RootsChat.Com

Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Stirlingshire => Topic started by: wagb278 on Sunday 31 July 11 19:59 BST (UK)

Title: Forrester of Garden
Post by: wagb278 on Sunday 31 July 11 19:59 BST (UK)
In my research on the Forrester name I came across references to "Forrester of Garden" family associated with Tor Wood, Sterling, and others. The reference "of Garden" implies a Place Name; but I cannot locate any place named Garden in existence.

Does anyone know what this Garden refers to?

Was there a Royal Forest by that name?  How about a manor or tower?

Thanks,
Jim
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: portybelle on Monday 01 August 11 08:02 BST (UK)
Difficult to search when all the gardens and garden centres keep popping up isn't it?

I think from various references coming up that Garden was at or near Buchlyvie, Stirlingshire.

Couple of mentions of it you may already have seen as a place here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stirling_(mathematician)

http://www.clanchiefs.org/p/?init=clanfinder&id=Forrester
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: apanderson on Monday 01 August 11 09:26 BST (UK)
Hi Jim,

Have a look here (Torwood Castle): http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/435251

"Built in 1566 for Sir Alexander Forrester."

If you 'Google' Torwood Castle, Stirlingshire, you'll get lots of results. (Note 'i' in Stirling, not 'e')

There are also many photos of it on various sites.

Anne
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: apanderson on Monday 01 August 11 09:29 BST (UK)
Also here: (Torwood Forest) http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst17731.html

Anne
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: wagb278 on Monday 01 August 11 20:17 BST (UK)
Thanks All,

Due to your link suggestions I think I have located Garden. Reviewing James Stirling link I looked at the clanstirling.org website and stumbled on a mention of "Garden, Kippen Parish, Stirlingshire".  Searching on that Parish I find an 1856 survey map on which I located that Parish.  The map is at:

http://visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/results.jsp?xCenter=3146445&yCenter=3325957&scale=63360&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance%20Survey%20and%20Ordnance%20Survey%20of%20Scotland%20First%20Series

The Parish (village)  is due west of the city of Stirling and west of that village appear names like Easter Garden, Garden, and Parks of Garden.  Comparing the old map to a current-day map it appears Garden is on the outskirts of the village of Arnprior.

So, what do you think - have we located the mysterious "--- of Garden"?

Thanks again for the help; all the suggested links added to my knowledge some.

Jim
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: apanderson on Tuesday 02 August 11 10:46 BST (UK)
"Torwood Castle is situated on the southern edge of the Tor Wood, approximately half a mile west of the A9. In medieval times, the Tor Wood was a royal forest and the office of forester was held from the second half of the fifteenth century until 1635 by the Forestars of Garden, when 'the lands of Torheid and the Forest of the Tor Wood' were acquired by George, first Lord Forrester of Corstorphine. The castle appears to have been built in 1566 - the date on a stone panel discovered at the site and now preserved in Falkirk Museum - presumably by Sir Alexander Forestar of Garden, one-time Provost of Stirling who died in 1598. L-shaped in plan, the building consists of a main block aligned east-west and a short wing extending north. A large courtyard formerly enclosed by later buildings lies to the north. The main building is roofless, but it is of special interest because of its transitional character between a castle and a mansion. The design tends towards the horizontal rather than vertical and the plan was based on the hall, which decisively determined the entire layout."

Spellings of Forester/Forestar etc., are the way they appear in 'Old Denny, Dunipace and Bonnybridge', written by Tony Martin, published by Stenlake
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: Curioso on Monday 03 June 19 16:55 BST (UK)
Hello,
The house called "Garden" is placed on A811, somewhere between Arnprior and Buchlyvie.

You can find it precise location on google maps:
https://www.google.es/maps/place/Arnprior,+Stirling+FK8+3HB,+Reino+Unido/@56.1218866,-4.2525582,16z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x48885f60b69e3cb7:0xa693338710bbc24d!8m2!3d56.127027!4d-4.232623

Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: Curioso on Monday 03 June 19 17:03 BST (UK)
The former Tower of Garden was held by the Forresters of Garden was replaced by a classical mansion in 1824 and there are no remains of the old tower.
Title: Re: Forrester of Garden
Post by: Forfarian on Monday 03 June 19 20:20 BST (UK)
Google maps are pretty useless at this level of detail. There are much better maps available.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=56.1225&lon=-4.2581&layers=5&b=1

Note 'Site of Tower of Garden' at the top of the map.