Click here for audio
Some may say we have saved the best until last and I wouldn’t disagree with them, as the quietly imposing elegance of the Falconer Museum is testament to the achievements and generosity of two Forres-born brothers, Hugh and Alexander Falconer. Hugh Falconer(February 29th 1808 January 31st 1865) became prominent within the scientific community. A real Victorian polymath, Hugh was a contemporary of Charles Darwin, spending much of his scientific career in India. His paleontological work led to new ideas about the antiquity of man.
He was also instrumental in introducing tea as a cash crop into India. While living there, he was asked to examine the feasibility of growing tea commercially, and recommended it, so when you enjoy your morning cuppa, think of Hugh and think of Forres. Alexander Falconer (1797/1856), Hugh’s big brother, became a merchant in Calcutta but later returned to his homeland.
On his death he bequeathed 1,000 pounds in his will for the establishment of a public museum in Forres for objects of art and science inclusive of a library and lecture room. He is buried at the other end of the town behind St. Laurence Church, Forres.
Founded in 1871, The Falconer Museum is one of the oldest in the district. Situated in the heart of Forres High Street, the museum houses a wealth of treasures relating to Moray’s distant and more recent past. Permanent displays include social history, geology, natural history and archaeology and temporary exhibitions are held throughout the year.
Our Founders Bequest – To implement the terms of the bequest, a Trust was established and the trustees sought to build premises to commemorate the benefactors. The original design was to have featured a tower and possibly a dome, but the necessary finance was not there and the present day building had to suffice. The final cost of the museum was 1,564 pounds. This used up all the Trust’s funds, including what had been set aside for running costs, and left a deficit of 238pounds.
A public appeal for funds had little success and an admission charge of 6d was imposed, modified to 3d for members of the working classes. After its completion the museum quickly acquired a substantial collection of antiquities, fossils, natural history specimens and coins but finance was a continuing problem.
Charles, a brother of the founders, bequeathed 500 pounds but over 200 pounds had to go to repay loans. Further bequests of some 1,700 pounds over a period of 25 years, came from nieces of the founders, which helped alleviate problems but dry rot in 1924 and again in 1955 severely depleted funds. Financial security and long-term sustainability were not assured until 1975 when the management of the museum was transferred from the Falconer Trust to Moray District Council. In return for a legal transfer to it of the Museum’s building and Collections, in the early 1990s, the Moray Council assumed full responsibility for the building and its contents. On 22nd March 1995 The Friends of the Falconer Museum was formed under the chairmanship of the late A A Kean, a local solicitor, to support the activities of the Museum and nearby Nelson Tower.