Brief History and Overview
Forres is thought to be the "Varris" shown on maps by Ptolemy from the first century AD. A royal castle was in the area from at least 900 AD, and around 1140 AD Forres became a royal burgh. Royal burghs were founded by the Kings of Scots of the 12th century to encourage trade and economic improvement. The local abbey was plundered by Wolf of Badenoch.
On 23 June 1496 King James IV of Scotland issued a Royal Charter laying down the rights and privileges that the town's people are believed to have held by an earlier charter since the reign of King David I some 300 years earlier.
The population of Forres has grown in recent years and now has almost 9,000 inhabitants. Sitting between the floodplain of the River Findhorn and the wooded slopes of Cluny and Sanquhar Hills, Forres is well known for its award-winning floral sculptures and is steeped in local history and traditions. Local bars and pubs include The Newmarket, The Red Lion, locally known as the "Beastie", The Mosset Tavern, and The Carlton Hotel.
The town is the location of Sueno's Stone, an enormous carved stone probably created by Picts to commemorate a battle against Norse invaders. The stele is 20 feet (6 metres) tall and encased in glass structure to protect it from the elements and graffiti. Suenos Stone translates to Svens Stone. Brodie Castle lies near the town.
Other attractions to Forres include Dallas Dhu Distillery, which lies just south of the town. Although no longer in production, the distillery is maintained in working order by Historic Scotland. Benromach Distillery is an active distillery with a visitors centre and is located just north of the Forres bypass.
Shakespeare's play Macbeth locates Duncan's castle in Forres. Macbeth's castle was located at Inverness.
Forres has a network of footpaths that have been established and waymarked by the Forres Footpaths Trust in recent years (needs approximate years).
Forres has also just completed a multi-million pound flood prevention scheme at Chapletonmoss and in front of the Mosset Tavern in the town centre.
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“We may pretend that we’re basically moral people who make mistakes, but the whole of history proves otherwise.”
—Terry Hands (b. 1941)