Sir George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard

Forbes, Sir George, 3rd Earl of Granard, second son of preceding, was born 21st October 1685. He received most of his education at Drogheda Grammar School. He entered the navy in 1704, served with distinction in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, and acted as adviser to the Emperor of Austria in naval matters. In 1729 he was appointed Governor of the Leeward Caribbee Islands. In 1733 he was sent as plenipotentiary to Russia, chiefly to negotiate a treaty of commerce. On his return in 1734 he was made Rear-Admiral of the White, then Rear-Admiral of the Red, and the same year became Earl of Granard on his father's death. The latter part of his life was spent on his Irish estates, promoting the commercial interests of the country. He had much to do with putting the coinage of Ireland on a more correct basis. He also appears to have devoted much of his time to study and literary pursuits. He died 19th June 1765, aged 79, and was buried at Newtownforbes.

Sources

153. Granard, Earls of, Memoirs: Edited by the Earl of Granard. London, 1868.

216. Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, Revised and Enlarged by Mervyn Archdall. 7 vols. Dublin, 1789.