Patrick Forbes (c.1610–1679) was a Scottish Protestant
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Ai ...
.
Life
Forbes was the third son of John Forbes, minister of
Alford, Aberdeenshire
Alford (pronounced sco, Aaford or , gd, Athfort) is a large village in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, lying just south of the River Don. It lies within the Howe of Alford (also called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the middle reaches ...
, and afterwards of
Delft
Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
. Patrick studied at
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Universi ...
of which his namesake uncle, Bishop Patrick Forbes, was both
Bishop of Aberdeen
The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...
and Chancellor of the College, and graduated in 1631. Returning to Holland he became an army chaplain. He was in Scotland in 1638, and signed the
national covenant
The National Covenant () was an agreement signed by many people of Scotland during 1638, opposing the proposed reforms of the Church of Scotland (also known as ''The Kirk'') by King Charles I. The king's efforts to impose changes on the church i ...
in presence of the General Assembly held at
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in that year.
In 1641 he became minister of the British church at Delft, in which his father had previously officiated. He was an acquaintance and correspondent of Principal Baillie, who makes favourable mention of him in his letters of 1644, 1645, and 1646. He commends a manuscript which Forbes had written and sent him, and wishes to see it in print. He asks Spang, minister of the Scots church at Campvere, to 'keep correspondence with that young man,’ and to urge him to 'use diligence' against the British sectaries in Holland, and to 'write against the anabaptists.' After a short ministry at Delft he again became a military chaplain (apparently to the Scots brigade), and continued to officiate in that capacity till the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
.
The king Charles II, having restored
episcopacy
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in Scotland, appointed Forbes, then chaplain to
Andrew Rutherford, 1st Earl of Teviot
Andrew Rutherford, 1st Earl of Teviot (died 4 May 1664; sometimes spelt "Rutherfurd") was a Scottish soldier.
Early life
Andrew was the fifth and youngest son of a merchant burgess of EdinburghWilliam Rutherfurd (died 1624) of Wrightslands and ...
, governor of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.abbey church of Holyrood 7 May 1662 by the archbishops of St. Andrews and Glasgow and the bishop of Galloway. He had probably received presbyterian ordination in Holland, but none of the presbyterian clergy who were raised to the episcopate in Scotland were reordained.
James Kirkton
James Kirkton (1628–1699) was a Church of Scotland minister and author.
He is best known as author of ''The Secret and True History of the Church of Scotland'', which despite being over 300 years old, remains in print.
Life
He was born in ...
, referring to his appointment to the bishopric, calls him 'the degenerate son of ane excellent father.'
Forbes died in 1679, and was buried in
Kirkwall Cathedral
St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built ...
.Fasti Ecclesiaste Scoticana vol.7 by Hew Scott
Family
He married twice: firstly in Holland to a daughter of Colonel Erskine, an officer of the Scots brigade, and had a family. His son John, who was commissary of Caithness, died at
Craigievar
Craigievar Castle is a pinkish harled castle or fortified country house south of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was the seat of Clan Sempill and the Forbes family resided here for 350 years until 1963, when the property was given to the ...
, Aberdeenshire, in October 1668, and was buried at Leochel in the Craigievar aisle.
He secondly married Katherine Scougal, daughter of Bishop
Patrick Scougal
Patrick Scougal (1607–1682) was a Scottish Churchmanship, churchman who served as Bishop of Aberdeen.
Life
He was born in Haddington, East Lothian, a cousin of the painter John Scougal, in 1624 he graduated from the University of Edinbu ...
and widow of
William Scrogie
William Scrogie (1609–1675) was a Scottish clergyman in the Church of Scotland who served as Bishop of Argyll.
Life
He was born in Old Aberdeen the son of Rev Alexander Scrogie minister of St Machar's Cathedral and Rector of King's Colle ...