Aberdeenshire

Under George I Aberdeenshire was represented successively by two local landowners, Sir Alexander Cumming, a Tory, and Sir Archibald Grant, a Whig, who went into opposition. Before the general election of 1727 Walpole was informed that ‘the bulk of the Whig interest there’ was in the various branches of the Forbes family, of whom ‘the most considerable for his estate’ was Sir Arthur Forbes, then a minor.2Cholmondeley (Houghton) mss 68. Grant was re-elected after a contest, defeating Alexander Fraser, the brother-in-law of Lord Ilay, Walpole’s election manager for Scotland. On Grant’s expulsion from the House of Commons for fraud in 1732, he was succeeded by Forbes, now of age, who supported the Government till 1739, when he followed the Duke of Argyll into opposition. In 1747 he stood down in favour of his kinsman, Andrew Mitchell, who was returned unopposed on the recommendation of Henry Pelham, backed by Lord Ilay, now Duke of Argyll.3Argyll to Pelham, 12 Aug. 1747, Newcastle (Clumber) mss.