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Forres Tolbooth renovations by Forres Heritage Trust reveal front door lock stamp from 1840





A group of volunteers working on a community building in the centre of a town have traced its local locksmith back to the nineteenth century.

During a recent renovation by Forres Heritage Trust (FHT) volunteers Sandy Burgess, Logan Reid, Ray Newell and others, the Tolbooth’s front door’s oblong iron box chamber lock was removed for cleaning and repair - stamped inside the casement was the name ‘I. Fimister’ and the date ‘1840’.

The ‘Fimister’ lock, dated 1840, on the front door of the Tolbooth.
The ‘Fimister’ lock, dated 1840, on the front door of the Tolbooth.

FHT member and local historian Ray Mills explained that the letters ‘F’ and ‘Ph’ were often interchanged in the spelling of the name in past times, and the letter ‘I’ was often used instead of ‘J’.

He said: “The Annals of Forres states “Regarding names starting with ‘P’, Paterson is the most common, followed by Peterkin, with both being very old, in records of the town. Phimister is the next most frequently met with, and one dates back to 1587. J Phimister the blacksmith and locksmith was well known in Forres, and died as a result of an accident in 1888.”

Ray researched Moray newspapers of the time for further information about Mr I Fimister.

The Forres Gazette of April 29, 1874 states “Leading up Bulletloan, and the houses at the left hand side, in the first lived a celebrated locksmith and bell hanger of the name Phimister, who was thrown out of a trap and drowned in a ditch a few years ago, and whose workshop was a little back from the street”.

Bulletloan was renamed St Leonard’s Road in 1890. Ray looked into this too and discovered the long street had been known as the former for over 200 years before the change. The word related to a Morayshire game of throwing cannon balls AKA "bulls" by two teams.

The inner workings of the ‘Fimister’ lock on the front door of the Tolbooth.
The inner workings of the ‘Fimister’ lock on the front door of the Tolbooth.

Meanwhile, the Elgin Courier of November 1853 states that it was actually in 1853 that John Phimister, 80-years-old, was involved in an accident coming from Nairn to Forres.

Ray said: “According to the article, in his horse and four seater dog cart, Phimister had picked up two servant girls on the way, and then stopped on the Hardmuir Brae to give a lift to another girl. His horse became restive and it backed down the incline, and in so doing, the cart overturned. It went over one of the girls but she was uninjured. It threw Mr Phimister and another girl into the ditch, and while the girl was rescued by other persons nearby, he broke his neck and was drowned.”

FHT is calling for any potential descendants of the celebrated locksmith to get in touch.

Ray finished: “Please come along to the Tolbooth on any Friday morning and make yourself known. You will see an actual piece of the workmanship, made 184 years ago, by your potential ancestor!”

Inside the Tolbooth’s refurbished front door, showing the Fimister Lock on the natural wood finish.
Inside the Tolbooth’s refurbished front door, showing the Fimister Lock on the natural wood finish.

Holes in the front door were required to be filled and rotted material replaced. The original lock was in place but was no longer in use. FHT volunteers Mr Burgess and Mr Reid scraped off the old paint and restored the wood with other volunteers who prepared it for repainting.

FHT chairman George Alexander added: “The lock was removed and volunteer Ray Newell cleaned and studied its inner workings. AJ Engineering shot-blasted the lock and gave it a protective coating before using Ray’s measurements to fabricate a new working key.”

FHT volunteers work every Friday morning. At the top of the building, Billy Laing marks special occasions by flying an appropriate flag from the clocktower. In the upper floor room, he joins Mr Mills and his team of amateur archivists who are sorting through and cataloguing thousands of historic photographs of the town and its people. Other jobs include cleaning and renovations.

“The volunteers are mainly retired gentlemen,” explained George, “but the ladies are always represented by Grace who is part of Ray's team, and Logan and James help pull down the average age of the group.

Volunteers Logan Reid (left) and Sandy Burgess at the Tolbooth.
Volunteers Logan Reid (left) and Sandy Burgess at the Tolbooth.

FHT is always on the lookout for members, particularly those who can actively contribute as volunteers.

George finished: “Because the building is used by the public it is important that we keep its facilities clean so there is always room for those who enjoy cleaning in its many forms!
”Trustee Peter Haworth is busy organising our annual volunteers' reception as well as various winter talks which are in the pipeline.

“Fellow trustee Tom Logie has a number of ongoing projects including the continuation of the repairing and painting of the windows.”

For more information visit https://forresheritage.co.uk/


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