Their Story
Mabel Forbes (1919–1990) Mabel Forbes was born on 15 December 1919 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland, the daughter of George Steel Forbes and Isabella Culross. Although born in Dundee, her family was closely associated with the Jedburgh Arms Hotel in Jedburgh, where her father was the landlord and where much of her childhood was spent. Mabel grew up in a large family. Her sister Margaret was born in 1921, and another sister, Madaline, followed later. Tragedy touched the family when her mother, Isabella, died at the Jedburgh Arms Hotel on 13 October 1934, leaving Mabel just fourteen years old. Before marrying, Mabel experienced the heartbreak of losing her first child. Her daughter Elaine was born at Elsie Inglis Maternity Hospital, Edinburgh, on 17 April 1938, but sadly died less than six months later on 13 October 1938 at Leith Hospital. On 16 December 1942, Mabel married Warwick Woodhead at the Haymarket Registry Office in Edinburgh. Together they built a family and raised six children: * Margaret Joyce Woodhead, born 5 January 1944 at Jedburgh Cottage Hospital. * Isobel Forbes Woodhead, born 3 August 1945 in Jedburgh. * Ernest George Woodhead, born 19 January 1949 at Abbotslee Cottage Hospital, Jedburgh. * Norman Harry Woodhead, born 10 May 1951 at Orchard Park, Kelso. * Arthur Walter Woodhead, born 25 February 1954 while the family were living at 29 Inchmead Drive, Kelso. Throughout these years, Mabel witnessed many changes in family life. In 1953, her father, George Steel Forbes, died at the Jedburgh Arms Hotel aged 76, bringing to an end an important chapter in the Forbes family's connection with the historic inn. Mabel spent much of her married life in the Scottish Borders, where she and Warwick raised their family. She was the steady centre of a busy household and later became a much-loved grandmother. Her sister Madaline died in 1970. Mabel passed away on 6 February 1990 in Melrose, Roxburghshire, aged 70. She was survived by Warwick, who would later become well known for his poetry, and by the family they had built together. Today, Mabel is remembered not only as the daughter of the landlord of the Jedburgh Arms Hotel, but as the woman who formed the heart of the Woodhead family. Through her children and grandchildren, her legacy continues across the Scottish Borders and beyond.
