FORBES, Alexander of Pitsligo, 4th Lord Pitsligo, Jacobite 1715, 1745

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  General Notes:

Alexander, the fourth and last Lord Forbes of Pitsligo, was born on 22 May 1678 and died at his son's home in Auchiries on 21 December 1762. As a youth he travelled in France, meeting Fénelon and Madame Guyon, and later described himself as a 'mystic'. He took his seat in the Scottish Parliament in 1705. Opposing the Act of Union, he left for the Continent and was active in the Jacobite Risings of 1715. In 1719-20 he was in Rome with King James III and VIII, from which court he wrote a 'secret history of the Court of King James in Italy'. He returned to Pitsligo in 1720 and corresponded with the Quietists. At the age of 67 and suffering from asthma, Forbes raised 100 horsemen and some 950 tenants for the Rising of 1745. After defeat he saved the lives of four young clergymen, one of whom, John Witherspoon, later became a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. After Culloden, Forbes returned to Pitsligo. He was attainted in 1748 and hunted in 1756 but successfully hidden by neighbours."

from Oxford Index ¹

Alexander married Rebecca NORTON. (Rebecca NORTON was born about 1690 and died in 1731.)

  Marriage Notes:

"He (Alexander Forbes 4th of Pitsligo) married twice, and both his wives were English; the first he no doubt met when hiding in London in 1716. She was Rebecca, daughter of John Norton, a merchant of the City of London, by whom he had one son, John, Master of Pitsligo. She died in 1731"

from House of Forbes

Alexander next married Elizabeth ALLEN. (Elizabeth ALLEN was born about 1700 and died in 1759.)

  Marriage Notes:

"He (Alexander Forbes 4th of Pitsligo) married twice, and both his wives were English; the first .... was Rebecca, daughter of John Norton .... She died in 1731 and he shortly afterwards married Elizabeth Allen, said to have been companion to the first wife. She died in 1759 without issue."

from House of Forbes