Sir Ewan Forbes, 11th Baronet

Who was Sir Ewan Forbes, 11th Baronet?

Sir Ewan Forbes of Craigievar was the 11th Baronet of Craigievar from 1968 to his death, as well as a general practitioner and farmer. At birth, he was christened "Elizabeth Forbes-Sempill", and officially registered as the youngest daughter of Lord Sempill. After an uncomfortable upbringing, he began living as a man at the start of his medical career in 1945. He formally re-registered his birth as male in 1952, adopting the name of "Ewan Forbes-Sempill", and was married a month later.

In 1965, he stood to inherit his elder brother's baronetcy, a title that passed through the male line, together with a large estate. This inheritance was challenged by his cousin, who argued that the re-registration was invalid; under this interpretation, Forbes would legally be considered a woman, and thus unable to inherit. The legal position was unclear, and it took three years before a ruling by the Court of Session was finally upheld by the Home Secretary, granting him the title. The case was held in great secrecy, with the effect that it was unable to be considered in other judgments on the legal recognition of gender variance, but has become more widely known since his death in 1991.