Overview
Come face-to-face with a Jacobean lord and lady at this fine altar tomb.
Tarves Tomb was constructed for Sir William Forbes, laird of the newly-built Tolquhon Castle, in 1589. It was part of an aisle added to the medieval Tarves Kirk. The church and much of the aisle are now long gone, but the tomb still stands largely complete.
Of particular interest are the portrait statuettes of Sir William and his wife Lady Elizabeth. These are remarkably lifelike images – as close as you’ll ever get to meeting a late 1500s lord and lady.
