FORBES, William Minister of Tarves, Mediciner, Reverend Mr ¹

  General Notes:

"WILLIAM FORBES, born 1668, third son of Sir Thomas F. of Waterton, and grand-nephew to the first Earl of Aberdeen; studied medicine M.D. (Pisa); returned home and graduated at King's College M.A. (21st June 1694); ord. to Leslie 30th April 1701; called 10th Feb., trans, and adm. 12th June 1706; died 21st Jan. 1738. He left 300 merks to the poor of the parish. He marr. Janet (born Jan.1675, died 13th April 1736), daugh. of James Gregory, Professor of Mathematics in Univ. of Edinburgh, inventor of the reflecting telescope, and had issue James, physician, Aberdeen, born 4th Dec. 1701, died 19th July 1774 [his son William, a successful Aberdeen merchant, purchased the estate of Echt]; John; Thomas, born 4th Jan. 1704; Helen, born 29th Aug. 1705 (marr. John McInnes, min. of Logie Colstone ; George; William, born 1713, died 22nd April 1731; Julia; Katherine (marr. Oct. 1730, William Dyce, schoolmaster at Selkirk); Jean (marr. Andrew Moir, min. of Towie); Susanna (marr. James Johnston, min. of Crimond); Mary, born 1713, died 21st Nov. 1743; Margaret, died May 1769; Ann, died April 1745. [Aberdeen Tettt.; Burke's Landed Gentry;Tombst.; Mair's Ellon, 296, 389;Echt-Forbcs Charters, 177-80.]"

from Fasti Ecclesiae (vol 6)

"WILLIAM FORBES, line 2, for 'Thomas' read 'John'."

from Fasti Ecclesiae (vol 8)



Some authorities state that this William Forbes was an apothecary surgeon before becoming a minister, A William Forbes was an apothecary, but is elsewhere identified as the brother of Isobel Forbes, daughter in law of James Strachan, Minister of Keith.

from Families of Moir and Byres
"William Forbes, was in early life a medical practitioner in the town of Aberdeen (Poll-Book of Aberdeenshire, vol. ii.,p. 632). Subsequent to 1695 Mr. William Forbes relinquished the medical for the clerical profession, and was for a long period, and up to the date of his death, Minister of Tarves, Aberdeenshire, a living to which he had been presented by his uncle on the
mother's side, George, first Earl of Aberdeen. He married Janet, daughter of Professor James Gregory, inventor of the reflecting telescope. Of this union fifteen children were bom, who died either young or unmarried, except one son and four daughters, of whom the III., Jean Forbes, married 1737 the Rev. Andrew Moir" ²

William married Janet GREGORY, daughter of James GREGORY F.R.S., Professor of Maths, St Andrews & Edinburgh and Mary JAMESONE. (Janet GREGORY was born in January 1675 ³ and died in 1736.)