Forbes

Granard, Earl of

Name	Description
Forbes (Earl of Granard)	The Irish branch of the Forbes family descend from Sir Arthur Forbes, 1st Baron Granard, originally from Aberdeenshire in Scotland. His son, also Sir Arthur Forbes, was created 1st Earl of Granard in 1684, having acquired significant grants of land in the midlands, particularly in Longford and Westmeath, throughout the 1660s. Devaney notes their association with property in the parish of Killoe, County Longford. In the 1870 the family were recorded as owning almost 15,000 acres in county Longford as well as over 6,000 acres in county Leitrim. At the time of Griffiths Valuation in the 1850s, the Forbes estate was among the principal lessors in the parishes of Clonbroney and Columbkille, barony of Granard, Killashee, barony of Moydow, Cashel, barony of Rathcline, Clongesh, Killoe and Mohill, barony of Longford, County Longford. In 1854, the Earl of Granard also held land in the county Westmeath parishes of Leny and Mullingar, including the town, However, he is not recorded as owning any land in the county in the mid-1870s. His manor of Mullingar, amounting to 2,831 acres, included the town, was for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court in June 1858 and was purchased by Colonel Greville according to Woods. Sir Arthur Forbes had also been granted over 500 acres in counties Galway and Roscommon in 1667.