painter, was the second daughter of Archibald Trotter of Dreghorn Castle, Midlothian, Scotland. Her family was an ancient one with several Scottish estates, chiefly in Berwickshire. On 11 June 1868 she married George Edward Forbes (1828-1881), at St John’s Episcopalian Church, Edinburgh. Her husband, son of the banker George Forbes from West Coates House, Edinburgh, was a prominent Queensland squatter who had settled in the colony in about 1849 after spending time in India. From 1854 he had been a partner with John Balfour in the Colinton run in the Brisbane Valley, buying Balfour out in 1862. In 1875 he formed another partnership in Colinton with Alexander Raff and leased the Ravenswood and Dreghorn runs in the Kennedy district. He served as Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1866-67 and evidently met his future wife on a visit home after this, bringing her to Colinton soon after their marriage.
After her marriage Louisa Forbes appears to have spent a good deal of time in Scotland and gave birth to their daughter in November 1875 at Monkrigg House, Haddington. Eventually, they had two sons and two daughters. In about 1878 she and her husband retired to Craiglockhart House, Slateford, Edinburgh, where George Edward Forbes died in July 1881. Louisa lived in Edinburgh until her death on 18 August 1916.
- Writers:
- Byrne, Dianne
- Date written:
- 1995
- Last updated:
- 2011
