FORBES, WILLIAM [SSNE 382]

Surname

FORBES

First name

WILLIAM, DANZIG WILLIE

Text source

William Forbes of Menie [Belhelvie Parish] and Craigievar (c.1566-1627), is better known to history as "Danzig Willie". He was the second son of William Forbes, 4th Laird of Corse, and his wife Elizabeth Strachan and was born circa 1566. He was a younger brother of Patrick Forbes, Bishop of Aberdeen who was married to Lucretia Spens [SSNE 6652], the sister of James Spens, Laird of Wormeston. William Forbes himself was married to Margaret Udward. In 1580 Forbes became a burgess of Danzig. After his return to Scotland he developed his estate at Menie, Belhelvie parish, Aberdeenshire. A charter confirming his acquisition of the lands from David Carnegie of Kinnaird dates from 11 February 1607. A charter of June 1608 lists James Spens of Wormeston, colonel, ambassador and baron in Swedish service [SSNE 1642] as a witness to a land transaction involving William Forbes, his brother-in-law. A charter from 16 February 1610 confirms Forbes' acquisition of the barony of Craigievar from John Mortimer of Craigievar. He also held land at Fintray, although he was still called Forbes of Menie in 1617. He died in 1627.

Sources: The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland ad 1593-1608, ed J. M. Thomson (repr. Scottish Record Society, 1984), p. 674, p. 741, p.772; T. Fischer, The Scots in Eastern and Western Prussia (Edinburgh, 1903), p.194; A and H. Tayler, The House of Forbes (Bruceton Mills, 1987), p.316, 318 [and for the Spens connection, p.317); A. Grosjean and S. Murdoch, Belhelvie (Aberdeen, 2001), pp.22 and 32; Selections from Wodrow's Biographical Collections (Aberdeen, 1890), ed. Rev R. Lippe, p. 81; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), p.233.

Service record

POLAND-LITHUANIA, DANZIG, DANZIG

Departed 1580-12-31

Capacity BURGESS, purpose CIVIC