Sir Henry Preston

  General Notes:

Tarves was once in the Thanage of Fermartyn. In the 15th century, by then called the Thanage of Formartine (see old map above of Formartine), it was divided between the two heiress daughters of Sir Henry Preston of Fyvie. One married Alexander Meldrum who inherited the Fyvie half of the thanage. The other daughter, Marjorie, married Sir John Forbes, whose branch of the Forbes family - the Forbeses of Tolquhon - first obtained their land holdings in this vicinity in 1420. They were cadets of the family of Lord Forbes. They are descended from Sir John Forbes, third son of Sir John Forbes. He was the Chief Justice of Aberdeen in the reign of King Robert II of Scotland (1371-1390).

One of their members fell at the battle of Pinkie on 10 September 1547. For her marriage, Marjorie was given title to the Tolquhon portion. They lived at Tolquhon Castle (see above), now a ruin, near Tarves, begun in the 15th century with the Preston Tower. William Forbes, seventh laird, built the large quadrangular mansion that became Tolquhon Castle. His stately tomb is in a special section of the graveyard of the parish church at Tarves, known as the Tolquhon Aisle. Sir Alexander Forbes of Tolquhoun saved the life of King Charles II at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.