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Cap Badge
Kilt pin
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Sgian Dubh
The family possibly derives from Marnin the Forester, a celtic druid who held lands in Dunipace in Stirlingshire in around 1200. The founder of the clan is generally held to be Sir Adam Forrester, first of Corstophine, who was an ambassador, merchant, Provost of Edinburgh, Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and Deputy Chamberlain of Scotland. He acquired the estate of Corstorphine in Midlothian in 1376, and the family subsequently built Corstorphine Castle (now demolished) and the Collegiate Church of Corstorphine. Adam's son, Sir John Forrester the elder, became Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland like his father, and rose to become Chamberlain of Scotland and Keeper of the Household to James I. He fought in 1402 alongside his father. The seventh chief of the family, Sir James, fought and died in the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. The tenth Chief, Sir George Forrester became a Baronet of Nova Scotia and was made Lord Forrester of Corstorphine in 1663, the baronetcy title became dormant on his death, and still awaits a claimant. James and Willaim, sons-in-law of the first Lord Forrester assumed the family name, and were re-granted the title of Lord Forrester. James supported the royalist cause, and was heavily fined by Oliver Cromwell, the estates fell into heavy debt, and he was eventually murdered by his mistress Mrs Christian Nimmo when his mentally ill brother inherited the title. The line eventually passed to the Earls of Verulam when the male line died out. The main family spawned many cadet banches, Sir John Forrester of Niddry fought and died at Flodden in 1513. There exist two French branches: Le Forestier du Buisson-Sainte-Marquerite, and Le Forestier de Foucrainville, in Normandy. The Forresters of Garden, a Stirlingshire branch, kept the Torwood, the royal hunting ground and forest for the Scottish kings.They held the Tower of Garden and the now ruined Torwood Castle. Eight of the family held the post of Provost of Stirling. A cadet of this family, the Forresters of Strathendry built Strathendry Castle in Leslie in Fife, which is the only habitable Forrester residence today. The head of the original Corstorphine branch is now recognised as chief of all of the lowland Forresters, and the potential chief is Sir John Duncan Grimston, Baronet, seveth Earl of Verulam, sixteenth Lord Forrester of Corstorphine, and patron of the Clan Forrester Society. His seat is Gorhambury in St Albans in Hertfordshire. Amongst the clan relics and heirloooms are: the Corstorphine Pendant, and armorial pendant of gilded bronze, which currently resides in the Royal Scottish Museum; Sir Duncan Forrester's 'Antiphony', a fifteenth century vellum book of Eastertide Music, in the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling (which also houses the Forrester Aisle, a former private family chapel); and the Corstorphine Casket of carved oak mounted in silver, reputedly a gift from Margaret Tudor, Wife of James IV.
Septs: Forrester, Forester, Foristar, Forrister, Forrest, Forest, Forster, Forstar, Foster, Fostar, Corstorphine, Carstarphen |
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