Arthur Forbes, 2nd Earl of Granard

Arthur Forbes, 2nd Earl of Granard ( – 1 April 1724), was an Irish soldier and peer.

Early life Forbes was born as the eldest son of Arthur Forbes of Castle Forbes in Aberdeenshire and the former Catharine (née Newcomen) Stewart (widow of Sir Alexander Stewart, 2nd Baronet). His mother was the eldest daughter of Sir Robert Newcomen, 4th Baronet, of Kenagh, and the former Anne Boleyn. His younger sister, Lady Catharine Forbes, was married to Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall, as his second wife. In 1632, Forbes' father succeeded as the 2nd Baronet. In November 1675, his father was created Baron Clanehugh and Viscount of Granard in his own right, followed by the earldom of Granard on 30 December 1684. He served on the Continent under Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, and took part in the Siege of Buda in 1686 as part of the Great Turkish War. His younger brother, Lt.-Col. Hon. Robert Forbes, was killed in the trenches in the Siege of Buda.

He was in favour of William III's successor, Queen Anne, and during her reign, he received an offer of the governorship of Jamaica, which as a non-juror he declined. Lady Dorothy Forbes (d. 1779), died unmarried. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son George.

Coat of arms