Sunday, 10 March 2019

Earl of Forfar

HM The Queen created her youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Forfar this morning to mark his 55th birthday and, I imagine, to pay tribute to the huge amount of work he carries out in Scotland, particularly in relation to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Here is the flag he uses in Scotland - the arms were recorded in the Lyon Register in 2001:




Earldom of Forfar


The Earldom of Forfar was created in 1661 and became extinct as a title in 1715.

It was a subsidiary title to the Earl of Ormond and was a title held by the Douglas Family.

Archibald Douglas was the 1st Earl of Forfar (1653 to 1712) and his son, Archibald Douglas, became the 2nd Earl of Forfar (1692 to 1715).  The 2nd Earl of Forfar took the title at the age of 20 and died unmarried and without issue and at that time the Earldom, which was part of the Peerage of Scotland, became extinct.

Here are the Lyon Register entries for the old Royal Burgh of Forfar and then the old county of Forfar:





The county town of Forfar

The town of Forfar is the county town of Angus and the administrative centre of Angus Council.  The town has a population of just over 14,000.  Forfar dates back to the Roman occupation of the area and was at one time held by the Picts and the Kingdom of Scotland.  Forfar is a traditional market town and was also a centre for the manufacturing of linen and jute.  Today its main activities are agriculture and tourism based around the Vale of Strathmore and the beautiful countryside there.  The town has a League One football club known as Forfar Athletic and is famous for “Forfar Bridie”.

It is the principal county town nearest to Glamis Castle, the seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne.  It was this family of which the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was part.

There have been many Royal visitors to Forfar over the years and Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited the town and surrounding area in 2004 and again in 2011.  His Royal Highness, Prince Charles The Duke of Rothesay, visited the town in 2012 and took the salute for the Black Watch during the Regiment’s Homecoming Parade to mark its return from six months on duty in Afghanistan.