Forres in historic gazetteers

Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887). John Bartholomew

Forres, parl. and royal burgh, market town, and par., with ry. sta., NW. Elginshire, on river Findhorn, 2 miles from its mouth, 12 miles W. of Elgin, 25 NE. of Inverness, and 556 NW. of London -- par., 5440 ac., pop. 4752; royal burgh, pop. 3110; parl. burgh and town, pop. 4030; P.O., T.O., 4 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-day, Tuesday. Forres stands on an old sea terrace at the base of the Cluny Hills; and its sheltered situation and dry soil render it one of the healthiest places in Scotland. It has a few small industrial establishments, including a woollen manufactory and a chemical work; and its sta., on the Highland Ry., is at the junction of the Inverness, Perth, and Keith sections of the system. Forres Castle, which stood on Castle Hill, to the W. of the town, was a residence of the early Scottish kings; it was also for 300 years the official residence of the sheriffs of Moray. About 1½ mile E. of the town is Forres Pillar, or Sueno's Stone, one of those sculptured monuments peculiar to the NE. of Scotland. Forres and its neighbourhood is the scene of great part of Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth. On the S. slope of Cluny Hill is a hydropathic; 1½ mile from the town is New Forres, vil. Forres unites with Inverness, Fortrose, and Nairn in returning 1 member to Parliament.