James Ochoncar Forbes, 18th Lord Forbes (1765–1843), was a Scottish soldier and peer. He was the eldest son of James Forbes, 17th Baron Forbes, by Catherine, only daughter of Sir Robert Innes, baronet, of Orton. The lands of Forbes, Aberdeenshire, still in their possession, have been held by this family since the reign of

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

(1165–1214).

Military career

Forbes was born 17 March 1765. He entered the army as an ensign in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

13 June 1781, became lieutenant and captain 21 April 1786, captain and lieutenant-colonel 23 August 1793, colonel 3 May 1796, major-general 29 April 1802, lieutenant-general 27 March 1808, and general on 12 August 1819. He served in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

with his distinguished regiment, and was present in the battles and sieges of

Raismes Raismes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The flutist Gaston Blanquart (1877–1962) was born in Raismes. Raismes is known for hosting the annual rock music festival Raismes Fest. Population Notable residents *Pierre ...

Famars FAMARS, or Fabbrica Armi d’Abbiatico e Salvinelli, is an Italian gunmaker that manufactures bespoke shotguns and rifles. The company is best known for its patented detachable-lock designs and handcrafted woodwork and engraving. FAMARS is consi ...

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Lincelles Linselles (; nl, Linsele; pcd, Linséles) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. On 17 August 1793, during the War of the First Coalition, it was the site of the Battle of Lince ...

, Tournay, &c. He subsequently accompanied the Helder Expedition, and was present in nearly every action which took place in that campaign. He was appointed second in command of the troops in the Mediterranean in March 1808, and in the same year sailed for Sicily. He was colonel 3rd Garrison Battalion 1807–9, 94th Foot 14 April 1809, 54th Foot 23 September 1809, and

21st Foot The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

1 June 1816 until his death. He was appointed Knight of the Order of Saint Januarius.

Castle Forbes

Forbes succeeded his father in the title in 1804, and was chosen a

representative peer In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords. Until 1999, all members of the Peerage of England held the right to ...

in 1806. In 1815 he commissioned the building of the present

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 Putachie ...

, based on the previous house, to designs by architect

Archibald Simpson Archibald Simpson (4 May 1790 – 23 March 1847) was a Scottish architect, who along with his rival John Smith, is regarded as having fashioned the character of Aberdeen as "The Granite City".Simpson, William Douglas, (1947) ''The Archibald S ...

Private life

Forbes was from 1825 until 1830

Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the Scottish monarch's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), reflecting the Church's role as the national church of ...

. He died 4 May 1843 at

Bregenz Bregenz (; gsw, label= Vorarlbergian, Breagaz ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switze ...

, on

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...

, in his seventy-ninth year. He had married at

Crailing Crailing is a village on the A698, in Teviotdale, 4m east of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the historic county of Roxburghshire. Places nearby include Ancrum, Crailinghall, Eckford, Hownam, Kelso, Nisbet, Roxburghshire, ...

, 2 June 1792, Elizabeth, eldest daughter and heiress of Walter Hunter, esq., of

Polmood Polmood is a small settlement in southern Scotland near Tweedsmuir in the Scottish Borders, in the valley of the River Tweed. Polmood was for many centuries the centre of the Hunter family in the lowlands and the earliest record was a charter dat ...

, in the county of

Peebles Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

, and Crailing, in the county of

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...

, by the Lady Caroline Mackenzie, fourth daughter of the

Earl of Cromartie Earl of Cromartie () is a title that has been created twice, both for members of the Mackenzie family. It was first created as Earl of Cromarty in the Peerage of Scotland in 1703 for Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet, but his titles were forfei ...

, and had ten children. His eldest son, the Hon. James Forbes, was an officer in the Coldstream Guards in the

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

and at Waterloo, but had predeceased his father in 1835. Lord Forbes was therefore succeeded by his second son,

Walter Forbes, 18th Baron Forbes Walter Gammell Forbes, 18th Lord Forbes (29 May 1798 – 2 May 1868) was a Scottish peer. Biography Walter Forbes was the son of James Ochoncar Forbes, 17th Lord Forbes and Elizabeth Hunter. He was a member of the Coldstream Guards and ser ...

. His daughter Charlotte Elizabeth married Sir John Forbes, 7th Baronet (1785–1846)), and was the mother of

William Forbes-Sempill, 17th Lord Sempill William Forbes-Sempill, 17th Lord Sempill (20 May 1836 – 21 July 1905), born William Forbes, was a Scottish peer, the 17th Lord Sempill and 8th Baronet of Craigievar. He was the son of Sir John Forbes, 7th Baronet, and succeeded his father t ...

, and James Ochoncar Forbes, of

Corse Castle Corse Castle near Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire, now ruined, was a fortress and centre of a landed estate in the north-east of Scotland. The present castle dates from the 16th century and stands by the Corse Burn, around north-west of Lumphanan. C ...

."FORBES, James Ochoncar, Esq., of Corse" in Edward Walford, ''The County Families of the United Kingdom'' (1869), p. 370

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, James Ochoncar 1765 births 1843 deaths People from Aberdeenshire 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish people Coldstream Guards officers British Army generals British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Scottish representative peers Lords Forbes