George Forbes, 4th Earl of Granard (15 March 1710 – 16 October 1769)
was an Irish soldier and politician.
Early life
He was the eldest son of
George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard by his wife
Mary, 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 ...
;
while heir-apparent to
the earldom he was styled Viscount Forbes.
Career
Forbes entered the Army in 1726, and served as
Quartermaster-General in Ireland from 1754 to 1757. He was lieutenant-colonel in the Tangier Regiment in 1756, then colonel of the
76th Regiment of Foot the same year.
He was promoted to major-general in 1759, transferred to the colonelcy of the
29th Regiment of Foot in 1761, and was promoted lieutenant-general in 1765.
Besides his military career, Forbes sat in the
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...
for
Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census.
The Counties of M ...
from 1749 until he succeeded to his father's seat in the
Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland.
It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...
in 1765. He was a Governor of County Longford from 1756 and
Custos Rotulorum of Longford from 1765 until his death.
Personal life
On 16 July 1736 Forbes was married to his cousin
Letitia Davys,
daughter of
Arthur Davys of
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
by his wife Catherine, daughter of the 1st Viscount Mountjoy.
They had one son:
*
George Forbes, 5th Earl of Granard (1740–1780), who married Dorothea Bayly in 1759. She was the second daughter of
Sir Nicholas Bayly, 2nd Baronet of Plas Newydd and Caroline Paget (daughter and heiress of Brig.-Gen.
Thomas Paget,
Governor of Minorca
Below is a list of (known) governors of British Minorca from the time of the British occupation in 1708 until the British relinquished control of the island for the last time in 1802.
Background
It was commonplace for governors to be absent from ...
). Dorothea's brother was
Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge. After Dorothea's death in 1764, he married Lady Georgiana Augusta Berkeley, eldest daughter of
Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley.
Lord Granard died on 16 October 1769 and was succeeded in his earldom by his only son,
George. His widow, Lady Granard, died on 19 May 1778.
Coat of arms
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Granard, George Forbes, 4th Earl of
1710 births
1769 deaths
British Army lieutenant generals
Irish MPs 1727–1760
Irish MPs 1761–1768
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Westmeath constituencies
Earls of Granard