan Munro who can be proved by contemporary evidence.Munro, R. W. (1978). ''The Munro Tree 1734''. Published in Edinburgh. pp. 2–3 – on opposite unnumbered page – paragraph K. . ...

. Mackenzie, Alexander. (1898). ''History of the Munros of Fowlis''. pp. 13.

Wars of Scottish Independence

During the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

Forresters fought at the

Battle of Halidon Hill The Battle of Halidon Hill took place on 19 July 1333 when a Scottish army under Sir Archibald Douglas attacked an English army commanded by King Edward III of England () and was heavily defeated. The year before, Edward Balliol had seized ...

in 1333. They also fought at the

Battle of Sauchieburn The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on 11 June 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between the followers of King James III of Scotland and a large group of rebellious Scottish n ...

in the 15th century.

16th century and Anglo-Scottish Wars

The chief's family had several landed cadet branches. Amongst them was Sir John Forrester of Niddry who died at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

in 1513. There was a

branch of the clan, the Forresters of Garden who were heritable keepers of the Torwood (a Royal forest and hunting ground). They owned the barony of Garden as well as

Torwood Torwood ( gd, Coille Tor) is a small village located north-northwest of Larbert, north-west of Falkirk and south-southeast of Stirling. Torwood lies within the Falkirk Council area of Scotland. The population recorded in the 2011 UK Census ...

and the ruins of

Torwood Castle Torwood Castle is a ruined 16th-century L-plan castle near the village of Torwood, in the Falkirk Council area of central Scotland. It was designated as a Category A listed building in 1979. The Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland originally ...

still stand. Sir Duncan Forrester, 1st of Torwood was Comptroller of the Royal Household for

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

. No fewer than eight Forresters of Torwood were Provosts of Stirling burgh. Sir James Forrester, seventh chief of Clan Forrester was killed at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

in 1547, as was Sir David Forrester, 4th of the Torwood branch of the clan. A cadet of the Forresters of Garden was the first of the Fifeshire Chieftains, the Forresters of Strathendry. The Forresters of Strathendry built Strathendry Castle, a 16th-century tower house where both

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

and

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

stayed. It is the only Forrester stronghold that is still inhabited today.

17th century and Civil War

Sir George Forrester, tenth chief of Clan Forrester was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1633, however when he died the baronetcy became dormant and still awaits a claimant. James and William Baillie who were the sons-in-law of the first Lord Forrester assumed the name and arms of Forrester and inherited the title under a re-grant of the peerage. James was a royalist and was fined by

with his estates becoming burdened in debt. In 1679 he was murdered by his mistress, Mrs Christian Nimmo and his brother who was mad then inherited the title.

18th century and Jacobite risings

Colonel George Forrester, the fifth Lord Forrester who was in the Grenadier and Life Guards fought under the

Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...

against the French at the

Battle of Oudenarde The Battle of Oudenarde, also known as the Battle of Oudenaarde, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession, pitting a Grand Alliance force consisting of eighty thousand men under the command of the Duke of Marlborough and Prin ...

in 1708 and the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought between a French army commanded by the Duke of Villars and a Grand Alliance force under the Duke of Marlborough. In one of the blo ...

in 1709. During the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts The House of Stuart, ori ...

he was wounded at the

Battle of Preston (1715) :''See Battle of Preston (1648) for the battle of the Second English Civil War.'' The Battle of Preston (9–14 November 1715) was the final action of the Jacobite rising of 1715, an attempt to put James Francis Edward Stuart on the British thr ...

. Eventually the male line died out and the title descended through an heiress to the

Earls of Verulam Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at the same time. Verulam had previously ...

In France

Two cadet branches of the chief's family in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

are Le Forestier du Buisson Sainte-Marguerite and Le Forestier de Foucrainville who descend from Sir Adam Forrester of the 14th century. As of 1994 the head of these French branches is M. Jean Le Forrester. The Le Forestier cadets fought at the

Battle of Ivry The Battle of Ivry was fought on 14 March 1590, during the French Wars of Religion. The battle was a decisive victory for Henry IV of France, leading French royal and English forces against the Catholic League by the Duc de Mayenne and Spanis ...

in France in 1590.

Chief

The Lords Forrester had for a long time been the recognized chiefs of Clan Forrester. The potential chief is therefore Sir John Duncan Grimston, Baronet, seventh Earl Verulam, sixteenth Lord Forrester of Corstorpine and patron of the Clan Forrester, although he would have to assume the surname of Forrester to become the chief.

Castles

*Corstorphine Castle, the seat of the chiefs, to the west of Edinburgh was a large and powerful castle with a strong wall, moat and corner towers but nothing now remains apart from a large doocot.Coventry, Martin. (2008). ''Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans''. pp. 206 - 207. . *

, four miles north-west of

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

, was seat of the Forresters of Torwood, a sixteenth century L-plan tower house it is now a ruin. *Tower of Garden, three and ahalf miles west of Kippen, Stirlingshire, was held by the Forresters of Garden. It was replaced by a classical mansion in 1824 and there are no remains of the old tower. *Strathendry Castle, near Cardenden, Fife was originally held by the Sthrathendry family but passed to the Forresters of Garden and Skipinich in 1496.

Profile

*Motto: Blaw, hunter, Blaw Thy Horn. *Crest: A hound's head erased Proper collared Gules. *Patron: Earl of Veralum, 16th Lord Forrester of Corstorphine. *Arms: Argent, three bugle horns Sable, garnished Vert and stringed Gules. *Supporters: Dexter, a ratchhound Proper, collared Gules; sinister a ratchhound Proper, collared Gule

References

External links

Official Clan Forrester Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester Armigerous clans Scottish clans Scottish Lowlands