Glenbuchat Heritage

3 Bellabeg House

This painting may well have been commissioned by John Forbes, Bombay Jock, in the 1790’s when he returned from India and when he started buying up the estates in Strathdon. This is he second of three paintings of the area made before the building of Castle Newe and a fourth one of the Castle once it was built probably commissioned by Sir Charles Forbes 1st baronet

If a larger view required click on the ‘view large version’ link at the bottom of the page.

Click to see the album of Treasures of Castle Newe

The pictures show:

1 A panoramic view of the river Don facing westwards with Bellabeg house to the right, and on the left the earlier Strathdon Kirk

2 Close up of Bellabeg house

3 Close up of the Old Strathdon Kirk

4 Bellabeg House in the recent Past


Bellabeg House

The present villa was erected in 1732 and an addition in 1765. In 1745 John Forbes Esq of Bellabeg first introduced planting of trees into the country and planted 100 acres

Bellabeg History.

Near the estuary of the Nochty stands the house of Bella beg (little town) surrounded by trees and beautified with plantations Indeed the whole banks of the Don may now be said to equal if not rival in luxuriance of wood the poetic adage bestowed on the Dee This ground anciently belonged to the Earls of Mar. John Elphinston parson of Invernochty in 1550 resided here he was second son to Alexaii der Lord Elphinston and Catherine Erskine and married Jane Forbes. On the death of John Elphinston the Forbes family succeeded.

The Poll Book of 1696 lists William Elphinstone of Bellabegg and his wife and children

Roll of 1715 says George Forbes, brother to the 6th Laird of New, held the lands of Bellabeg in 1715 and sold these to Lachlan Forbes of Edinglassie whose son William had sasine in July 1716. It says Lachlan (a Jacobite) was 'skulking in the hills' in 1717 but himself had sasine on Bellabeg in 1719.

In 1721 Heritors Records for Strathdon show Lachlan Forbes of Edinglassie for his lands of 'Ballabog'

In 1735 Feu Duties of Mar shows George Forbes of Bellabeg as heritor (so presumably he had secured his lands back from Edinglassie).

In 1746 (the year after the death of his father George) John Forbes took sasine on Bellabeg

In 1772 this John Forbes also acquired Ledmacay but he over-extended himself and in 1781had to dispone the town and lands of Ledmacay &c in favour of his creditors.

In 1783 the creditors' trustees resigned these lands to the same John Forbes and his elder son Revd George Forbes on assurances from John Forbes' second son, John Forbes of Bombay, to whom his lands were disponed in 1784

Strathdon Kirk

The parish of Strathdon was known of old as Invernochtie and the church was dedicated to St Andrew. Strathdon church was granted to the priory of Monymusk in the 11th century and in 1356 it was erected into a prebend of Aberdeen Cathedral. The church was rebuilt in 1757 and stood until 1851 when it was demolished to make way for the present-day building.

(A prebend is a stipend or portion of the income or revenues of an ecclesiastical institution granted to a clergy member,)

Inverernan House

Inverernan House was reworked as a near copy of Bellabeg in 1935
Search on Inverernan in the Web site and you will see the older structure of Inverernan House

Click to see the the present style of Inverernan House. It is now similar to Bellabeg House

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