Duncan Forbes of Culloden (1644–1704) was a politician and member of the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

between 1678 and 1704. He was a strong supporter of

Whiggism Whiggism (in North America sometimes spelled Whigism) is a political philosophy that grew out of the Parliamentarian faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639–1651). The Whigs' key policy positions were the supremacy of Parliament (as ...

, a political philosophy developed during the 1638 to 1651

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...

, which advocated the supremacy of Parliament over the monarch and opposed Catholicism. His two sons,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(1673-1734), and Duncan (1685-1747), played prominent roles in suppressing the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and

1745 Events January–March * January 7 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Austrian Army, under the command of Field Marshal Károly József Batthyány, makes a surprise attack at Amberg and the winter quarters of the Bavaria ...

Life

Duncan Forbes was born in 1644 during the 1638 to 1651

, eldest son of John Forbes (1609-1687), of Culloden House near

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, and his wife Anna Dunbar (died after 1716). He had six siblings, David (1644-?), Jonathan (1656-?), John (1658-1707), Jean (1659-after 1693), Naomi (1662-?) and Alexander (died 1769). In 1668, he married Mary Innes, daughter of Sir Robert, 2nd Baron Innes (1619–89), who built Innes House, near Elgin. They had nine children, including

(1673-1734), Jean (ca 1678-?), Margaret and Duncan (1685-1747); little is known of the other five.

Career

In 1656, Forbes enrolled at

Marischal College, Aberdeen Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

, before moving to the

University of Bourges The University of Bourges (french: Université de Bourges) was a university located in Bourges, France. It was founded by Louis XI in 1463 and closed during the French Revolution. Until the mid-17th century, lack of suitable legal training at hom ...

in France a year later; he also spent time in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In this period, lack of suitable legal training at home meant Scots seeking to practice law often studied at Bourges, Paris or

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Provost or Mayor of Inverness. However, his marriage to Marie Innes was a significant step up in the social scale; in 1812, the sixth baronet became

Duke of Roxburghe The Duke of Roxburghe () is a title in the peerage of Scotland created in 1707 along with the titles ''Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford'', ''Earl of Kelso'' and ''Viscount Broxmouth''. John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe became the first holder ...

. Forbes compiled a genealogy of his wife's family in 1698, titled 'Ane account of the familie of Innes', which was used by later writers. Forbes represented

Nairnshire The County of Nairn (also called Nairnshire) ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Narann) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county was used for local administration until the county council, based at the county t ...

in the Scottish convention held from June to July 1678; 'Conventions' were identical to the

in composition but only discussed specific issues, in this case approving taxes. In 1673, it became public that James, then Duke of York, had converted to Catholicism; as heir to his brother Charles II, this caused great concern and led to the 1679 to 1681

Exclusion Crisis The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, Sc ...

in England. There was more support for James in Scotland; Forbes was a member of the 1681 Parliament, which passed the Scottish Succession Act, confirming James' right to the throne, 'regardless of religion' and obliged all officials to support him. However, the Test Act passed at the same time added the qualifier they also 'uphold the true Protestant religion.' Tolerance for James' personal beliefs did not extend to Catholicism in general, a distinction he failed to appreciate and ultimately led to his deposition in 1688. James succeeded as king in February 1685. A devout

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, Forbes was not elected to the 1685 Parliament, which was dissolved in 1686. After James was deposed in the 1688

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

, Forbes was elected Commissioner for

Invernessshire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populati ...

in the April Convention of Estates, held to settle the Scottish throne. Of the 125 delegates elected, 75 were classed as Presbyterian, 50 as Episcopalian, making the Convention a contest over control of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, as well as the limits of Royal authority. and in the parliament of 1689–1702, and Nairnshire in the parliament of 1702. He died in 1704.

References

Sources

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Duncan Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1678 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1681–1682 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 Provosts in Scotland People from Inverness 1644 births 1704 deaths