Sir William Forbes
Encyclopedia
Sir William Forbes of Callendar (1756–1823) was a prosperous copper
smith and landowner who lived in Callendar House
in Falkirk
, Scotland
.
merchant, he began work as a coppersmith and won a government contract to sheath ships' hull
s in copper. With the fortune he made (equivalent to over $1 billion in today's terms), he purchased the estates of Callendar and Linlithgow
near Falkirk, which had been forfeited by the Jacobite
Earl of Linlithgow
after the 1715 Jacobite Rising
. He bought the estates at auction and is said to have astounded bystanders by producing a banknote for £100,000, specially printed for the occasion, at the age of just 40. At the time he was the greatest landowner in the county, with some of the largest collected lands in Scotland
. He was not popular with local people, but nevertheless his family retained great influence over the area for two centuries.
Wishing to set himself up as a 'landed gentleman', William purchased further vast estates in Ayrshire
, Earlstoun, Kirkcudbrightshire
and Dumfriesshire
. He spent ten years making improvements to Callendar House, dividing his time between the house and London
. He gave orders for the complete renovation and refurnishing of the entire house, adding a new wing and ripping out old rooms. He added the various turrets and exterior decoration which give the house its chateau-like appearance today. Although William preferred the newest fashion (and purchased the best furniture and household goods from makers in London and Edinburgh
) he did not spend money recklessly, ordering the new servants' wing to be furnished 'in the cheapest way'.
His first wife was Margaret McAdam, daughter of John McAdam of Craigengillan. She died childless in 1801 and Forbes remarried in 1806 Agnes Chalmers, daughter of John Chalmers of Old Machar in Aberdeen. This union produced two sons and three daughters. The Forbes household settled down after William's marriage and he began to spend more time in Callendar House and give his brother David greater control of the business in London.
In 1794, aged 51, he retired to become a full-time landowner, rejecting the idea of employing a factor trained in the needs of estate management and elected to manage the 8000 acres (32.4 km²) estates himself. His first son William, 2nd of Callendar, went on to become Conservative
MP
for Stirlingshire
.
Forbes' descendants sold Callendar House in the 1960s and are listed in Burke's Landed Gentry
.
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
smith and landowner who lived in Callendar House
Callendar House
Callendar House is a mansion set within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk, central Scotland. Its present form, in the style of a French Renaissance château, dates from the 19th century, although at its core is a 14th-century tower house...
in Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Biography
Forbes was a self-made man. The son of an AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
merchant, he began work as a coppersmith and won a government contract to sheath ships' hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
s in copper. With the fortune he made (equivalent to over $1 billion in today's terms), he purchased the estates of Callendar and Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
near Falkirk, which had been forfeited by the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
Earl of Linlithgow
Earl of Linlithgow
The title Earl of Linlithgow was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1600 for Alexander Livingston, 7th Lord Livingston, along with the subsidiary title Lord Livingston and Callendar. In 1695 the Earldom merged with the junior Earldom of Callendar, created in 1641 for a younger son of the 1st Earl...
after the 1715 Jacobite Rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
. He bought the estates at auction and is said to have astounded bystanders by producing a banknote for £100,000, specially printed for the occasion, at the age of just 40. At the time he was the greatest landowner in the county, with some of the largest collected lands in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was not popular with local people, but nevertheless his family retained great influence over the area for two centuries.
Wishing to set himself up as a 'landed gentleman', William purchased further vast estates in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Earlstoun, Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
and Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
. He spent ten years making improvements to Callendar House, dividing his time between the house and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He gave orders for the complete renovation and refurnishing of the entire house, adding a new wing and ripping out old rooms. He added the various turrets and exterior decoration which give the house its chateau-like appearance today. Although William preferred the newest fashion (and purchased the best furniture and household goods from makers in London and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) he did not spend money recklessly, ordering the new servants' wing to be furnished 'in the cheapest way'.
His first wife was Margaret McAdam, daughter of John McAdam of Craigengillan. She died childless in 1801 and Forbes remarried in 1806 Agnes Chalmers, daughter of John Chalmers of Old Machar in Aberdeen. This union produced two sons and three daughters. The Forbes household settled down after William's marriage and he began to spend more time in Callendar House and give his brother David greater control of the business in London.
In 1794, aged 51, he retired to become a full-time landowner, rejecting the idea of employing a factor trained in the needs of estate management and elected to manage the 8000 acres (32.4 km²) estates himself. His first son William, 2nd of Callendar, went on to become Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Stirlingshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain and later of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1918...
.
Forbes' descendants sold Callendar House in the 1960s and are listed in Burke's Landed Gentry
Burke's Landed Gentry
Burke's Landed Gentry is the result of nearly two centuries of intense work by the Burke family, and others since, in building a collection of books of genealogical and heraldic interest,...
.