Alexander Forbes

Who was Alexander Forbes?

Alexander Penrose Forbes, Scottish Episcopalian divine, was born at Edinburgh.

He was the second son of John Hay Forbes, Lord Medwyn, a judge of the court of session, and grandson of Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo. He studied first at the Edinburgh Academy, then for two years under the Rev. Thomas Dale. the poet, in Kent, passed one session at Glasgow University in 1831 and, having chosen the career of the Indian civil service, completed his studies with distinction at Haileybury College. In 1836 he went to Madras and secured early promotion, but in consequence of ill-health he was obliged to return to England. He then entered Brasenose College, Oxford, where in 1841 he, obtained the Boden Sanskrit scholarship, and graduated in 1844.

He was at Oxford during the early years of the movement known as Tractarianism, and was powerfully influenced by association with John Henry Newman, Edward Bouverie Pusey and John Keble. This led him to resign his Indian appointment.