Forres, Moray, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #137

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Forres. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

= History =

The most probable etymology of the name of Forres, is that which derives it from two Gaelic words, Far, uis, denoting near water, a signification which accurately corresponds with the locality of the town and parish; the former of which is built on the banks of a small stream, and the latter is bounded, for an extent of several miles, by the river and bay of Findhorn. It is bounded on the north, by the bay or estuary of the river Findhorn, a tract of sands and carse ground which is daily overflowed by the tide; on the north-west and west, by the river Findhorn, which divides it from the united parishes of Dyke and Moy; on the south, by a small portion of the parish of Edinkilly, and the parish of Rafford; and on the east, by the parishes of Rafford and Kinlos.

No ancient documents exist which throw light on the early history of this parish, but there can be no doubt that Forres was a place of considerable importance at a very remote period. Some ancient writers suppose it to have been the Varis of Ptolemy. King Duffus, when residing in the castle, was treacherously murdered by the governor in 966. We learn from some early historians, that the “gracious” King Duncan had his camp at Forres, and that it was when proceeding to join him there, that Macbeth and Banquo were met by the Weird Sisters.

There are several eminent men who have resided in this parish. Mr. James Dick left his native parish early in life and went to America, where he accumulated a large fortune, and at his death in 1828 bequeathed L. 140,000 for the benefit of the parochial schoolmasters of the counties of Moray, Banff and Aberdeen. The late John Gordon, Esq. M.D. of Edinburgh, was also a native of Forres, and though his sun went down at noon, it shed a luster on the place which gave him birth and on his country, ere it set.

The family of the late Provost Duncan Grant of Forres have, by their distinguished merit and success in life, reflected honor on their native parish. The eldest son, Mr. Walter Grant, died early in life in India, but not until he had earned a high reputation as a barrister. His brother, the late Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Grant, H.E.I.C.S., was no less distinguished as a soldier than his brother was a lawyer. His bravery was conspienously displayed at the Battle of Assaye, to which victory he greatly contributed by his gallantry. Another brother, the late Lieutenant-Colonel Colquhoun Grant, was entrusted with the most important and confidential service by the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular war, in which he acquitted himself under circumstances of extraordinary difficulty and danger, with remarkable courage and success. Two brothers are still living of this family, and enjoying their well-earned honors, viz, Sir James R. Grant of the Hill near Carlisle, who held the office of Principal Inspector of Hospitals, and superintended the medical department of the army in France in 1815, and Lieutenant-General Sir Lewis Grant, K.C.H. late Governor of the Island of Trinidad, and Colonel of 96th foot. The sister of these gentlemen also connects with this parish her husband, the much respected and esteemed Sir James M’Grigor, Bart., Director-General of the Army Medical Department.

The late John Hoyes, Esq. Speaker of the House of Assembly in the Island of Granada, a gentleman whose warm and generous feelings were always evinced whenever opportunities occurred of rendering services is also a native of this parish. At present the chief land-owners are, William F. Tytler, Esq. of Burdyards; Major Grant Peterkin of Invererne and Grievshop; Sir William G. Cumming, Bart.; Archibald Leslie, Esq. of Balnagieth; the town of Forres; the Earl of Moray; the Earl of Seafield; Miss Smith of Waterford; Gordon, Esq. of Thornhill; Greig, Esq. of Lingieston; Lieutenant-Colonel Frazer of Drumduan; John Forsyth, Esq. of Springfield; and Alexander Smith, Esq. of Bogton; all of these have land worth L. 50 of yearly rent.

The population in 1791 was reported as 2987 inhabitants. In 1801 it increased to 3114, and by the 1841 census the count totaled 3720.

As for agriculture in this parish, the crops that are grown are turnips, potatoes, wheat, barley, grass hay, and oats. There is a valuable salmon-fishing on the Findhorn, within the parish, which has been managed for may years for the benefit of the proprietors, Messrs Forbes and Co. of Aberdeen.

There are flour and meal-mills on the burn of Forres, which are kept in full employment, and where considerable quantities are ground annually. The Messrs Urquhart have a powerful saw-mill, where timber is sawn into deals, spars etc.

The parish church is conveniently situated; it was built in 1775, and was partially repaired and painted about three years ago, when an additional gallery was put up by the heritors, which accommodates nearly 100 sitters. The whole church is seated to accommodate about 1000 persons, and that number usually attend divine services. About 600 of the sittings are let, and the rents are paid to the heritors.

There are no chapels of ease or Government churches in the parish connected with the Established Church, but there are three Dissenting chapels, one of which is connected with the United associate Synod of the Secession Church, another belongs to the Independents, and the third to the Scotch Episcopal Church. The Independents are not a numerous body, and there are only a very few families of Episcopalians resident in the parish. There is no place of worship for Roman Catholics in the parish. Registers of births, baptisms, and marriages are regularly kept. There is a disposition, however, often shown to neglect the registration of births, merely to save the small fee charged for registration. Few think of registering deaths and burials, and the register of these is very defective. The earliest register of births and marriages is dated May 1675.

This account was written February 1842.

Source: The New Statistical Account of Scotland for Forres, FHL book 941 B4sa, 2nd series, vol. 13.

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at edina.)$) Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish you are interested in. Also available at the

= Census Records =

A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about census records.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on scotlandspeople. ($) To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website. It may be easier for you to pay to use the website rather than access the separate indexes through the library.

= Church Records =

The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about church records. Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Condition of Original Registers—
Indexed: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some of these records may be indexed and searchable on familysearch.org.

Births: There are no entries for December 1678–March 1682. Several families previously omitted are recorded between 1799 and 1803. Marriages: There are no entries for June 1698–March 1702, August 1723–March 1724, and February 1728–January 1732. Deaths: No records exist prior to 1825. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records
The Kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session dealt with moral issues, minor criminal cases, matters of the poor and education, matters of discipline, and the general concerns of the parish. Kirk session records may also mention births, marriages, and deaths.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish:

Minutes 1708–1929 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/162.

Also: Minutes 1650–1676, 1693, 1702–1727, 1732–1799, 1802–1807, 1812–1992 Accounts 1732–1845 Poor Fund Accounts 1740–1756 Collections 1733–1735 Names of Communicants Receiving Tokens 1761 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1448.

Nonconformist Church Records
A nonconformist church is any church that is not the Established church. Read more about nonconformity in Scotland in the article on the Scotland Church Records Union List.

Forres Free Church
History—  The minister of Forres and many of his people joined the Free Church at the Disruption. The congregation met in the Independent chapel at first until they built their own church on Cumming Street in 1844. Membership: 1848, 259; 1900, 359. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843 1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records—  Deacons’ Court Minutes 1843 1931 Other post-1855 records are available. Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1448.

Forres United Presbyterian Church
History—  In 1740, many of the people followed their minister, Rev. John Squire, when he left the Established Church, and they formed the Secession congregations of Urquhart and Auldern, now Elgin and Moyness. Then in 1742, the Forres people left this congregation to become a separate congregation. They built several churches: the first in 1772, another in 1813, and the third in 1871. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. FHL Film #477618.

Records—  Minutes 1774–1794, 1824–1893 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/653.

Forres Congregational Church
History— Preaching was furnished regularly at Forres in 1802 although a church was not organized until 1804. They met in a chapel on South Back Street. In 1844 the minister and congregation agreed with Evangelical Union principles, but the church never formally joined the Union. They built a new chapel on Tolbooth Street in 1867. In 1939, the church closed its doors. Source: A history of Scottish Congregationalism, by Harry Escott, pub. 1960. FHL book 941 K2es.

Records—  Extent of the records is unknown. For information write to: The United Reformed Church, Scottish Synod Office P.O. Box 189 240 Cathedral Street Glasgow G1 2BX Scotland

Forres Episcopal Church
History—  The church was consecrated in 1841 and dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.

Records—  Christenings 1841–1854 Marriages 1843–1854 Burials 1842–1854

For access to these and later records, write to the minister at: St. John's Rectory Victoria Road Forres IV36 3BN Scotland

= Civil Registration Records =

Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Each parish has a registrar's office and large cities have several. The records are created by the registrars and copies are sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Annual indexes are then created for the records for the whole country.

See the article on Scotland Civil Registration for more information and to access the records.

= Probate Records =

Forres was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Elgin. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at scotlandspeople.($) You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills &amp; Testaments,' is free. You may then purchase a copy of the document or, if the document is before 1823, it will be on microfilm at the Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Moray and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Moray.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Moray. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Moray and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Moray parish list.