Behind the modern shopfronts, bustling cafés and busy High Street of Forres lies a wealth of secret stories, untold struggles and remarkable lives. Beneath the familiar streets and well-known landmarks are layers of history waiting to be uncovered - stories of ordinary people and events that have quietly shaped the town and its community.

Welcome to Stories from the Shadows, a podcast uncovering the hidden histories, forgotten figures and overlooked narratives of Forres and its people.

In each episode, we’ll explore the stories behind the town’s most famous landmarks and uncover the lives of those who have slipped from the pages of history, shining a light on the people and places that helped make this historic Royal Burgh what it is today. From unexpected characters and long-forgotten events to the darker, stranger and more fascinating corners of Forres’s past, we’ll look beyond the history we think we know.

Because history isn’t just found in grand buildings, monuments and official records. It can be found in the streets we walk every day, in the buildings we pass without a second thought, and in the lives of people whose stories have been almost forgotten.

So step back from the modern world. Leave the busy streets behind and take a wander through the forgotten corners of Forres.

The past is still here.

You just have to know where to look.

In this episode, George Alexander reads an extraordinary advert for the wares available in Josie Falconer’s shop. As well as being a shopkeeper, Josie was a poet and has crafted his entire advert in Doric verse!

Here’s a glossary to help:

Glossary

Laigh Low

Bentit Covered with bent or thatch

Saip Soap

Curn Quantity

Hinny Honey

Prie Taste

Spice Peppermint

Roset Wax

Thairm bands Catgut cord for turning a spinning wheel

Dragon Boy’s kite

Souming Swimming

Villipend Belittle

Deuce Devil

Speer Ask

Stories from the Shadows is part of the Forres Conservation and Heritage Scheme project led by Moray Council and part-funded by the Historic Environment Scotland Heritage and Place Programme, the National Lottery Heritage Fund Grants for Heritage - with thanks to the National Lottery players, the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the Scottish Government via Town Centre Capital Fund, Place Based Investment Fund and Coastal Community Fund.

Stories From The Shadows was produced by Adventurous Audio Ltd