Forres

In the older charters, Forres is often encountered as Forays, Fores, Foris, Forais, Foreis, and Foreys.

Some writers say that the original church in this area was founded by St Maelrubha (673-722AD)¹ which would indicate a very ancient Christian foundation indeed and there are indications that Forres was a centre of population from the earliest of times.²
Forres also boasts the dubious honour of having been where a disproportionate number of Scottish royalty met their, often violent, deaths!

King William I granted the church of Forres to Richard of Lincoln, then bishop of Moray, at a date between 1189 and 1195.³

Forres was then created a canonry of the original cathedral foundation as laid down by Bishop Bricius in 1208x15. It was, with Logie Fythenach (Edinkillie), assigned as the prebend of the Archdeacon of the diocese.

The dedication to St Lawrence has been recorded since the medieval age and the site of the present parish church is thought to be that of the original pre-Reformation church which, it is said, was built at the behest of King Alexander III, in 1275, in memory of Queen Margaret.⁴ The ancient church was burned by the Wolf of Badenoch in 1390,⁵ but it was re-erected immediately afterwards. This 'replacement' church is said to have continued in use until 1775 when it was described as being in a dire state of repair. The heritors decided to replace it but were reluctant to spend large amounts of money on the project. The resulting building was not an architectural triumph, indeed, Lachlan Shaw describes it as, "a meagre establishment"!⁶

 

The patronage of Forres parish was, for long, held by successive Earls of Moray.

The present parish church (shown below) was dedicated on 28th February 1906.

 

 

For generations, Fairs were held annually in Forres - one called St Lawrence's Fair and the other St Maelrubh's Fair.

Some lands in the medieval parish of Forres.

Name	OS Grid Ref.	Extent	Including	Comment
Bellnageith	NJ 025578	24 bolls		Balnageith7
Information from Ross (2003).8

 

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Other Churches and Chapels in the parish .

St Leonard's Chapel {NGR NJ 048581} : At this site at Chapelton, about a mile south of the burgh, there are traces of the footings of a rectangular building which appears to have been about 15.0m in length and some 7.0m in breadth and to have been oriented NNW to SSE. These remains are considered to be those of St Leonard's Chapel. The Ordnance Survey Name Book records that, "nothing appears to be known of the date of its erection or when (it became) unused".⁹

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Parish Clergy :

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