Duncan Forbes (1685-1747)

Duncan Forbes was born near Inverness in 1685, son of Duncan and Mary Forbes. His father was a member of the Scottish Parliament and a genealogist. He attended school in Inverness and then Marischal College in Aberdeen. As second son, he decided upon a legal career and in 1704 he started studying law in Edinburgh under John Spottiswood. From 1705 to 1707, he continued his studies at Leiden. Returning to Scotland, he quickly established himself as one of the leading advocates and became a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1709. He married Mary Rose in 1708 and they had a son, John, but Mary died early (at some point before 1717).

Duncan and his elder brother John (who inherited the family estate at Culloden, Invernesshire in 1704) were ambitious and allied themselves with the Duke of Argyll and his brother, the Earl of Islay. They were active in opposing the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and, along with Lord Lovat, received the surrender of Aberdeen. The following year Duncan Forbes was appointed lord advocate depute with responsibility as deputy public prosecutor. In this position, he gained a reputation for dealing fairly with the rebels and was not afraid to challenge actions of the government if he thought them unjust.

In 1721, Forbes entered Parliament as MP for the Ayr burghs and in 1725 was appointed Lord Advocate. He retained the friendship of Argyll but politically found himself increasingly opposed to the administration of Walpole and Islay. Nonetheless he was highly regarded for his legal and administrative ability, even though he also gained a reputation for pursuing some causes disproportionately or immoderately. In 1737, he was appointed Lord President.

When another Jacobite rebellion broke out in 1745, Forbes initially demonstrated vigour and some success in organising resistance on behalf of the government, but he was subsequently sidelined and left out of pocket for the expenses he had incurred. He died in Edinburgh in 1747.

Apart from his legal and political career, Forbes also maintained relations with many intellectuals among his contemporaries in both Edinburgh and London and published several theological works.